Honda Civic Review

The current, ninth-generation Honda Civic arrived in 2012, with a mid-life update (including a new Sport version) in early 2015. It’s a medium-sized, five-door hatchback that takes on family favourites such as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf.

Buyers can opt for 1.4- or 1.8-litre petrol engines, or an efficient 1.6 diesel. If you need something more practical, there’s also the Civic Tourer estate. And if you don’t, there’s the Type-R – one of the fastest and most focused hot hatchbacks ever made.

We drove the 120hp 1.6-litre diesel, fitted with a slick six-speed manual gearbox (only the 1.8 petrol is offered with an auto ’box). As you’d expect, this engine is more about tax-dodging CO2 emissions than burning rubber. From a standing start, it reaches 62mph in a steady 10.5 seconds, with a top speed of 129mph.

However, like most diesels, the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC provides plenty of low-down torque (pulling power), which makes it feel quicker than the stats suggest in everyday driving. There’s enough oomph to overtake safely, often without the need to change down a gear.

If you prefer petrol, you can choose the 100hp 1.4 or 142hp 1.8 engines. They’ll do the benchmark dash to 62mph in 13.4 and 9.1 seconds respectively, although neither comes close to the diesel for fuel economy.

The 310hp Type-R is in a different league altogether. It explodes to 62mph in 5.7 seconds and doesn’t stop until 167mph. We’ll be driving it very soon.

Wedge-shaped and boasting a rear spoiler to shame some sports cars, the Civic looks more fun to drive than it actually is. That’s especially true of the Sport version we sampled, which has various cosmetic add-ons – including side skirts and gloss-black alloy wheels – but an identical suspension set-up.

Show the Honda a few corners and there’s no shortage of grip, but its light steering doesn’t offer much feedback about what the front wheels are doing, despite being retuned for 2015 models.

The suspension feels rather fidgety, too. It seems to jiggle over bumps rather than calmly absorbing them. You might be prepared to accept that if the pay-off was pin-sharp handling, but it isn’t.

At the limit, the Civic understeers (runs wide) safely, with electronic stability control intervening to prevent a skid. So it’s safe, but somewhat unrewarding. Both the Focus and Golf offer a better blend of ride comfort and agility.

We covered plenty of motorway miles in the Civic and found it quite a tiring companion. That’s nothing to do with how it drives – it feels stable at higher speeds – but rather the amount of noise inside the cabin. The roar from the tyres is especially noticeable; you’ll need to raise your voice to have a conversation at 70mph.

The 1.6 diesel engine is decently refined, although certainly not whisper-quiet. And its slightly raucous tone leaves you in no doubt that this car drinks from the black pump.

The Civic’s two-tier, wrap-around dashboard might look futuristic, but it isn’t especially user-friendly. Having a large rev-counter dominating your view makes sense in a Porsche, but seems like overkill in an economy-minded diesel.

The touchscreen media system is mounted rather low, making it tricky to use while driving, while the second LCD screen alongside the speedometer seems mostly redundant. The quality of the plastics could be better, too.

Despite all that, we found it easy to get comfortable in the Civic. All the major controls, such as the gearbox and clutch, are light, so you don’t need bulging biceps or thunderous thighs to drive it.

Trim levels start with S, then progress through SE Plus, Sport, SR and EX Plus. SE Plus has all the kit you need, although we be tempted to stump up £610 extra for the optional sat nav.

Here, the Civic regains some lost ground. It’s one of largest cars in its class, with enough space for five adults and a 477-litre boot. Compare that to just 316 litres in a Ford Focus or 380 litres in a Volkswagen Golf.

Honda’s flip-up ‘Magic’ rear seats are brilliant. The seat bases fold up vertically – a simple, one-handed job – creating a floor-to-ceiling load space in the back. It’s ideal for pot plants or anything else that needs to be kept upright.

Our main gripes are a lack of headroom for taller adults in the front and that rear spoiler, which hugely obstructs rearward vision. If another car is following you at night, the spoiler can effectively hide its headlights, or cause a distracting flashing effect in the rear-view mirror as the lights dip in and out of view.

Price-wise, the Civic sits in the middle of its sector, above ‘budget’ rivals such as the Kia Cee’d and below ‘premium’ alternatives such as the Golf or BMW 1 Series. Fortunately, Honda’s reputation for good reliability (see below) means good resale values, which help reduce overall running costs (or keep monthly payments down if you’re leasing or buying on PCP).

The 1.6 i-DTEC Sport diesel we tried is very economical indeed. It returns 78.5mpg in the official test, with CO2 emissions of just 98g/km. That’s low enough for free annual car tax (VED) – also making this a shrewd choice for company car drivers.

Honda’s i-VTEC petrol engines can’t match the best for fuel economy. The 1.4 manages 51.4mpg and 131g/km, while the 1.8 returns 46.3mpg and 145g/km. Figures for the 1.8 with an automatic gearbox are 44.8mpg and 148g/km.

Honda’s three-year/90,000-mile warranty is better than the three years/60,000 miles many European brands provide. However, it falls well short of the five years/100,000 miles offered by its arch-rival, Toyota – not the mention Kia’s seven-year cover.

Don’t get too hung up on warranties, though, because Honda is consistently rated among the most reliable car manufacturers on Earth. It came top in recent reliability surveys by Which? and What Car?, helped by a strong showing from the Swindon-built Civic. Honda engines in particular are known for being virtually indestructible. Not that you should regard that as a challenge... 

The Civic scored a maximum five stars in the industry-standard Euro NCAP crash tests. It comes with front, side and curtain airbags, plus Isofix brackets for child car seats. From 2015, all Civics also have a city safety braking system, which reduces the risk of low-speed shunts and cuts your insurance bill into the bargain.

If you can, spend an extra £600 on the Driver Assistance Safety Pack. It includes lane-departure warning, blind-spot detection and automatic headlights/wipers.

All Civics are fitted with an alarm, immobiliser and deadlocks to discourage theft.