Civic-Tourer

While only being showcased as a concept at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, this vision of the Honda Civic Tourer is expected to closely resemble the production car that's due to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

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Honda Civic Tourer concept adds a dash of sportiness

Civic-Tourer-Concept03
Honda Civic Tourer concept adds a dash of sportiness

While the existing Civic hatchback is far from the best looking medium car on the market, the design philosophy of that car translates much better to the elongated style of the Civic Tourer – the awkward and angular lines of the hatchback look far better stretched out on this model.

Hidden rear door handles in the window frames and the bulky lines over the rear wheel arches are two design cues that bolster the sleek looks, and are features we hope Honda retains for the production model.
Honda Civic Tourer concept details still a secret
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Unfortunately, Honda hasn't yet released many details about the production model though, the most notable of these its boot capacity.

However, in official statements the brand refers to previous models having ‘best in class loading space’, signalling this as something they’re aiming for in the Civic Tourer.

It will have its work cut out in this department, though. While the popular Ford Focus Estate only claims 475 litres of boot space, the Mk7 VW Golf Estate claims a whopping 605 litres – Honda will have to go some way to match this.
Honda Civic Tourer Concept: what we do know
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The estate will share much of the same underpinnings as the hatchback. A forward-mounted fuel tank and a space-saving beam-axle rear suspension will also be used in the Tourer.

That means the ride probably won’t be class leading, but it opens up far more boot capacity and space in the rear of the car, which could be a tempting prospect to many UK buyers.

One Civic misdemeanour the estate version could resolve is visibility. The Tourer concept has no rear spoiler running across the back window like the hatchback, and the C-pillar is glass in line with the rest of the windows. This means rear visibility would be far better than on the Civic hatchback.

Another positive point that has been confirmed is that the Civic Tourer will be built at Honda's Swindon plant in the UK.
Expect more details in our coverage of the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.