Road tested by Hugh Maguire.
We are all very familiar with the Honda Civic its been a very popular car in Ireland for many years but ironically its not their best seller here. That place goes to their SUV the HR-V hybrid. SUV’s rule the roost and so a 5-door hatchback has its work cut out to compete in a market that favours SUV’s and Crossovers above hatchbacks.
The new Civic has really grown in size in comparison to past more compact hatchbacks. Now available in one model only in ‘Advance’ trim this latest Civic is actually self-charging hybrid. For me the self charging hybrid is the ONLY hybrid that makes sense! Plug in hybrids are not being used as intended and most never plug them in for a 50-80km EV range. Its just too inconvenient. Yet these buyers benefit from lower road tax while driving around with a petrol engine lugging around a battery and electric motor they don’t use. The EU has plan t hang ho here PHEV’s are taxed as they realise the fall. However a self charging hybrid such as the new Civic is the ideal solution. So how was it?
So how does it look?
As mentioned its much bigger. The style though is good if a little less brave than previous incarnations of the Civic. Overall then its a good looking car.
What is it like inside?
Slip inside the new Civic hybrid and its immediately obvious the quality of materials and overall fit and finish have taken a step up market. From the lovely seats to the perfect digital but analogue style instrument cluster (other manufacturers please note this is perfect )and the chrome knurled knobs for heating and ventilation this cabin feels truly premium. A deeper dive inside though and you can spot some cost saving measures. For example the top of the front door cards is finished in soft touch leatherette while the rear ones have a hard rather cheap plastic top finish. That said overall its very impressive in here and a lovely place in which to travel. Needless to say there is a host of standard kit too numerous to go into detail here, but a lovely glass sunroof, heated seats and steering wheel, wireless charging are just a few highlights.The cabin is pretty roomy too and there is a decent six boot accessed via the large rear tailgate which surprisingly is not electrically operated.
What is under the bonnet?
Powered by a 2.0 litre petrol engine mated to a CVT gearbox driving the front wheels combined with two electric motors and a lithium ion battery it produces some 184 bhp. This hybrid set up is perfect1 The Civic manages to run on E power frequently even at motorway speeds if the battery is full enough. Sure the battery is small so it runs down quickly but equally its quickly recharged via the engine and re-gen braking. Fuel consumption over my weeks road test was just 5.4 litres per 100km which is superb! Road tax is €190.00 per year. So here too the new Civic hybrid really delivers!
How does it drive?
It feels like Honda really have engineered this new Civic to be a rewarding drive and it really is! Handling is almost sporting in nature proving surefooted on wet or dry roads with very little body roll in corners. The ride is compliant but can transmit those sharp road imperfections with a jolt. Nevertheless this car with nicely weighted steering, taut handling and a more sporting ride makes for a really enjoyable driving experience. About the only vice that really did impact on the cars refinement was way too much road noise particularly on more coarse tarmac roads. This has been an issue in Civic’s of old so I would have expected an improvement in this latest model.
Verdict.
At €48,995 the Civic has moved upwards in the price charts. A €50k Civic is pricey. However with legendary reliability, a truly classy and premium feel and a driving experience that is rewarding I think the new Civic really gets it right!