2023 Honda Civic Hatchback Performance

One of the big changes last year was the addition of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to the range, with outputs of 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. It's standard on the Sport, while EX-L and Sport Touring models come with the familiar 1.5-liter turbo-four. Specs from this powertrain are vastly more impressive, with 180 hp and 177 lb-ft available to play with. All cars are front-wheel drive with no AWD option, but despite not offering better all-weather traction, the Civic Hatch remains one of the most entertaining hatchbacks in the segment. Crucially, it's the only Civic model to retain a manual gearbox. Official 0-60 sprint times have yet to be released, but independent tests suggest you need around 7.2 seconds with the turbo-four and at least eight seconds with the bigger 2.0-liter motor to get to 60 mph. Top speed is estimated at 130 mph.

There are two powertrain options in the range, with the base engine being the same 2.0-liter I4 equipped in base Civic Sedans. It's good for 158 hp and 138 lb-ft and is paired to a standard CVT automatic in the Sport, with the no-cost option to fit a six-speed manual transmission instead. The upper two trims carry over the 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder motor from the previous Civic, with 180 hp and 177 lb-ft mated to a CVT, but the Sport Touring can be had with the manual 'box, too.

The CVT-equipped Civic Hatch, like the sedan, gets a Sport mode that quickens the throttle and keeps the CVT closer to the Civic peak output point of 6,000 rpm. We generally don't like CVTs, but when they're programmed for aggression, they can be fun too. Still, the manual is the way to go here if you want performance thrills.

We only drove the Sport Touring trim with the 180-hp engine, which seemed to enjoy being pushed on Michigan's backroads.

Models with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the manual gearbox manage EPA-rated gas mileage figures of 26/36/29 mpg, while the CVT-equipped Sport gets 29/37/32 mpg. 1.5-liter turbo models are more frugal overall, with the EX-L CVT managing the best fuel consumption of all at 31/39/35 mpg. Sport Touring trims get estimates of 30/37/33 mpg with the CVT, while the manual variants do 28/37/31 mpg.

All models come with a 12.3-gallon fuel tank, which means the most frugal Civic hatch will be able to cover about 430 miles on a full tank of gas. We returned an indicated 28 mpg combined in mixed but aggressive driving and don't doubt light-footed drivers could do even better.