The Honda Civic has come in for a much-needed once-over,
getting restyling at the front and the rear, while the interior gets higher
quality fitments and a 7-inch Honda Connect touch screen. There's a Sport trim
level inserted into the range to bridge the gap to the turbocharged Type-R
range-topper. And significantly more affordable pricing.
Let's note here that there are some things about the Civic
that are really, really good. The 1.6-litre diesel engine is a case in point.
We don't think there's a better diesel; in the whole supermini sector and it
continues in this car, developing 120PS, which is about the sweet spot in this
market sector. There's also an entry-level 1.4-litre petrol engine on offer.
Also continuing the theme is the 1.8-litre petrol engine, that's good for
142PS. At the top of the range is the banzai Civic Type-R which features
turbocharging for the very first time.
The underpinnings carry on largely unchanged. Which means
a torsion bar rear end. Yes, we know that the Civic used to sport a multi-link
rear end, but it pays to take a pragmatic view. The last Type-R was no shoddy
handler and neither is the Renaultsport Megane, another proponent of the
torsion bar rear end. Standard across the range is Honda's clever City Brake
Active system. Designed to avoid low-speed accidents, the system scans the road
ahead, and applies the brakes if it detects an impending collision. It only
works below 20mph though, so anything above that and it's down to your
eyesight.
There have been a few exterior design tweaks to both the
Civic hatch and the Civic Tourer estate. Gone is the weirdly modern yet
somewhat bland face and in comes revised headlight units with integrated
daytime running lights and a more rakish front bumper assembly. The Civic
hatchback also features a slicker design for the rear bumper, side skirts, a
rear spoiler finished in black, plus LED rear lamps. The sum total of these
changes is that the car now looks a lot more like an older eighth generation
Civic. Retrograde? Not really. That car was a little peach.
Think of this update as doing a lot with not much. The
Honda Civic was one of those unfortunate cars that was so nearly right, but
just needed a bit of spit and polish to come good. It just received the
requisite burnishing. While it's probably still not going to threaten the
Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus for class honours, it's now a car that looks a
lot classier and which features more quality indoors at a much more competitive
price. In other words, your friends won't look at you and wonder what came over
you if you arrive home with one.
The Type-R looks a genuinely exciting prospect, Honda
determined to wrest the title of fastest front-wheel drive car around the
Nurburgring away from Renault. A turbocharged Type-R might take a little bit of
mental readjustment, but we're more than ready for our remedial therapy. The
Civic looks good once again. For that, we're truly glad.
