The original Civic concept of “a car for all people, a car for the world”.
Honda has made a huge investment in the new Civic and first impressions suggest it was money well spent writes Geraldine Herbert
What is it? The new 10th generation Civic gets a complete makeover from engines to transmission it’s all brand new.
First impressions of the new Honda Civic? This futuristic-looking hatch is now lower, longer and wider than any previous version. The styling is also angular and more cutting edge but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. At best its sharp, interesting and certainly makes a dynamic statement for hatchback buyers looking for something a bit different but to others it might just be a crease too far and a little too fussy.
What about the interior? Inside it doesn’t quite march to the same avant-garde beat and it’s all a little more sombre but it is logically laid out and nicely appointed. The driver seats are extremely comfortable and there’s plenty of leg and headroom. In the back things get a little more snug and the lower roof height sacrifices headroom but the legroom is fairly generous. And on the subject of seats sadly Honda’s Magic seats have been made disappear due to the new suspension and lowered ride height. According to Honda this was a sacrifice worth making as buyers value ride quality more than flexible seating.
As with the previous generation Civic the rear visibility isn’t particularly good but thankfully a rear view camera comes as standard on every spec bar the entry level. On the bright side storage is good throughout and the boot holds a very generous 478 litres so it can take as many expensive bags as you can afford to throw into it.
New Civic is the result of the largest single model development programme in Honda’s history
Engine choice? For now there is no diesel engine instead buyers can choose from two new turbo petrol engines; a 1.0-litre VTEC Turbo with 127hp and emissions of 110g CO2 low emissions. On a combined cycle Honda reckon this engine will return an impressive 4.8l/100km. There is also a 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo, 180hp, with emissions of 133g of CO2 and combined fuel economy of up 5.8l/100km. A 1.6-litre diesel will join the Civic range at the end of the year.
Honda Civic on the road? The Civic has always been a good to drive and the boffins at Honda have managed to improve it even more. The steering is well-weighted and it feels very nimble on the road. At the launch we had the chance to drive the 1.0 petrol engine which is a really good gutsy engine but it’s not the most refined small engine we have driven and it may be too raucous for some.
How much? The new Civic has just gone on sale with a starting price of €23,750 and is reasonably well priced compared with rivals such as the Ford Focus that starts from €20,595 the VW Golf from € 21,895 or the Audi’s A3 starts from €26,960. The new Honda comes with a very sophisticated safety range as standard and is generally very well equipped.
How safe? The new Civic is crammed with safety features and comes with Honda Sensing as standard which includes a Collision Mitigation Braking System this will actually bring the car to a stop if the system determines that a collision with a car in front is unavoidable. Lane Departure Warning will detect if the car is straying out of your lane while Road Departure Mitigation keeps you on the right road by determining if the car is veering off the road, Lane Keeping Assist System this helps to keep the car in the middle of the current lane, Adaptive Cruise Control allows the driver to set a desired speed and following distance from a vehicle detected ahead. Traffic Sign Recognition, automatically recognises road signs and displays the signs on the car’s dash, Intelligent Speed Assistance this system will adjust the vehicle speed to that indicated by the last road sign and finally Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control is a very smart system that predicts and automatically reacts to other cars ‘cutting-in’ on your lane when on the Motorway.
3 words to describe the Honda Civic? Safe: Sporty: Stylish
For more information on the new Civic check out Honda.ie, the Honda Ireland Facebook page or follow them on twitter here
Geraldine Herbert
15th March, 2017
