Honda Civic e:HEV detailed ahead of launch next month

The 2023 Honda Civic e:HEV has been approved for Australian roads ahead of its local launch next month, with preliminary specifications now published on the federal government’s automotive homologation database.

According to the official dataset, just one electrified Civic variant will be offered here with a similar if not slightly higher specification level to the existing VTi-LX hatch, which is presently priced at $47,200 drive-away.

Unlike the established Honda HR-V e:HEV, which employs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine acting primarily as a generator for a pair of electric motors, the Civic e:HEV utilises a bigger 2.0-litre engine and churns out a combined 135kW/315Nm.

The hybrid’s higher outputs, extra engineering and additional hardware all but guarantees the electrified Civic will cost more than its petrol counterpart, with prices widely anticipated to start north of $50,000 drive-away.

That will make the first hybrid Civic a lot pricier than the Toyota Corolla Hybrid range, which opens at just $27,395 and is also available in sedan form, and will also pave the way for the subsequent Honda Civic Type R hot hatch to start somewhere in the $60,000s when it arrives in Australia in early 2023.

The catch is all the extra fuel-saving tech adds weight – specifically an extra 146kg – which was apparently enough to warrant the inclusion of bigger and thicker brake discs at all four corners compared to the petrol version – 293x25mm v 282x23mm up front, 282x9mm v 260x9mm at rear.

No changes have been made to the hybrid’s suspension geometry, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if the spring and damper tunes have also been massaged to counter the increased kerb weight.

The Civic e:HEV’s standard rolling stock will be left unchanged, save perhaps for its 18-inch alloy wheel design. For reference, the tyre profile of both petrol and hybrid Civics is 235/40 with a 95Y speed rating.

The booster shot of torque supplied by the dual electric motors should help the Civic square up more convincingly against the established crop of warm hatches – think Kia Cerato GT, Hyundai i30 N-Line and Mazda3 G25 GT – in terms of firepower.

However, it remains to be seen how much of the extra grunt is mitigated by the added weight. We’ll have the answer to exactly that question and more next month, when we drive the new Civic hybrid at its local launch – and the fire-breathing Civic Type R at its international launch in Europe.

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