STAND OUT FROM THE SUV CROWD

Extroverted hatch has the talent to match the looks

Honda has sold more than 25 million Civics worldwide since its 1972 arrival and it’s been a mainstay on Australian roads for nearly half a century. The current Civic has been given a safety and styling boost for 2020, including a wild Phoenix Orange pearlescent paint for the sporty-styled RS grade. Our family of testers sample life in this hatchback extrovert.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

JULES: Are we off to do burnouts in Coles’ car park before hitting Macca’s drive-through for dinner?

IAIN: Are you suggesting our Honda Civic is street-meet ready?

JULES: It’s bright orange. It has black rims. There’s an RS badge on the rear. This is one bad-boy Honda.

IAIN: But one not to be confused with the proper performance Civic, the Type R. Actually, this Civic’s RS badge is sacrilegious.

JULES: Explain?

IAIN: Anything branded RS — such as Ford’s Focus or very special Porsches and Audis — should be “Racing Sport”. Honda’s RS has the same 127kW 1.5-litre turbo engine found in garden variety Civics.

JULES: Well, it looks quite funky and stands out against other small hatchbacks, even if it’s not attractive.

IAIN: I reckon it’s a messy melange of pointiness. Give me the pure design of a Mazda3 instead.

JULES: It’s aimed at a younger demographic than you, old man. Anyway, what does it cost and what are its rivals?

IAIN: About $37,500 drive away. Rivals to this RS grade include the Hyundai i30 N-Line Premium ($39,500), Toyota Corolla ZR ($36,300), Kia Cerato GT ($34,490) and VW Golf Highline ($36,490).

JULES: Can’t nearly $40,000 buy a proper hot hatch?

IAIN: Yep. An ex-demo 202kW Hyundai i30 N can be had for less than $40k. Proper bite to go with the bark.

THE LIVING SPACE

JULES: Here’s why it has an RS badge. Black leather seats with red stitching.

IAIN: They do look good, plus they’re heated. The cabin feels solid and well-constructed, as a Honda should. It’s comfy, spacious and the dash design’s edgy, but I can’t stomach the faux carbon trim that’s weirdly sticky.

JULES: The trim is dimpled like a golf ball. Maybe leaving it in the sun makes it sticky?

IAIN: It lets down an otherwise classy interior chockers with smart storage and goodies. The built-in infotainment feels a bit old, but it runs Apple CarPlay/Android Auto to mirror your phone, which is excellent.

JULES: Properly pumping audio thanks to 12 speakers and subwoofer.

IAIN: Told you it was bad-boy — complete with drilled alloy sports pedals and red ambient lighting.

THE COMMUTE

JULES: Its looks may be fodder for Hot4sreading teens, but the drive’s very grown up. IAIN: It’s brilliant in many ways. A comfortable, quiet commuter that radar cruises itself on highways, then in town absorbs bumps well and also happily darts around crowded city streets. It’s good fun.

JULES: The engine has decent pull, but there’s something about the gearbox ruining things. IAIN: It’s one of those CVT single-speed things. It’s not half bad with steering wheel paddle shifters mimicking real gear swaps, but a conventional auto gearbox would suit the RS better. Or a manual. Not that Honda gives us a three-pedal Civic anymore.

THE SHOPPING

JULES: It’s hard to bump it in Coles’ car park. Sensors front and rear plus a multi-angle reversing camera. Easy.

IAIN: The hatch’s boot is long but not that deep, and rather comically, this RS has 340L compared to the rest of the Civic range’s 414L. Why? Bad-boy twin central exhaust exits.

SUNDAY RUN

JULES: I know you have an unhealthy liking for chucking this car into corners.

IAIN: It’s brilliant. Far better than any Civic without a “Type R” badge on the back deserves to be.

JULES: Why?

IAIN: It may only have 127kW, but it’s a willing engine that has plenty of personality if you keep revs high by using the flappy paddles.

JULES: It makes a horrible wail at high revs.

IAIN: Okay, it’s not the best. But the drive experience makes up for it. You sit low, steering’s direct, it handles superbly and the grip from its Michelin Pilot Sport 4 18-inch tyres makes back roads a massive hoot. This chassis deserves more performance.

THE FAMILY

JULES: It’s chockers with clever safety kit to stop me leaving my lane or hitting the car in front, but for the kids, no rear air vents and no rear USB points. In a $37,000 car?

IAIN: Not the best. Services are cheap at $1805 for the first five years, while we returned a fair 6.6L/100km.

THE VERDICT

JULES: Remember those giant angled hi-fis and speakers from the 1990s? This Civic RS reminds me of those. But in orange. It’s really lovely to sit in and drive but it’s not for me. IAIN: The engineering is excellent and this RS handles and drives impressively, but the engine and gearbox don’t live up to its sporty promise.