My day started really early when I had to catch a 7am flight to Cape Town. Upon arriving in the Mother City I was greeted by a sleek, sporty-looking and rather eye catching Honda. Is this the new Civic?
Yes it is, and it looks good
Previous Honda Civics have always been somewhat subdued in the looks department, not this one. At the front the Civic features a sporty, focused front end which is angled lower than the previous model. It's noticeable as a Honda but a nicer, more youthful Honda, especially when you add the optional LED headlights into the mix.
From the side though the Civic really looks good. It features a coupe-like silhouette with a steeply raked rear window. I like it a lot because it finally looks as if it belongs in our modern age. The rear end is where the styling gets busy though. The rear lights feature a kind of floating effect as they curve up over the rear boot lid. On the Sport model one can expect a boot spoiler which also looks pretty good.
So it looks good on the outside, what about inside?
Well, the Honda designers have improved here as well. They have turned away from the Star Trek-style layout and gone with something more, car-like. As I got behind the wheel I noticed that the double tier instrument display had been done away with - I was never a fan of it. In its place Honda has fitted a nice, new digital instrument display.
The dashboard also looks good. In the centre there is a decent sized touch screen display which makes use of improved graphics. It also features Apple Car Play as well as Bluetooth, USB and even an HDMI port. The multifunction steering wheel includes - apart from many buttons - a new volume button which is touch sensitive.
The centre armrest houses two cup holders and a decent amount of storage space.
Talking about space...
The clever people at Honda have decided to make the new Civic a bit bigger than before. This means that interior space has improved. They have also realigned the rear seats further back creating space that one would expect on a much bigger car. Boot space is around 430-litres according to Honda.
What's under that hood?
Under the hood customers will have a choice of two different engines, a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre 104kW/174Nm petrol or a new 1.5-litre 127kW/220Nm turbocharged petrol engine. I spent the day in the latter as that's all that was available. It also featured a 7-speed CVT gearbox.
What's it like to drive then?
Out on the fantastic ribbons of tarmac throughout the Western Cape I found the new Civic 1.5 turbo to be rather spirited. The car features an improved steering rack which has sharpened up the response as well as the feel. The turbo motor also helps get the car going, Honda claim a 0-100 km/h time of just under 9.0 seconds. They also claim a fuel consumption figure of 5.9 litres/100km on a combined cycle.
My final thoughts
As the day drew to a close I spent some time just cruising on the highway. The new Civic feels bigger, more grown up yet youthful than before. It returns a comfortable drive. The reason for this is because Honda SA has decided to drop the Accord model from its line up, this is due to market demand. Thus, the Civic now has to be both a small practical car as it's always been as well as accompany those looking for more safety, luxury and value.
It's a big ask but I think Honda has done it. They have four different models to choose from, all with different levels of standard features and all reasonably priced. This is the first Honda Civic that I actually like, both in its design and ride quality.
Pricing
1.8 Comfort CVT – R330 000
1.8 Elegance CVT – R370 000
1.5T Sport CVT – R430 000
1.5T Executive CVT – R460 000
Pricing includes a five-year/200 000 km warranty, a five-year/90 000 km service plan, as well as three years of AA Roadside Assistance.
