CIVIC MINDED: IT’S A GOOD THING TO BE

Thomas Falkiner gets to grips with the highly competent but detrimentally priced Honda Civic 1.5T Sport

Hasn’t this Civic been on the block for a while now?

It has indeed. Seen (or should I say seldom seen) on South Africa’s mean streets since 2016, the 10th generation Civic is a good car that just hasn’t enjoyed the local recognition – sales or otherwise – that it deserves. Be this as it may, Honda has treated it to a quick spit and polish: an update to help keep it fresh in the face of its many German rivals.

So what’s new exactly? Well, on this 1.5T Sport model you score a more aggressive front apron, black 17-inch alloy wheels plus a flashy lick of chrome detailing on the bottom of the rear bumper. Inside you may or may not notice that the infotainment system now boasts additional hard buttons (for easier operation on the move) and, well, that’s about it.

Under the skin Honda claims they’ve layered in some extra sound-deadening material, which helps lessen Noise, Vibration and Harshness levels (NVH) — good for long trips.

So no changes under the bonnet then?

Nope. But then no change was really necessary as Honda’s 1.5-litre turbocharged “Earth Dreams Technology” motor has always been a peach of a powerplant offering both strong lowdown torque and a willingness to rev enthusiastically up to its redline. Set the engine mapping to Eco Mode and it also returns impressive economy: after 390km of mixed driving conditions I clocked just over 7l/100km.

I heard they’re now offering this Sport model with a manual gearbox? True?

Sigh. If only it were. In some overseas markets you can garage yourself the Civic Si, which comes with all the sweet cornercarving promise of a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential. Unfortunately Honda SA included no such treats when it came to speccing our local cars. Consequently we are stuck with a droning CVT transmission that albeit decent around the gridlocked city (or cruising on down the highway) seriously detracts from the overall driving experience when you decide to exploit this car’s talents.

So you’re saying the Civic is good to drive?

It really is you know. For a vehicle that appears so visually large the Civic Sport handles with surprising delicacy. It feels light and nimble and turns into corners with pleasing eagerness and bite. Add to the mix that punchy engine, excellent driving position as well as direct, communicative steering and you get a machine that’s actually a properly entertaining thing to fling down a twisty backroad. It rides well too (despite those 17-inch wheels) and seldom feels uncomfortable — or flustered — even when steered down the scabbiest of Joburg streets.

And yet you never really see these cars — what gives?

The major chink in this Honda’s armour lies in its price tag. Looming large at just under R500,000 the Civic 1.5T Sport is something of a hard sell in a country such as SA where a Volkswagen Golf TSI Comfortline DSG can be had for about R80,000 less. Sure, the Honda comes with a lot more features as standard but this is something of a moot point in a place that holds the Golf badge with an almost enviable reverence.

Problem No 2 is the fact that for similar money prospective buyers can easily climb into something with even greater brand pedigree: cars like the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 Sedan. As such the Civic 1.5T Sport occupies this weird no-man’s land and is, to all intents and purposes, largely ignored. Which is a shame because it is, I think, a damn fine car.