Top of the range new Civic – rather a lot for your money!

WHENEVER a car manufacturer launches a new model one of the first questions people want answered is what price does the range start from.

On the other hand there’s a small sector who, if they like the product, only want to know how much the most expensive version is. So when Honda launched its new 10th-generation Civic it included a version just for this niche market called the Prestige.

Close to £10,000 more than the entry level model – if you add CVT automatic transmission – the Civic Prestige has all the bells and whistles to satisfy the most demanding of customers.

Externally, the Prestige is easily identifiable because – unlike the rest of the range – its grille is in highly polished chrome. In fact there’s quite a proliferation of chrome – door handles and window surrounds are chrome too rather than the body coloured versions on the rest of the range. But perhaps it’s inside the cabin where the Prestige really scores, with its all-leather seats and leather panelling on the doors.

The new Civic is available with a choice of two engines – a 1.0-litre 127bhp and a 180bhp 1.5-litre – and both are petrol and both turbocharged.

However, the Prestige model only has a 1.5-litre engine, which – with the manual gearbox – will give you a top speed of 137mph and a 0-62 miles per hour time of a very sharp 8.4 seconds.

So, even though the Prestige is at the top of range you get a lot for your money, and that’s exactly what a lot of people are looking for.