2017 Honda Civic Lineup will feature Turbocharged Engines and Manual Transmissions, Together! [News]

2017 Honda Civic Coupe

It should be common knowledge at this point that the manual transmission is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Automatics are more efficient and faster than any human could realistically hope to be, which doesn’t help the fact that we Americans are already, by and large, too lazy to drive stick in most cases.

However, there are those of us who hold out, still demanding more work and less efficiency in the name of fun. Some automakers are still listening, fortunately, which is good news for auto enthusiasts. More good news for manual transmission junkies came today from the island nation of Japan. The lovely people at Honda have announced that the 2017 Honda Civic lineup will feature turbocharged engines and manual transmissions, together. More importantly, this much adored combination will come standard on both the coupe and sedan variants of the 1.5L Turbo 2017 Honda Civic EX-T trim.

2017 Honda Civic Coupe rolling

If there is no replacement for displacement in your mind, the 2.0-liter, naturally-aspirated engine can also be had with the row-your-own six-speed manual. Although for both smiles and miles per gallon, the turbo may be the way to go. Speaking of efficiency, the 2017 Honda Civic does quite well with the EPA’s MPG estimates. The manual 1.5L turbo is said to get 31/42/35 mpg city/highway/combined, while opting for the CVT gets you a slightly better 32/42/36. If you want that extra 0.5 liters of displacement, fuel economy will dip slightly to 28/40/32 in the manual and 31/40/34 with the CVT. These numbers are all for the sedan variant. If you want the coupe’s numbers, just subtract one MPG across the board.

2017 Honda Civic Coupe blue

Power on the 1.5L turbo comes out to 174 hp and 167 lb-ft of torque, where the 2.0-liter engine gets you 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. If you’re looking for loads of power, you may want to look to the Type R, but these numbers should be sufficient for some spirited driving. The manual Civics should hit dealers very soon, so be sure to go give it a drive.

Just imagine this with three pedals and a six speed manual... Swoon!
Just imagine this with three pedals and a six speed manual… Swoon!

While you look, why not check out another new release from Honda with the 2017 Honda Ridgeline. Nathan took our tester up Gold Mine Hill to see if it was up to snuff when taken off road: