About Honda Concerto Hatchback
Honda developed the Concerto together with Rover, and it aimed at European customers. But the results did not reach the expectations.
When Honda owned the British company Rover, it tried to build a compact-segment vehicle to fill the European's needs. The result was the Honda Concerto/Rover 200/Rover 400 trio. While the Concerto was perceived as a mass-market vehicle, the British counterpart was seen as an up-scale model but at a similar price.
It was the last period when Honda chose an angular design for its cars. The Accord was already changed, and the fifth generation of the Civic was due to enter the assembly line with a curved exterior look. The Concerto, on the other hand, looked closer to the fourth-generation of the Civic, with angular-looking headlights and straight lines over its bumpers and bodywork. At least, it featured flush doors handles and body-colored door mirrors. The main difference between the Concerto and the fourth-gen Civic was the back, where the new model featured a tailgate and another pair of windows behind the C-pillars.
The interior was mostly carried over from the 1987 Civic, with a low seating position and straight lines inside the cabin. Due to the enlarged trunk, the Concerto could carry 400 liters (14.1 cu-ft), and with the rear seats folded down, it could reach up to 1200 liters (42.4 cu-ft). The good thing was that the seatback was split-folding.
Under the hood, Honda installed a choice of two engines from its lineup. The economical 1.5-liter was the base version, while the punchier 1.6-liter was the top version. An interesting choice was made by Honda to build the U.K. and European versions with McPherson struts at the front, while the Japanese version was fitted with the double-wishbone suspension.