Like Merk, I'll care when I see a type R on a dealer lot... until then, the Civic has sucked since 2000 with a brief respite in the '06-11 Si.
Would you buy one if they did?
This is where I'm hung up. Enthusiasts are often the most wishy washy buyers to sell to. From M3s to GTIs to Corvettes to BRZs, there's such a wide range to appeal to. Honda often hits niche vehicles and plans around that. There's a very specific market for Hot Hatch FWD. Which is different from Hot Hatch AWD. Which is different from RWD Coupe. Which is different from AWD Coupe. Etc.
With the shift to turbo engines, lots of commonality is being shared among engines and platforms. Taking a page from the VW booklet, they now have the ability to fit a wide range of offerings with a common block.
Honda needs a Halo Car. Big time. It needs an S2000 for appeal. A baby NSX with a 2.0T + EAWD would suffice. Seeing as though most of the development is done, making common parts and platforms would make it cheaper to sell.
Jesus. Looks like they put a fat suit on it.
Yeah. I wasn't too keen on the bigger Civic. Honda wants to move more up market with this one.
With the styling they want, they based it off the Accord platform for wider track and longer wheelbase. In return, the the rest of the sheet metal had to be styled to accommodate so it didn't look as bulbous as the 9th gen.
C Segment cars are not what they used to be anymore. Even the Sentra, Corolla, Mazda 3 all have gotten bigger. A Civic of yore is more of a B-Segment car no and days....its upsetting to say the least.
Government wants MPG+Crash+Safety. More weight+More power to offset+bigger cars.
MURICA