A sporty version of the Honda Civic Tourer is under consideration and would most likely wear the Type S badge if it gets the go-ahead for production.
The Civic Tourer is set to be revealed in production form at this year’s Frankfurt motor show. It will go on sale in the first quarter of 2014.
Although the Tourer will be launched with the same powertrains as the Honda Civic hatchback, Honda is said to be keen to exploit the buzz created by the forthcoming return of the Civic Type R hatch by creating a sports-orientated version of the Tourer.
If it gets the go-ahead, a Type S Tourer is likely to sit on stiffer, lower suspension than the standard car and get a Type R-inspired body kit and, potentially, wider tracks.
The Civic Tourer is the first Honda to have been fully developed in Europe since the Civic Aerodeck, having been engineered in Swindon. The production car will look very similar to the concept.
Although Honda has not announced the Tourer’s boot capacity, Adrian Killman, who has led the car’s development, said it would be “comfortably class-leading”. This is possible because of the fuel tank’s location under the driver’s seat and the beam axle rear suspension set-up. The boot floor is also likely to be flat.
What’s so significant about the Civic Tourer?
The Civic Tourer is remarkable both for being so strikingly styled yet large booted, and because it wasn’t even conceived of when the hatch on which it is based was launched. Designers had to use all of the established hard points, and it had to be built on the same production line in Swindon.
All the signs are there that these severe restrictions have sparked the kind of engineering ingenuity that used to be a Honda hallmark. If the production Civic Tourer drives as well as it looks, then the company revolution sparked by the firm’s resolute boss, Takanobu Ito, appears to be gathering momentum.
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The sleek estate
Ah, well, the Civic Tourer, the estate. It does look better than the hatch its based on which is not very photogenic but looks okay in metal.
sleek and beautiful!
Best looking Civic yet. I hope the actual production version doesn't stray too far from this.
I actually like how the rear door handles are hidden in the pillar, similar to an Alfa Romeo wagons/estates. Not only does it give it a coupe-like look, it also doesn't disrupt the beautifully sculpted rear fenders.
The back is much better than
The back is much better than the hatch, but its still stuck with that rather unfortunate front of the current civic. A quick facelift would seem a good idea.
And why does an estate have hidden rear door handles?. Come on, please lets be honest about how many doors a car has, it just looks odd with a door and no obvious handle.