The 2022 Honda Civic FE has a uniquely expensive boot lid

The all-new 11th generation 2022 Honda Civic FE has a 497-litre boot space. That’s actually less than the previous generation Civic FC’s 519-litre.

Sounds like a step backwards? In terms of loading capacity, then yes you are right but who still buy sedans for their boot space these days? There’s a reason why sales of SUVs like the Honda HR-V and Honda CR-V are outpacing the Civic.

Instead, today’s sedan buyers, or what little that’s left of this group, buy sedans because of their sporty appeal, for their lower ride height, which in turn leads to superior ride and handling.

The latest Honda Civic is all about its very expensive-looking interior, one that’s (almost) good enough to rival the more expensive Mazda 3, and all about the drive (looking at you TNGA Toyota Corolla Altis).

But let’s not digress any further. Back to the Civic’s boot. Prospective buyers checking out the Honda Civic will notice that there is none of the cheap ‘tinny’ feel when opening or closing the boot lid.

It has rather damped feel, the kind of experience one gets when opening and closing the boot of a more expensive premium sedan.

But once you open the boot lid, you will notice that it still has traditional ‘goose neck’ hinges holding the boot lid.

Look closer however, you will see a gas strut holding the boot lid, hidden under the right-side hinge, and it’s only fitted on the right-side of the boot.

Gas struts are a lot more expensive that traditional ‘goose neck’ hinges, so they are usually reserved only for premium sedans. In the old days, they were more common. Even the previous Proton Persona had it (perhaps this is also why Proton kept losing money?).

But as the car industry gets more competitive, gas struts for the boot lid are one of the first to go away.

Fun fact: Even the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI no longer use gas struts for its bonnet in front. Why spend money on two gas struts when a simple flip down bar does the same job. How often owners open the engine bay anyway?

Never mind the Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat, because not even the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan use gas struts to hold the boot lid.

Even the Mazda 3 Sedan, which is supposed to be all about craftsmanship, a car created in an environment where accountants take a backseat while master craftsmen and engineers work to build the best car they can, don’t use gas struts.

But this is still a Honda Civic, so there’s a cost limit to what kind of solutions Honda engineers can employ on such a car, which at the end of the day, is still a mass-market C-segment sedan.

So instead of using two gas struts, Honda employed only one, and probably a cheaper and smaller one too, working in tandem with two conventional goose necks. Perhaps this 2x ‘goose neck’ hinge and 1x gas strut combination works out to be a cheaper solution for Honda in achieving the same goal.

This is one of the many small things that makes the 2022 Honda Civic such an intriguing product. We are sure that there will be many of such details that we will uncover once we get to spend more time with the car.

Yes, the 2022 Honda Civic is quite expensive. With the entry 1.8-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC variant discontinued and only the 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo left, prices now start from RM 125,634, a big jump from the previous RM 109,326.

Even when compared to the previous VTEC Turbo variants, prices are still higher, topping out at RM 144,350 versus the previous model’s RM 139,600.

But you only need to sit inside the latest Civic to know where the money is spent. The honeycomb panel on the dashboard is a wow to touch, so are the finely crafted inner door handles, the ambient lights on the door panels, the omni-directional air-conditioning vents makes you go “This is brilliant! Why didn’t anyone thought of this?”

The people at Mazda should be worried.