FULL OF CIVIC PRIDE
New Honda Civic Price: £18,235 to £27,480 On sale late March GOOD
HONDA may be Japanese, but the new 10th generation Civic is, in fact, an all-British affair.
NOT only is this striking new five-seater hatchback built in Swindon for the British market, the plant also supplies the U.S., Europe and even Japan.
SO, IN a post-Brexit era, the Civic should be a source of pride, rolling off a production line on our doorstep.
IT’S VISUALLY sharp and sporty with almost coupelike styling; lower, wider and longer than its wedgeshaped predecessor.
THE design of the first Civic, which launched in 1972, varied from region to region. The new model is more of a ‘world car’, with a common design engineered on a new platform in the biggest development programme in the company’s history.
HONDA chief engineer, Mitsuru Kariya, reckons it is ‘the sportiest Civic ever’ — a bold, but probably fair, claim. The car has good poise and balance. It takes corners with aplomb, thanks largely to its lightweight, but highly rigid, body shell. Though no sports car, it’s fun to drive.
IT’S A flexible, practical, family hatchback with more boot space — 478 litres. The driver’s seat position is lower and more cosseting than on the outgoing model, but still comfortable, and there’s plenty of room for front and rear passengers. Visibility is much improved. THE interior is stylish and practical without being boring, a complaint levelled at some of the previous Hondas. Handy thumb-pad buttons on the left spoke of the steering wheel resemble a video-game controller.
AT LAUNCH, there are two turbocharged petrol engines: a frugal one-litre, threecylinder, and a beefier 1.5litre, four-cylinder, linked to a slick, six-speed manual gearbox. There is also a less engaging continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic. A diesel option will follow.
THE one-litre, six-speed manual drives well, with fair gusto, given the efficiency of its relatively small 129bhp turbocharged engine. It will cut your fuel bills to a claimed 55.4mpg, with CO2 emissions — on which road tax is largely based — of just 106g/km.
The more powerful 1.5-litre, 182bhp manual is particularly silky smooth with plenty of oomph, but still manages 46.3mpg with CO2 emissions of 133g/km.
THE one-litre Civic comes in three trim levels: SE, SR and EX, while the 1.5-litre’s line-up is Sport, Sport-Plus and Prestige.
VALUE for money and running costs are important, especially as four-fifths of buyers will be private. So it’s good to know that, according to the CAP vehicle valuation service, the car will hold 37per cent of its value after three years and 60,000 miles — 9 per cent up on the ninth generation. SAFETY features and sensors help prevent collisions by automatically braking, and there are lane departure warnings. A SEVEN-inch colour display screen dominates the dashboard and offers sat-nav, connectivity and audio control.
BAD
ANYTHING but the standard Rallye red metallic paint will add £525 to the price.
THE one-litre petrol automatic struggled and was less engaging. At higher speeds, it was noisy and felt laboured; at lower speeds, it wallowed, especially on bends. I’d go manual.
HONDA’S reputation has been built on its engineering excellence over decades, but it has suffered from somewhat staid styling. This goes some way towards addressing those concerns, but some critics call the styling ‘too American’.