2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Revealed In Patent Renderings

2022 Honda Civic hatchback revealed in patent renderings

So far, Honda has been careful about keeping the next-generation Civic under wraps. Quite literally in fact, since spy photos of the Civic Type R have featured a well-camouflaged prototype. All that work is out the window now, though, since the folks at CivicXI.com uncovered patent renderings of the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback. And we have reason to believe these images are correct, since they closely match what we've been able to make out from those Civic Type R spy photos.You can also see a couple more angles on their site.

The new Civic's design looks longer and lower. The nose most certainly is longer, and the hood line is nearly horizontal, instead of rising up toward the A-pillars. There's significantly more glass area with a lower window sill and quarter-windows in the rear pillar. The hatch has been lowered at the trailing edge, so there's no longer a split rear window.

2021 Honda Civic Hatchback: Here Are The Prices And Specifications

2021 Honda Civic Hatchback: Here are the prices and specifications

After detailing the Type R Limited Edition, Honda has released pricing information for the 2021 Civic Hatchback. It's not making any major changes to the model, but it's slightly increasing prices across the board.

The lineup consists of four trim levels: LX, Sport, EX, and Sport Touring. That's down from five in 2020, because the EX-L model which was positioned one notch below the range-topping trim is not coming back for 2021. Pricing starts at $22,000 before a $955 destination charge enters the equation, meaning putting a Civic Hatchback in your driveway will cost at least $22,955. For context, the 2020 model started at $21,650 before Honda added a $930 destination charge, so it was priced at $22,580.

2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Gets New Special Edition And Features

2021 Toyota Corolla hatchback gets new Special Edition and features

The 2021 Toyota Corolla hatchback doesn't see many updates for the new model year, but it does get a spiffy new limited edition with the unimaginative "Special Edition" moniker. Despite the name, the car is rather bold looking, gaining a unique front spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper. And we're pleased to report the rear bumper does away with the silly fake chrome tailpipes. Besides the lower body additions, all painted black, it gets a black rear spoiler and black 18-inch wheels. The Special Edition goes on sale later this summer, and only 1,500 examples will be built, all of which come in Supersonic Red. Bizarrely, this very sporty looking Corolla is only available in the SE trim level with a CVT. You'll have to stick with a regular SE or XSE if you want to pair the 2.0-liter 168-horsepower four-cylinder with a manual transmission.

As for the rest of the Corolla hatchback lineup, there are a few feature updates. All Corolla hatchbacks now come standard with rear seat side impact airbags. These are the abdominal airbags mounted to the seat, as opposed to the already standard curtain airbags. The XSE trim also picks up blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard, and both features are available on the SE trim as part of the optional SE Preferred Package. There's also the new Enhanced Cargo Space Package. Basically, it's the option to replace the spare tire with a tire repair kit to free up space under the cargo floor. It brings space up to 23 cubic feet over the regular model's 17, and it's a no cost option. Finally, Toyota is adding two new colors to the hatchback, Magnetic Gray Metallic and Wind Chill Pearl.

Junkyard Gem: 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback

Remember the front-wheel-drive Dodge and Plymouth Colts (not to mention the Plymouth Champ and Eagle Summit) of the late 1970s through the middle 1990s? Those were Mitsubishi Mirages, and you could buy them here with Mitsubishi badging from 1985 through 2002. Then, for the 2014 model year, the Mirage returned to North America, as the cheapest new car you could buy here. Now, barely a half-decade later, I'm seeing significant quantities of these Mirages in the car graveyards I frequent. Here's a pretty clean '15 in a yard located within sight of Pikes Peak in Colorado.

Junkyard Gem: 1986 Mazda 323 Dx Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 1986 Mazda 323 DX Hatchback

Mazda built generation after generation of the Familia, starting with the Giugiaro-styled machines of the 1960s. The first Familia that sold well in North America was called the GLC (for "Great Little Car"), and it began life as a rear-wheel-drive cousin to the RX-7 before the Familia went to a front-wheel-drive platform for the 1981 model year. The GLC name stuck around these parts through 1985 — and I've documented a few discarded examples of these now-rare machines during my junkyard travels — before getting the 323 name starting in the 1986 model year. It's no sweat to find 1990s 323s in junkyards, but I've been scouring the car graveyards of the land for the elusive early 323 and, finally, found this moss-encrusted '86 in a San Francisco Bay Area yard.