Racy, Mysterious Honda Spied in Spain

8 years, 7 months ago - 25 August 2015, Autoblog
Racy, Mysterious Honda Spied in Spain
The next-gen Honda Civic five-door has been spotted near the IDIADA Proving Grounds in Spain, and Pistonudos was able to snap several photos of it covered in camouflage there.

However, compared to the last spy shots we saw of this body, there have been some odd changes made for the latest test car.

In front, the grille still wears a similar look to the pre-refresh Acura ILX like in the last photos. Although, this version might be a bit closer to production because as in the patent drawings, the air dam now sports three lower intakes. In profile, this Civic is largely the same as the earlier shots too, but now you get a better look at the tail's shape. The big, lightweight wheels and small brake discs are certainly odd on this example, though.

The rear is where things get really strange because of the three exhaust pipes right in the middle of the bumper. Making things even weirder, the center one has a smaller diameter than the others. Because the Honda Civic Concept used a single, center-mounted setup, perhaps this is a way to test that design.

Taken in total, this Civic test car is a head-scratcher. The bizarre exhaust layout and big wheels suggest a performance version, but the rest of the design doesn't look aggressive enough. One possible explanation is that Honda is testing a few components for the next Civic SI here. That would explain why some bits look racy but not the whole car.