Review: Hybrid power is coming to Malaysia's 2022 Honda Civic FE - here's a sneak preview, don't buy the Turbo before trying this
Hans · Oct 13, 2022 10:37 AM
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Up until now, the FE generation 2022 Honda Civic is available with only one powertrain – a 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo that makes 182 PS and 240 Nm, paired to a CVT-type automatic transmission driving the front wheels. Combined with youthful fastback-style looks and class-leading interior space, it’s easy to understand why the Civic is the reigning King of C-segment sedans.
Up north however, buyers in Thailand see turbo power as a bit of a passe in this era of RM 4.30 per litre fuel price (equivalent price in Bangkok for RON 95 petrol). Reflecting the change in buyer demand, VTEC Turbo power is only available in Thailand on the two lower variants, while the two highest variants wear the hybrid-only blue Honda logo in front and e:HEV badge behind.
Us Malaysians are a bit pampered, still taking ridiculously long 9-year loans to buy turbocharged cars which they then refuel at the cost of just RM 2.05 per litre. Clearly this cannot go on for very much longer, and measures to remove / cut fuel subsidies are expected to be rolled out post-GE15.
If you want to enjoy the same level of performance as the current VTEC Turbo-powered Civic but want to hedge against further increase in fuel prices, you will be interested to know that Honda Malaysia has confirmed that it will be launching the Civic e:HEV very soon.
But let’s be frank, if you are buying a circa RM 150k car (the current price of the turbocharged Civic RS) and you can’t afford a circa RM 150 per week fuel bill, perhaps you shouldn’t be buying the car in the first place.
So what’s the appeal of the hybrid-powered Civic e:HEV then? Because torque matters, because it’s faster and drives better than the turbocharged Civic RS.
Hybrid e:HEV RS (right) gets different wheels from the turbocharged RS (left)
Unlike the 1.5-litre Honda HR-V RS e:HEV, the Civic e:HEV RS is powered by a much later 2.0-litre engine. Combined with two motors, the petrol-electric combo makes 184 PS and 315 Nm, and the additional 75 Nm dramatically improves the VTEC Turbo-powered Civic RS’ already excellent driving performance.
As this is only a preview, we cannot show the interior of the car nor not slip out more information on the additional features available in the new Civic e:HEV RS, but we can tell you that it’s definitely better equipped than a G20 BMW 320i.
The hybrid powertrain adds about 100 kg to the Civic’s kerbweight but surprisingly, this hasn’t blunted the hybrid Civic’s performance. Far from it, it actually handles slaloms and tight corners even better than the turbocharged Civic RS, as the heavier rear now keeps the Civic’s playful tail hunkered down.
However, the heavier rear is also likely to require stiffer suspension, which will in turn compromise ride quality on our pockmarked roads, but since our preview drive was conducted on the smooth Sepang circuit, this is something that we can only verify later, so check back on wapcar.my regularly for more updates on the 2022 Honda Civic e:HEV RS.
Over 15 years of experience in automotive, from product planning, to market research, to print and digital media. Garages a 6-cylinder manual RWD but buses to work.
