Stylish new Civic will turn heads
It would be fair to say that the previous Honda Civic was looking a little tired and jaded around the edges.
But enter the all-new tenth generation model and it’s a whole new ball game.
The latest Civic, built in Britain at Honda’s Swindon factory, is new from the ground up and boasts a fresh, sporty design guaranteed to turn heads.
There are two punchy petrol engines, a range of trim levels and either manual or automatic transmissions, with prices starting from a very competitive £18,335.
Initially two new petrol engines are available. These are a three-cylinder 1.0-litre 129ps powertrain which can deliver combined fuel economy of 55.4mpg with carbon emissions of 106g/km.
Alternatively, the more powerful 1.5-litre 182ps engine can offer a combined 46.3mpg with emissions of 133g/km.
The 1.0-litre model is available in SE, SR and EX trim levels while the 1.5-litre model is available in grades Sport, Sport Plus and Prestige. Although there are no diesel options at the moment we are reliably informed one will be introduced next year.
When it comes to looks, the new Civic is a winner all round thanks to its dynamic styling, which has been achieved thanks to the car’s new dimensions.
The new Civic is 20mm lower, 30mm wider and 136mm longer than the previous version and those proportions, along with sweeping light clusters, large air intakes and smart alloys, certainly give the newcomer a more edgy appearance.
Move inside and there is a wealth of technology to explore, with even the entry-level models generously equipped.
There is a new seven-inch TFT-LCD driver display which is positioned within the newly reconfigured instrument binnacle.
Other creature comforts include the secondgeneration Honda Connect system to link up with multimedia devices via Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
There is a wireless smartphone charging pad, full navigation facilities and a great sound system. More upmarket features such as leather seats and a glass sunroof are introduced on the higherspec models.
Comfort levels within the car are very high and there is room for five adults, although taller back seat passengers may struggle a little for headroom due to the car’s sloping roofline.
Storage options are very impressive and Honda claims its boot capacity of 478 litres is classleading. This can be increased to 828 litres with the rear seats dropped flat.
The latest Civic also features Honda’s safety package, called Sensing, across the range. That includes forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking system, lane departure warning, road departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed assistance and intelligent adaptive cruise control, which is a useful feature that helps to predict cars cutting in front of you on motorways and will adjust the speed accordingly.
All in all, the latest Civic is a fabulous car. Honda has taken into account the car’s 40-year heritage and brought it bang up too date – and it looks great.