1 best of : Honda Civic Hatchback Spied Testing on Public Roads

A few days before Honda is scheduled to reveal the Civic Hatchback Prototype at the 2016 Geneva auto show, our spy photographers have caught the production version testing on public roads. The hatchback will be the third body style to arrive in the U.S. and will be the first time since the seventh-generation that a Civic will be offered with a liftgate.

2017 honda civic hatch rear three quarters 1

Despite all the camouflage, the prototype is easily recognizable as a Civic thanks to the shape of the headlights and the center strip that protrudes outwards from the grille. Additionally, the entire front end of the car is similar to the coupe and sedan, which gives away its identity as part of the Honda Civic family. The side profile is where things start to look different because the Civic hatchback looks like its rear deck got slashed off, turning the trunk lid into a large hatch.

Perhaps the most distinctive part of the Honda Civic hatchback is its rear end because it’s not your typical two-box design. Instead, Honda eschewed that in favor of a larger liftback like the one found in the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo and the Toyota Prius, giving it a more sedan-like appearance. This prototype’s center-mounted dual exhaust tips, on the other hand, suggests that this could be one of two performance-minded variants of the Civic. However, the lack of a giant rear wing also means that this is likely not a Civic Type R prototype, which will slot above the Civic Si as the most potent variant of the Civic lineup.

Photo Source: CarPix