What is it? The new Honda Civic is a total change in direction for the brand’s core family car.
Key features: Complete redesign – larger car, different look, new chassis.
Our view: The Honda Civic benefits from the brand’s bid to make its car a more mainstream contender and is now a purchase far easier to justify.
Type of review: First UK drive.
The Honda Civic has been around a very long time – the model can trace its history back to 1972 and the new one that has just arrived in showrooms is the tenth generation.
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For the past decade, European buyers have been offered a Civic hatch that was just a bit too sci-fi – a coupé-like exterior with a high-up jellymould profile, and an interior dominated by a funky dash with a big digital speed readout. It was very different to any of its rivals in the market, and that made it a Marmite choice – some loved it, plenty of others didn’t.
With the new model, Honda has ripped up the history book. Formerly the Civic’s specification varied significantly dependent on what part of the world one was in. They have made way for a single global design that is completely new in all areas and looks very different to its predecessor, but it will still be made in Honda’s UK factory near Swindon. In fact, Swindon is now the only Honda plant building the Civic hatch, sending its cars around the world.
Next page: Exterior and interior design
Exterior and interior
The previous Honda Civic was blunt, short and high. The new one takes advantage of Honda’s latest platform to be wider, longer and lower than any of its forebears. And it grows by significant amounts – some 136mm extra length compared to the Mk 9, 30mm in the width, 20mm closer to the ground.
The styling fully adopts the current industry fashion for sharp angles and contours, with a particularly purposeful front end emphasised by large, aggressive air intakes. A swept-back profile has benefited from what Honda describes as the most comprehensive aerodynamics package in the sector – extending to a fully-panelled underside.
All those extra millimetres add up to lots more space inside – the car is distinctly more roomy than its predecessor. This is especially true in the back, where a 95mm gain in knee room is enormous. Only rear headroom comes close to being restrictive, thanks to the way the roof slopes downwards, but only the tallest occupants will notice.
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Boot space is good too, right at the top of the class at 478 litres with the seats up, 770 with the seats folded. And while Honda’s previous clever ‘Magic Seats’ have been rendered redundant in the new model, the folded seats still produce a versatile flat floor.
The quest towards conventionality will be obvious to any driver who has sat in a previous Civic. All the funky elements of the previous cockpit, the monocoque-like sides and the obvious curves, especially on the extra instrument pod at the base of the screen, are gone.
In their place are sharp angles in tune with the car’s new exterior look, but the overall effect is far more mainstream. It’s an effective environment – everything works properly with the instrumentation well thought out, though some of the surfacing still appears a little more obviously plastic than those in rivals.
Next page: Powertrains and driving experience
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Powertrains
Has Honda correctly predicted the politically-motivated shift facing the automotive world? Perhaps, because if you want your new Civic to be diesel-powered, you will be out of luck. The only options available, at least at launch, are a pair of petrol units.
On offer are a 1.0-litre three-cylinder with 129hp, or a 1.5 version with 182 horses. They are both new, turbocharged and with direct injection, and kick the previous frankly disappointing Civic engines into touch.
On the first drive event we tried out both engines, and we are not surprised that Honda expects two-thirds of Civic sales to be with the smaller unit. It’s enthusiastic yet refined in its take-up, and the 60mph sprint time of around 10 seconds is plenty swift enough for most.
The 1.5 gets to 62mph around two seconds earlier – but it just doesn’t feel like it. And you pay in fuel economy slashed by 10mpg and an emissions penalty of more than 20g/km.
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On the road
This reviewer was not a great fan of the previous Civic’s road manners, but it’s all change in this one. The elements are a new multi-lnk suspension, the lighter platform and stiffer bodyshell, and a centre of gravity dropped by some 10mm.
As a result, the new Honda Civic rides very well – it feels planted on the road in the way the bigger car that it is should. This translates to less of the point-and-squirt progress of its predecessor in corners, but it remains assured with the slant towards a comfortable ride – which will please the car’s core customer base.
Next page: Specification and summary
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Equipment
Honda launches the new Civic with a comprehensive choice of trim levels – there are four with the 1-litre (though few buyers are expected to opt for the cheapest S model), and three with the 1.5, confusingly carrying totally different names!
Chief amongst the standard equipment is a safety package dubbed Sensing, using the car’s built-in radar and camera systems to offer such features as lane departure warning, collision avoidance and traffic sign recognition. The Honda Civic has yet to be put through its paces by Euro NCAP, so its crash-test performance is not yet known.
Honda clearly expects the car to compete with the best in the segment – our 1-litre test car, in top EX trim, costs £23,200 with a host of equipment. Top of the list is the touchscreen-based Honda Connect infotainment system with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, DAB digital radio and such like, while among other highlights are a parking camera, an 11-speaker audio, leather – comprehensive enough to make the price good value for money.
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Summary
Honda has taken the bold option with the new Civic, by moving it out of its niche and into one of the most furious battlegrounds in the market, and the move has worked. The new car offers more room, more tech and crucially a more accomplished performance, which makes it easier to justify as an alternative purchase to the likes of the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra or Volkswagen Golf – three of the most popular cars in the UK…
Honda Civic – key specifications
Models tested: Honda Civic 1.0 VTEC Turbo EX Manual, 1.5 VTEC Turbo Sport Plus Manual, 1.5 VTEC Turbo Prestige CVT
On sale: March 2017
Range price:£18,375-£27,550
Insurance groups:15E-22E
Engines: Petrol 1.0, 1.5
Power (hp): 129, 182
Torque (Nm): 200 (CVT 180), 240 (220)
0-62mph (sec)*:10.4 (10.2), 8.2 (8.2)
Top speed (mph): 126 (124), 137 (124)
Fuel economy (combined, mpg)*: 58.9 (60.1), 48.7 (46.3)
CO2 emissions (g/km)*: 110 (106), 133 (139)
Key rivals: Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, SEAT Leon
Test Date: May 2017
* Figures vary depending on trim level, best figures quoted.
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Honda Civic review What is it? The new Honda Civic is a total change in direction for the brand’s core family car.
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