Honda Civic. A car that has been traveling the world's roads since 1972. A car that was synonymous with a sporty hatchback and a tuner's dream until its sixth generation. The result of the manufacturer's design experiments was a tall, family-oriented seventh generation. The 8th shocked not only the design, but also the saving on technology, which was manifested mainly by the loss of the multi-element rear axle. The sleeker ninth generation brought a station wagon version…
Finally, there is the tenth generation, in which the Civic largely returns to its roots, delivering a low and muscular car that oozes energy and emotion. Turbocharged gasoline engines with a volume of 1.0 and 1.5 liters were introduced as the first engines at the end of 2016. However, as a novelty, we will be testing the Honda with the new 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine. Good choice? We will see…
From the outside
In terms of design, the new Civic has nothing in common with its predecessor. It acts differently than its competitors in the class and is simply unmissable. So far, I haven't figured out the taste of its front part, where the line stretching across the radiator grille and above the headlights bothers me. Apart from them, I don't find anything significant on the car that would bother me. I like the large, sporty-looking, if blind, hints of intakes on the sides of the front bumper with round fog lights, which is followed by a long undulating hood. The protruding front fenders emphasize the muscular silhouette of the car. A subtle overprint goes through the door handles on the side, a more pronounced one at the bottom of the door does not allow the car to look drab even in profile. 17" wheel discs are completely sufficient. After the new Kia Ceed , this is another car that, in order to look good, doesn't need to have 18-19 size wheels on them.
The back is a chapter unto itself. The car looks "straddled" from the back, which only enhances its sporty appearance. The high-placed and massive rear LED lights look interesting, connected by a non-traditional tear-off strip. The fifth door with gradually descending glass indicates that this is a practical liftback body rather than a hatchback. The rear glass is finished with a nice spoiler, which follows the moldings on the back of the roof.
Overall, the new Civic looks sporty, squat and aggressive to me. In the right color, it can always attract attention. At least this applies to me, despite the fact that after one and a half years it is no longer a novelty.
From inside
Compared to its predecessor, a small revolution took place in the interior. In this case, however, the designers avoided experiments from the eighth and partly even the ninth generation and used the classic architecture of the dashboard and center console. The result is a fresh and cozy interior, which, with its sporty appearance, follows the exterior design elements.
I won't bore the readers with a description of every button and every strip on the dashboard that can be seen in photos or advertising materials. Rather, I will focus on elements that positively interested me or, on the contrary, unpleasantly surprised me.
I'll start with the steering wheel, which, although it has a relatively large diameter, on the other hand, it's comfortable to hold thanks to the thick rim. Its middle part feels a bit cheap to me, as do the buttons on its sides. I would have liked them to be made of non-slip material rather than transparent hard plastic. On the other hand, they seem durable and fulfill their function 100%.
The dashboard is made of appropriately selected soft and hard plastics, resistant to scratches. During a 20-minute drive on a concrete road full of bumps, I didn't notice a single squeal coming from the plastic parts. I have no reservations about their processing.
Large ventilation vents are widely adjustable and conveniently located. The control buttons are relatively large and logically located. The 7" infotainment display is placed high enough, but I would welcome its gentle rotation towards the driver. The fabric upholstery of the seats and armrests is rougher to the touch, but it looks durable and, thanks to the stitching, not monotonous. I liked the black upholstered ceiling and pillars, which add a sportiness to the interior. The center console with the joystick sits higher, while a storage compartment with an HDMI and USB slot is hidden below it.
The mobile phone can be stored in the box under the air conditioner controls, which is open at the back so that the cable can be removed from the mentioned USB slot and connected to the mobile phone. This cable can even be secured against unwanted movement, so it won't slip on its own after disconnecting. I have yet to come across a more elegant and practical way of connecting a mobile phone to infotainment. The cables are hidden, the phone itself does not get in the way.
The instrument panel consists of a large TFT-LCD display in the center and on the sides indicators for the temperature of the coolant and the level of fuel in the tank. At first glance, the display is chaotic and overwhelms the driver with a lot of different information and functions. They are displayed using the buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. To be honest, it took me some time to get used to the system, but after a while I appreciated that I can control a large part of the information and functions (e.g. finding the last number called) this way too and I don't always have to use the infotainment touchscreen. Not to praise, the designers probably just forgot to remove the archaic stick used to switch between range "A" "B" and its zeroing.
Much has already been said about the infotainment of new Honda vehicles. It is true that working with it is not very intuitive, it does not abound in speed, and the graphics of the built-in navigation no longer belong to this era. On the other hand, it offers the possibility of setting the screens according to your preferences and, above all, a huge number of displays and configurations of various vehicle functions. The owner of this car will learn to work with it after some time. But most importantly, the media system offers seamless cooperation with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, and thus Waze, which adds a completely different dimension to navigation.
Driving
As soon as I opened the door, I noticed the low anchored front seats. Deployment requires a healthy back and legs. After successfully mastering this maneuver, I settle down in generously dimensioned seats with a sufficiently long seatback. I consider the lateral steering as a compromise, but it is sufficient for the nature of the car with this engine. At my height of 185 cm, I leave the seat in the lower position and adjust the headrest so that I don't have to lean back when leaning. The electrically adjustable lumbar support is a bit too high for my taste. However, I complain about this noise in almost every tested car, so the problem will probably be elsewhere…
Extensive adjustment of the steering wheel in both directions allows me to quickly find the right position. As one of the few representatives of the lower middle class, the Civic allows a distinctly sporty sitting position with the legs extended forward. In this position, the high-placed tunnel with the control lever looks a little strange. When shifting frequently, it is necessary to have the right elbow fully extended on the center support, otherwise the hand will be in an unnatural position when shifting. However, it's just a matter of habit and after a while I found it ideal. There was enough space for the left foot, when I put the right foot in the "relaxing" position in front of the gas pedal (e.g. when using the adaptive cruise control), the center console pressed me a little. The armrests are decently upholstered, but they are made of hard material, which after a while starts to get in the way.
The car is unusually wide for its class and feels like it has an interior width at the level of the middle class. When the seat is in the lowest position, I have a margin of at least 15 cm above my head. I have no reservations about the ergonomics of the controls, they are within reach and with large buttons. The raised control lever is practically located close to the steering wheel and fits well in the hand. It is not necessary to understand the logic of turning off and switching some assistance or other systems on the steering wheel, others on the center console or to the left of the steering wheel, you just have to get used to it.
On the road
In the past, Honda was known for its naturally aspirated high-revving engines. In the past, the brand was also forced to produce diesel engines. The current, perhaps already easily overcome, trend is pushing car manufacturers to reduce the volume of engines and supercharge them. The result is a refined diesel unit with a volume of 1597 cm 3 . According to available information, this unit is the last diesel that Honda will produce, and in the future it will try to reduce consumption and emissions by hybridizing gasoline engines.
"A car designed for drivers". This slogan shines in the catalog of the tenth generation Honda Civic. To what extent this statement is true, we will test it in different conditions.
The power of the tested engine of 88 kW at 4000 rpm does not promise any dynamic experiences, although the torque of 300 Nm at 2000 rpm is decent for this volume category. After starting it is quiet and has a smooth operation. The start-up is exemplary with the help of a soft and light clutch. The car accelerates smoothly, without a strong immediate pull, but also without a noticeable delay. The engine takes over from approximately 1700 revolutions and can be efficiently turned up to 4000. The sound of the engine is not unpleasant even at higher revolutions. The engine is relatively nimble on a flat surface up to a speed of 110 km/h, at higher speeds, or when driving uphill, its small volume becomes apparent, or single-stage overfilling.
The manual 6-speed gearbox provides short and precise paths, the work with the control lever is problem-free and does not protest even when trying to shift quickly. Its location enables a quick grip on the steering wheel after gear shifting and makes sporty driving safer.
The gears themselves are long and designed more to keep consumption low. When driving in the city and honestly maintaining a speed of 50 km/h, the revolutions in the fourth gear fall just below the value of 1500, where the engine is already struggling and it is necessary to downshift. In order to smoothly overcome the 180° turn in the steep hill (the road from Bojnice through the forest towards the village of Šútovce), I had to shift into first gear, because the second gear was literally stifling the engine. It is advisable to shift into sixth gear only after exceeding 90 km/h, otherwise the car is not capable of even average acceleration.
Thanks to the small turning diameter, the car is very agile in the city and quite nimble when using lower gears. It is necessary to pay attention to the long front hood, where the front sensors supplied as standard are very helpful. When reversing, you will be thankful for the rear camera with an average resolution, but with dynamic guidance according to the steering wheel. The chassis is relatively rigid, but provides a sufficient level of comfort even on broken city roads. However, it will let the crew know about larger transverse irregularities. In the city, depending on the traffic density, you can drive with a consumption of 5 to 7 liters, which I consider a good value.
This engine will be enough for a moderately brisk drive through the districts. It is necessary to keep in mind its performance and leave a sufficient margin when overtaking. The fact that the chassis is several times faster than the engine applies to this unit. You can feel the absolute confidence of the chassis when trying to go around a corner quickly. I had a very good feeling about the rear multi-element axle, the work of which the driver can feel through his seat. I did not manage to throw it even on transverse bumps, but with the tested engine it was not even possible to bring the chassis closer to its limits. I have no complaints about the steering, it is sharp and provides enough information about what is happening under the front wheels.
In the districts, at speeds of just over 100 km/h, I normally drove with a consumption of 4.8 to 5.5 liters without trying to achieve the best possible result. Eco driving in these conditions can get this value very close to the number 4, with steady driving at a speed of up to 100 km/h it even surpasses it. While trying for the opposite extreme, I couldn't push the consumption over the value of 7.
When driving on the highway, I felt like I was driving slower than the speedometer indicated. The car's smooth highway driving is an exceptional testament. Noise at higher speeds depends on weather conditions. In no wind, I was satisfied with the low level of aerodynamic noise and only the sound of rolling tires was heard, especially on bumps or rough asphalt. With stronger wind, the noise from the side windows was already noticeable, but still tolerable.
When driving on the highway, you could rely on the standard assistance systems. I mainly used the adaptive cruise control, which responded gently, sensitively and, above all, did not turn off when the clutch was pressed when a gear change was needed, which pleasantly surprised me. The lane keeping assistant is far from being designed for autonomous driving, but it can warn the driver about crossing the lane with strong vibrations of the steering wheel. I was a little panicked by the collision warning system, which flashed even in completely normal situations, similarly, the emergency braking signal turned on every time the brake pedal was pressed harder.
At higher speeds, the steering stiffens pleasantly and direction corrections are not necessary. The power steering is generally set up perfectly in all conditions and I never found myself having a problem with it.
In sixth gear, the engine rotates at 2200 rpm at 130 km/h, 2400 at 140 km/h and 2600 at 150 km/h, which contributes not only to low consumption, but also to a minimal level of noise from the engine. At a highway speed of 130-140 km/h, the appetite of the vehicle climbed to the level of 5.5.
After driving from Bratislava via Trenčín to Bojnice and back, observing the speed limit (+10 km/h), the on-board computer showed a value of 5.3. The resulting average consumption was also the same, with the majority of driving on highways.
The driving characteristics of the Honda Civic are traditionally top-notch, while the chassis provides a sufficient level of comfort despite its stiffness. Personally, its setting suits me perfectly, but others may still find it too rigid.
Practical page
Honda has given up selling its traditional Accord mid-class model in Europe after many years without a replacement. The new Civic tries to at least partly compensate for this loss with its dimensions. As far as the compact class is concerned, the car is at the top in terms of its dimensions, and this is also reflected in the interior space. Smaller boxes in the doors compensate for the huge tunnel between the front seats, which is also variable and can hide even larger PET bottles.
When I adjust the front seat "on myself", I can sit on the back seat without any problems, while there is still a few cm of reserve in front of my knees. Above the head, the situation is similar, but when I try to rest my head, I already run into the limits of the falling roof. Low-lying rear seats can make it difficult to place a child in the seat, but on the other hand, they make it easier for older children to get in. In the back, I was missing vents from the ventilation and at least one USB connector.
The luggage compartment with a volume of 478 liters is clearly above average for this class. It is covered by an interesting side-retracting blind, which is practical, but on the other hand, it poorly isolates the interior from unwanted sounds. The creaking of several packs of mineral water made me wonder if I had accidentally left them in the back seats.
I will also mention the plugless fuel tank neck. This is a simple but practical idea that facilitates refueling in the 46 liter tank.
Verdict
"A car designed for drivers". Did the tested Honda Civic live up to this slogan? If it is a driver who desires dynamics in connection with a perfectly functioning chassis, then no. This engine cannot provide the desired dynamics. However, if it is a driver who prefers a smooth and smooth ride in a spacious vehicle dressed in sports clothes and does not despise low running costs, then yes.
I can imagine the Civic as a perfect car for a family with two children. With its dimensions, interior and luggage space, it represents an almost full-fledged replacement for a mid-class vehicle. I also take this fact into account when evaluating the initially high price of this car. In the tested Elegance equipment, it is set at EUR 21,990. I personally missed some elements that are included in the higher Executive equipment, mainly front LED lights, keyless access and a better audio system. It is up to everyone to consider whether the higher equipment is necessary and whether it is worth the extra 3000 EUR.
