Honda Civic saloon announced for UK

Honda has announced plans to sell its four-door Civic saloon in the UK - bringing with it extra interior space and a sportier driving position.

Unlike the British-built hatchback, the saloon version of the Civic will be manufactured at the firm's Gebze plant in Turkey. It'll be sold in the UK with petrol and diesel engines, with models arriving at dealers from August.

The petrol engine is the same 1.0-litre unit used in the Civic hatchback and is available with either the CVT automatic or manual gearbox. The 1.6-litre diesel is also the same as used in the hatch, available with a manual gearbox or a new nine-speed auto.

Although the Civic saloon is likely to be a fairly niche model for Honda, these pictures released today by Honda UK suggest it's sleeker than you may expect from a saloon of this size. It's got the same distinctive 'face' as the hatch, while Honda says the longer platform creates 'class-leading' interior space, but then they all say that...

A lower seating position will appeal to keener drivers, while the extra space on offer might tempt families who'd ordinarily buy the hatch.

Prices are yet to be announced - but expect them to remain close to those of the hatch, which starts at £18,895.