Review: 2017 Honda Civic
Erin Baker
The 10th generation of the Honda Civic? It’s been around since 1973, for Heaven’s sake; it must be time for its mid-life crisis. Well, not according to Honda, which is currently selling 620,000 Civics a year, in 170 countries. So crucial is this hatchback for the brand, that Honda has spent one third of the company’s entire R&D budget on the new Civic. It knows what it’s doing: the company built its 100 millionth car last year. Global sales are up six per cent year on year, and 11 per cent in the UK. Honda was the fastest growing mainstream car manufacturer in Europe last year.
So 10th-generation Civic, here we come. Which is good news for the UK, as Honda’s Swindon plant will build the new model, which will also be the first global Civic, without derivations for individual markets. The UK market will take 20 per cent of the volume, the States 40 per cent and the rest of the world 40 per cent.
But Honda has not sat on its laurels with this new car: it could have simply put some new engines in, refreshed the looks a bit and sat back to take customer money. Instead, what you see here is a new car, and an impressive step change in the Civic’s evolution.
For a start, it’s longer; almost a foot longer than the VW Golf. Which means plenty of leg room for four six-foot adults and a big boot with extra storage below the floor. A clever touch is the tonneau cover which slides from side to side instead of back to front; a small detail, but one which sums up the thought and care put into this new Civic.
The platform is all-new (it’s the largest single-model global development programme in Honda’s history), with a lower centre of gravity and more weight at the back. Also new is a secondary inner, lightweight body shell for 50 per cent more torsional rigidity. This architecture contributes towards the highly impressive NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) management; the cabin is refined for a mass-market C-segment car.
Engines on offer at launch are just two turbocharged petrol units: the 1.0-litre three-cylinder and 1.5-litre four-cylinder VTEC units, with 127bhp and 180bhp respectively, and a choice of six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmissions. A 1.6-litre diesel engine will be offered later this year.
We tested both engines and both transmissions. The 1.0-litre unit will satisfy the vast majority of needs; it’s an impressive unit, light and peppy in its responses to the throttle, and one of the most powerful for its size, with a quoted 55mpg. The six-speed manual is undoubtedly the transmission to go for, unless you want to waft endlessly through undemanding traffic, in which case the smoothness of the CVT won’t go amiss. But in most UK conditions, the short-shifting manual gearbox will be a delight, engaging and satisfying, allowing you to extract the growl from that three-pot at high revs.
The suspension is an all-new set-up. At the front there’s the usual MacPherson strut, but the rear gets a new multilink suspension. There’s also the option of four active dampers.
What may sway most buyers, however, is none of the above, but the fact that Honda Sensing is standard on all models. This technology package gives you pretty much everything, including much that is an option on far, far more expensive models. We’re talking active cruise control, blind-spot warning system, traffic-sign recognition, intelligent speed limiter, collision-mitigating braking system, forward collision warning and the lane-keeping assist system (pretty close to autonomous driving). Which, I think you’ll agree, is pretty comprehensive. Oh, and you also get a tyre pressure monitoring system.
Further additions in our test car included a wireless charging pad for smartphones and multi-angle rear-view camera. Honda Connect is available and gives you Apple CarPlay and Android Auto options.
It’s a phenomenal range of kit for a “bog-standard” hatchback, and yet the price of the new Civic is, depending on trim, either about £300 more than the equivalent outgoing model or in a couple of instances actually £150 cheaper. The range starts at £18,335 and rises to £27,295.
Progress, it appears, doesn’t always come at a price.
Honda
Civic
