Civic has crowd appeal

The new Honda Civic is being pitched as a car that really can offer drivers practicality in spades. Jack Evans cut through the hype to find out more.

As one of Honda’s most successful cars, the Civic is hugely important to the brand. Having sold in excellent numbers, the previous-generation car has now been replaced with an all-new model, which sports a rather more saloon-like hatchback shape. Set to offer better space, comfort and driver involvement, the new Civic is setting out to be all things to all people.

Look at the new Civic, and you’d be hard-pressed to see its relation to the previous car. Certainly, it shares the angular lines of the vehicle it replaces, but it really is all-new to look at. The front of the car sports a dynamic front splitter, while the sharp, edgy design theme is carried on along the exterior. The rear of the car sports a hatchback boot lid, which, though large, is easy to operate. The boot, which comes in at a respectable 478 litres, is quite deep and square, making it ideal for larger items. It also has a horizontally operated tonneau cover – you pull the cover across the boot area, protecting it from prying eyes. What’s the benefit of this you may ask? The cover rolls into a holder mounted at the side of the boot, which is a lot smaller than a conventional parcel shelf. It’s about the size of a loaf of bread and can easily be removed and taken away – simple. Two engines are available from launch. There’s a 1.0litre turbocharged petrol, which produces 127bhp and emits 117g/km CO2 while returning around 55.4mpg combined - though it’ll hit 60mph in a respectable 10.7 seconds. There’s also a 1.5litre turbocharged petrol, and this puts out 179bhp while emitting 133g/km CO2 and returning around 46.3mpg. Both are available with either a six-speed manual or CVT automatic. There’s set to be a diesel option arriving in late 2017, though details of this have yet to be revealed. We got behind the wheel of the 1.0-litre-powered Civic. Though small in capacity, it’s able to offer an impressive 200Nm of torque – something which makes a car an awful lot easier to live with on a dayto-day basis. Around town, the first thing that becomes immediately noticeable is the ride. It’s almost unnervingly composed, which makes it incredibly relaxing. Add a bit more speed to the mix and you quickly find that the new Civic has a huge amount of talent dynamically. IN A NUTSHELL The Civic really should appeal to most people. With two economical yet powerful engines to choose from, buyers won’t have too much trouble picking the Civic. It’s great to drive, good looking and spacious too. In short, it’s just about everything you could want from a hatchback, and more to boot. The Honda Civic fitted with a 1.0-litre engine and sitting in SR trim costs £20,180. With this, you get 17in wheels as standard, as well as climate control, automatic lights and wipers as well as a larger touchscreen. A first for a Civic, Apple Carplay has been added, along with Android Auto, which gives greater levels of smartphone integration.