Honda Civic saloon
Verdict on newcomer aiming to revive slow four-door sales
WITH the proliferation of SUVS, the saloon market is dwindling. But that isn’t stopping Honda from introducing a four-door version of its Civic in the UK.
If you see the exterior design of the Civic hatchback as a bit too daring, you may find the saloon more appealing. Its elongated shape, thanks to its separate boot and toned-down bumper design, makes for a more restrained look.
Honda reckons it could even draw interest from old Accord owners, due to its similar proportions and boot size.
Most of the visual changes happen aft of the front doors and include a sloping roofline and raised haunches. The boot itself isn’t all that much larger than the hatchback’s; at 519 litres, it’s just 41 litres bigger. The aperture is wide, but it still lacks the convenience and access of the five-door.
On the inside, the saloon is nearenough identical to the normal Civic, with generous space for passengers both front and rear. The driving position provides plenty of adjustability and there’s ggood alll aroaround visibility, too.
In the UK, the sasaloon will be available with either a 127b127bhp 1.0-litre I-VTEC three-cylinder turbo petrol engine or a frugal 118bhp 1.6-litre I-DTEC diesel. The more powerful 1.5-litre petrol motor isn’t an option in the saloon for now. Every car gets a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an auto available with both engines.
From SR trim upwards the Civic has Honda’s seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard, with specs largely mirroring the hatch’s. The display isn’t as intuitive to use as some rival systems, but does feature Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity.
Over broken road surfaces, the stiffness of the suspension is apparent, although it soaks up most imperfections without being too jarring. The saloon doesn’t get the adaptive dampers that feature in higher-spec hatchback Civics, but the four-door car feels just as composed for the most part.
Despite the boot being separated from the interior of the car, it doesn’t seem to make things any quieter on the move, so the saloon version is still susceptible to road noise on broken sections of motorway, for example. Punchy
We’re testing the diesel here. It feels punchy from the off, but loses some of its sheen when worked harder. The unit lacks the strong shove of torque found in some of its rivals, and this deficit is more noticeable with four passengers.
Yet it’s on a motorway that the diesel Civic comes into its own. It’s here that many diesel buyers are likely to spend their time and, like the hatch, the saloon rewards here. Any gruffness present in town soon dissipates at higher speeds.
If you stick mainly to urban commutes, you’ll be better off with the petrol, which offers better refinement and enough performance despite its smaller size.
The saloon’s steering is direct, and the chassis is more responsive than many of its rivals’. A precise and satisfying gearshift reinforces the feeling that the Civic is one of the more engaging mainstream family cars on sale.
Honda equips all Civic saloons with its ‘Sensing’ suite of driver assistance and safety features, including lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. The latter is one of the better systems we’ve tried.
Prices start at £19,395, which is a £500 premium over the equivalent Civic hatch. A mid-spec 1.0 SR (our top pick) costs £21,240; around £2,000 more than a Skoda Octavia SE Technology 1.0 TSI.