2022 Honda Civic now in Thailand with 1.5L turbo only

Will the PH-spec Honda Civic get one engine option only too?

After a long wait, the all-new Honda Civic has finally made its way to the ASEAN region. Honda launched the 11th generation Civic in Thailand today. With that, the compact sedan will soon be making its local debut in countries around the region, including the Philippines. But what does the Thai-spec Civic have to offer?

The design of the Thailand-spec Civic looks identical to that introduced in North America. But there is a difference in the trim level. In Thailand, the Civic is available in only three variants: EL, EL+, and RS. The model shown here is the RS, the sportiest of the bunch. It features black trim, 17-inch black wheels, full LED headlights and taillights, RS emblems, and a trunk spoiler. Customers in Thailand will also have more colors to choose from including, the new Morning Mist Blue Metallic.

Keen-eyed readers will also notice the twin-exit exhaust at the back, which should give you an idea of what’s under the hood. However, that’s not exclusive to the RS anymore. Both the EL and EL+ also get the twin-pipe setup.

Why so? That’s because the 11th generation Civic for the Thailand market is available with one engine option only. Similar to the previous-generation model, the 2022 Civic is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 178 PS and 240 Nm torque. The lone transmission option available for the sedan is a CVT. What about the naturally aspirated 1.8-liter engine? That’s been dropped for the lineup. There’s no word yet on what other engine options will be available for the Thai-spec Civic.

Inside, the Civic adopts Honda’s new “Simplicity and Something” design. It’s effectively the same as what we saw in the North American model but with the steering wheel on the right side. Front and center is a large 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It supports Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, voice command, navigation, Honda Connect, and an 8-speaker system. Meanwhile, the aircon vents are neatly hidden along the middle of the dash, while the physical buttons are tucked below the center vents.

Other key features available on the new Civic include 10.2-inch digital instrument panel, power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless phone charging system, 4 USB ports, and selectable driving modes (Sport, Normal, Econ).

For the first time, the Thailand-spec Civic now comes with Honda Sensing safety suite system. These include auto high-beam headlight, lane keep assist, collision warning, and even adaptive cruise control. Hopefully, these safety features also make their way into the Philippine-spec model.

Given that we source our Civic from Thailand, it’s likely that the Philippine-bound units will also be powered exclusively by a 1.5-liter turbo mill. It wouldn’t make sense for the Thailand plant to build and fit the naturally aspirated 1.8-liter mill for export models alone. Hopefully, we’ll find out more once Honda Cars Philippines launches the new Civic later this year.