Honda Civic

Honda’s new Civic, it must be said, hasn’t been given the warmest of greetings by the critics, with the general opinions being quite mixed. Some are fond of the notable improvements over the old car, along with the class leading practicality and its futuristic aesthetics inside and out. However, there are a few annoying rough edges, and most reckon it isn’t competitive enough to rival the best in the class.

Interior

Much like the previous version, the new Civic gets a rather funky looking cabin, with plenty of digital readouts on the dash. Whilst it’s certainly a distinctive feature, some aren’t too sure whether it’s as practical to use as a more traditional layout. As you’d expect from a Honda, build quality is impressive, though there are some cheap plastics lurking around the place.

The cabin space isn’t particularly great for the class standard – taller passengers will feel cramped in the back, and there appears to be a lack of headroom up front if you specify the panoramic sunroof. That being said, the boot is the largest in its class and there are plenty of storage cubbies littered around the car.

The Civic comes with a rather innovative ‘Magic seat’ in the back which helps improve practicality massively – not only do the rear seats fold completely flat, but you can flip the cushions up like cinema chairs do if you leave the seatbacks in place.

Driving

Reports on how the Civic drives aren't so complimentary. There are numerous complaints about the ride, many reviews say it's not a lot of fun to drive and there are lots of issues with road noise.

One of the most recurring points that the critics make is to do with the awful rear visibility. The design of the car means that you can't see a lot out of the back, which makes parking difficult. There are also large blind spots and visibility behind your shoulder is reportedly minimal too.

Engines

The Civic is currently offered with four engines – 1.4 and 1.8 petrol units, alongside 1.6 and 2.2 diesels. Testers have driven both diesels and the 1.8 petrol. Of these, the 1.6 diesel gets most praise for its excellent real-world economy. At 94 g/km of CO2, it's also exempt from VED

The 2.2 is punchy but some say it lacks refinement, and you have to rev the petrol motor really hard in order to make decent progress.

The petrols are still surprisingly cheap to run for non-turbo engines (the 1.4 manages over 50 mpg), and some were fans of the linear and progressive power delivery.

Value for money

The Honda Civic isn’t exactly the last word in value for money, as it’s one of the more expensive cars in its class. Standard kit is decent across the range, and the top spec GT models are loaded with ‘big car’ equipment, but they cost big car money, so aren’t ones we can easily recommend!

Depreciation shouldn't be too bad thanks to Honda's reliability reputation and the low running costs.

Worth noting

This new Civic doesn't look that different to the previous model, to make it stand out we'd go for a light colour as it shows up the new black grille at the front and back.

Conclusion

Overall, the Honda Civic is a decent all-round car – it may under the skin be just a heavily revised version of the previous car, but the changes made are certainly welcome. The Civic comes with class leading practicality and its futuristic design will undoubtedly appeal to some. However, it’s not quite as polished in other areas, and is rather pricey when compared to some rivals.

The Civic is by no means a bad car, and it certainly has its merits, but it's not easy to recommend over more accomplished rivals - though the 1.6 diesel is worth a look for its excellent economy.