Civic received a mild makeover towards the end of last year.
The refreshed model sees the sporty styling enhanced with a new front bumper and radiator grille that combined produce improved aerodynamics.
The previous petrol-powered entry model has made way for the hybrid e:HEV L, powered by the same petrol-electric setup that powers the more expensive LX.
You might think Honda is a little late to the hybrid party, but along with Toyota was one of the pioneers of hybrid technology with the launch of the Honda Insight way back in 2001.
The two-seat Insight with its wheel spats was Australia’s first hybrid, beating the Prius to market.
STYLING
Civic has become a large small car over the years, with plenty of legroom front and back.
But it sits pretty low to the road and getting in and out could be an issue for older drivers.
The cabin has a more premium feel, compared to the hard plastics of the previous model, with a clever, long thin honeycomb grille that hides the air vents in front.
The plunging roofline makes rear access difficult so watch your head, but legroom is good and air outlets prevent it from becoming claustrophobic back there.
The deep luggage area provides reasonable storage space, with 409 litres of luggage capacity.
The refresh unfortunately comes with a price increase, making the Civic even more expensive.
Fortunately, it is limited to $900 and is the first increase since the introduction of the current model in 2022.
Civic comes in two flavours these days, both of them now hybrids.
There’s the 2.0 e:HEV L, priced from $49,900 and 2.0 e:HEV LX, priced from $55,900.
That still leaves the fire-breathing Civic Type R, priced from $74,100 – but that’s another story altogether.
These prices by the way are driveaway and non-negotiable, as part of Honda’s new sales strategy.
What does one get for their Civic money?
Standard kit includes a leather-accented interior with cloth seat inserts, dual-zone climate air, 18-inch alloys, walk-away locking, LED lights front and back with auto high beam, keyless entry and start, heated front seats and steering wheel, auto lights and wipers and front and rear parking sensors.
LX adds full-leather trim, ambient interior lighting, power-adjust front seats, auto-dimming interior mirror, wireless phone charger and a panoramic sunroof.
Civic comes with a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, five-year premium roadside assistance and five low-priced services.
INFOTAINMENT
The infotainment system consists of the same smallish but functional 9.0 inch touchscreen as before.
It’s powered by a new Google-based operating system and includes built-in apps and services like Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play Store. It supports Bluetooth with audio streaming, AM/FM and DAB digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.
There are four USB-C ports plus 12 volt outlets in the front and luggage area, but this grade misses out on wireless phone charging.
A premium 12 speaker Bose audio system is standard in both grades.
Physical buttons are provided for such features as home and return, along with a volume knob.
Honda Connect permits you to remotely adjust climate control settings, as well as lock or unlock the car, check the vehicle location and receive car status checks.
A three-year subscription is included.
SAFETY
The Honda Civic hybrid carries a five-star safety rating.
Both models feature 11 airbags, a reverse camera with guidelines and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Junction Assist).
It has dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting airbags are standard, as well as a driver and passenger knee airbag.
A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
A lane support system with lane-keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK) and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are standard.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
The hybrid combines two electric motors with a 2.0-litre direct injection Atkinson style four-cylinder engine.
In addition to direct injection, a number of technologies such as low temperature active catalysts and a modified intake port design contribute to improved fuel efficiency while achieving specific output.
The result is a combined maximum motor output of 135kW of power and 315Nm of torque, the latter available from 0-2000 rpm. With the exception of Type R, it is the highest output ever offered by a Civic. Drive is to the front wheels through a CVT-style continuously variable automatic transmission, with four drive modes from which to choose: Eco, Normal, Sport and a new Individual mode.
DRIVING
The 18-inch wheels are shod with grippy 235/40 series Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber.
The powertrain prioritises electric running, with the ICE chipping in from cold starts, or when battery charge is running low. Regenerative braking that feeds power back to the battery when coasting can be adjusted via steering wheel paddles.
While the Civic is reasonably quick off the mark thanks to the instant torque from the electric motor, Civic tends to run out of breath on the open road.
Like the similarly-powered CR-V hybrid, which has a little more torque, this becomes especially evident when it comes to overtaking and climbing long, steep hills.
It’s then the CVT comes to the fore and the transmission begins to wail like a banshee in its endeavour to meet the demands of the driver.
At this point, Sport mode comes into its own, as it tries to compensate for the rural-induced asthma. Sport mode alters the E-CVT and throttle mapping for sportier throttle response and a sportier feel. When in Sport mode, power steering calibrations are optimised for increased steering feel. The gauges also gain a red accent while in Sport mode. It brings the Civic to life, ramping up the revs, enhancing throttle response and giving the vehicle a much sportier feel.
But of course, it must be selected each and every time you start the vehicle. In comparison, performance in Economy mode is woeful and we gave it away within minutes.
Normal as the name suggests is fine for most situations, while Individual mode enables the driver to select individual settings including engine responsiveness, steering feel and gauges.
In addition, with Sport mode activated Active Sound Control boosts the engine note. Active noise control helps to reduce cabin noise.
By far and away the best aspect of the new Civic is the comfort and quality of the ride. The previous model was good, this one is outstanding.
Steering is light and the ride quality is generally pretty good, although cabin noise can be intrusive on coarse bitumen as can be the ride can become jarring.
With a 40-litre tank, fuel consumption is a claimed 4.2L/100km and it runs happily on standard 91 RON unleaded.
We were getting 4.1L/100km after 510km of mixed driving which is very close to the manufacturer’s claim.
A tyre repair kit is provided in the event of a flat tyre.
SUMMING UP
It’s good to see Honda has a game plan as the brands jostle to accommodate the arrival of the Chinese.
But the proof is in the pudding and the latest figures show that Honda is not one of the top 10 selling brands in Australia, nor does it have any cars in the list of top 10 selling cars.
To put this in perspective, Civic was once one of the best-selling cars in the world.
It kind of suggests the sales strategy might not be working because what we’re left with is an expensive range of cars with no wiggle room – that can’t be good?
RATINGS:
Looks: 7.5
Performance: 7.5
Safety: 8
Thirst: 8
Practicality: 7
Comfort: 6.5
Tech: 7
Value: 6
Overall: 7.2
