Honda Civic long-term test
While hatches are slain all around it, Honda stands firm against the SUV onslaught
*Why we’re running it: *To see if the Honda Civic can save the everyday family hatchback
-Month 1 - Specs-
-Life with a Honda Civic: Month 1-
*Welcoming the Civic to the fleet - 5 October 2022*
A few weeks ago, my far more learned colleague Matt Prior summed up the new Civic thus: “In a class being neglected, Honda arrives with a car that’s one of the most compelling and best to drive.”
In a stroke, Matt neatly summed up why this car excites us at Autocar. Finally, an everyday hatchback that we can all actually look forward to driving. It’s not only Matt: Kris Culmer borrowed it for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed every minute, while Rachel Burgess came back off the international launch raving about the car. I’ve only had it a week and already I can see where they’re all coming from.
It’s not just that there are encouraging signs about how well it drives and commutes – although it effortlessly absorbed a 480-mile series of commutes in my first three days with the car – but also what it represents. Twenty years ago, I would never have thought that I would one day be waxing lyrical about a family hatchback, but the contrast in SUV land is a welcome one. Here’s hoping that the initial love-in for the Civic continues for the duration of our loan.
So to the actual Civic that we have. There’s only one powertrain, so we very wisely stuck to that option. It’s a hybrid system, with a 181bhp electric motor doing most of the motive work while a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine powers the generator that charges up the battery. It’s clever stuff, and it has so far yielded an average of 55.2mpg – impressively close to the official economy figure of 56.5mpg.
If you have nervously glanced at the specification panel on the right where it says ‘e-CVT’ and are therefore thinking there’s about to come an almighty ‘but’, don’t fret. Actually, there is no gearbox: the engine only clutches onto the wheels at high speeds, and even then only at one fixed ratio – and therefore there’sno awful CVT drone to get used to. More on that in a later update.
There are three trims available: Elegance, Sport and Advance. Prices start at £29,595 (when was the last time we had a figure under £30,000 for a car this size?), rising to £30,595 and then £32,995 for our model. One advantage of a world short of semiconductors is that options on cars are gloriously simplified.
Gone are the days when there were thousands of options on even ordinary motors. Here, save for a bit of additional plastic on bumpers and a different interior illumination, you simply choose your trim level, pick a paint colour and that’s it.
For the record, the punchy Premium Crystal Blue metallic paint you see here is £825. I like it; from certain angles, there’s almost a little bit of Subaru BRZ about it.
At this early stage of our time together, I feel that I would go for Advance even if it were my own money, despite the extra cost. The top trim gets the larger, 10.2in touchscreen (the lower two have a 9.0in one) for displaying Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, plus it comes with adaptive headlights and a heated steering wheel (it will be interesting to see how useful those two are as the nights draw in).
It also has a panoramic roof, a Bose stereo and electrically adjustable front seats. The latter are proving comfy so far, helped by a driving position that is absolutely spot on.
One thing that’s already a welcome characteristic is that there are actual dials for changing the temperature – and they’re so functionally laid out. The matching of touch and physical works well and reminds me of my last long-termer, a Mazda CX-5. Are the Japanese showing the Germans the way with how to integrate all this modern technology seamlessly? It seems so.
One less welcome element of the modern is the lane keeping assistance, which is standard fit and re-engages every time you start the engine. So far, though, it’s not proving overly intrusive, plus it’s easy to turn off. Consider judgement reserved until I’ve spent more time on narrow back roads, which usually confuse these systems.
In a way, the encouraging early omens for the Civic are typically Honda. Just as it has twice done a quite stellar job of paying for and engineering a brilliant Formula 1 engine or chassis only to withdraw and receive none of the marketing credit, so the company has now launched what seems like a cracking hatchback when all the world is looking the other way at SUVs.
But if ever there were an argument for the yin and the yang of the Japanese car industry, it’s this Civic. Here’s hoping the early promise delivers.
*Second Opinion*
I thought running an HR-V had softened my disdain for crossovers, but my first thought on stepping into the Civic was: “Ah, yes – hatchbacks!” It just looks so much better, and it feels so much tighter and more agile, making it very enjoyable to drive, despite not being a sporty model. Honda has made its e:HEV powertrain even better too, more biased towards its electric side. And best of all? Still no touchscreen air-con controls.
*Kris Culmer*
*Back to the top*
-Honda Civic 2.0 i-MMD E:HEV Advance specification-
*Specs: Price New* £32,995 *Price as tested* £33,820 *Options*
*Test Data: Engine* 4 cyls in line, 1993cc, petrol, plus 181bhp electric motor *Power* 181bhp *Torque* 232lb ft *Kerb weight* 1533kg *Top speed* 112mph *0-62mph* 8.1sec *Fuel economy* 56.5mpg *CO2* 114g/km *Faults* None *Expenses* None
*Back to the top*