Practical but pricey Civic is a tough sell
ROAD TEST/ Honda Civic 1.5 Sport puts up a brave fight in a sedan segment that sometimes battles to excite buyers, writes Denis Droppa
Lmight ook carefully spot it. and It ’you s a subsegment of sedans occupying the dreaded space between the Toyota Corolla Quest market so beloved of Uber operators, and the aspirational BMW 3 Series league.
Dreaded, because this inbetween segment has become the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the motoring market, as buyers shun it mostly in favour of SUVs and hatchbacks.
Life is an uphill battle for sedans such as the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Mazda3 that trickle out of showrooms in modest numbers, which is why VW and Ford aren’t even bothering to launch their latest Jetta and Focus here.
The Civic continues to battle on despite selling fewer than 20 cars a month, and Honda recently endowed it with a mild midlife update to try to spark some consumer interest.
The 10th-generation Civic is one of the better-looking sedans and externally it shows no signs of ageing with its sporty coupelike profile and low, wide stance. Those claw-shaped tail lights are very distinctive too.
As part of a subtle makeover the car has a redesigned grille and a bolder three-dimensional bumper, while new black-coated 17-inch alloys give more swagger to the 1.5T Sport model.
Inside, the cabin finishes have been refined for a more contemporary textured look, and the digitised flair is provided by an 18cm infotainment touch screen and a digital instrument panel. The infotainment menu is easy to navigate and it has all the requisite connectivity including CarPlay and Android Auto.
There are physical buttons for climate control, which is better than having them hidden in a digital labyrinth. Also, the touchscreen buttons have been replaced by more convenient hard buttons and a volume control knob.
The R474,700 Civic 1.5T Sport comes standard with a decent level of kit, including leather upholstery and a Walk Away Auto Lock feature as part of a smart-key system.
Safety comprises the usual ABS brakes and stability control, along with six airbags, but it’s only the range-topping R507,600 Civic Executive model that has driver-assist features such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and a blind spot camera.
As before, this Honda is offered with a choice of two petrol engines: a normally aspirated 1.8 with outputs of 104kW and 174Nm, and a 1.5 turbo that packs 127kW and 220Nm the latter on test here.
All versions are available only with a CVT belt-drive transmission. I found the turbocharged performance to be reasonably eager both in urban and freeway driving. I have no problem with the power delivery, which comes on song it’s quickly with no discernible lag, and with less of a slippingclutch effect than some transmissions of this genre.
The gearbox is better than previous-generation CVTs and has programmed steps to give it a more natural driving feel.
There’s more of an issue with refinement, and despite Honda adding more sound proofing as part of the Civic’s latest upgrade, it fails to muffle the characteristically loud CVT drone when the revs climb. It isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but I think it’s