AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 63T
his Civic is the 10th
generation since 1973 of
Honda’s signature model.
We’re testing the 1.8-litre
VTi-S sedan which, at $24,590,
sits one step above the base
1.8-litre VTi model, priced
at $22,390, and below three
1.5-litre turbo variants: the
$27,790 VTi-L, the sports-
fl avoured $31,990 RS and the
$33,690 VTi-LX.
Civic hatch is available with
the same drivetrains at the
same prices for VTi and VTi-L,
$100 less for VTi-S and VTi-LX
and $300 more for RS.
Civic sedan has always been
one of the largest cars in its class
and this model almost qualifi es
as a medium-sizer. Four adults
can spread out and relax in it.
There is a twin cockpit-style
front cabin, a driving position
adjustable for any physique and
luxurious front seats. There’s
also plenty of rear-seat legroom
and reasonable headroom
despite the raked, coupe-style
roofl ine. The wide, deep boot can
be extended with 60/40 split rear
seat backs.
Materials, fi t and fi nish on
Thai-built Hondas — that’s now
most of them, including Civic
— has often been sub-standard
compared with rivals from Japan
and South Korea. This Civic sees
a major lift in materials quality,
interior design and presentation,
now close to the VW Golf and
Mazda3 benchmarks.
Civic feels like a big unit from
the driver’s seat, so around town
you’re looking for more space
to work with than in some small
cars. Thin front pillars help with
clear forward vision, while a
reversing camera with movable
guidelines, wide-angle and top-
down view modes, plus parking
sensors at both ends, make
life easy in the shopping centre
demolition derby.
A simple, bright, all-digital
dash has your speed displayed
in huge numbers, handy in
our book ‘em ‘till they bleed
speed enforcement culture. The
infotainment touchscreen is
more convoluted than some inits menu structure but responds
to the lightest fi nger pressure,
as does the swipe-style volume
control on the wheel. Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto are
standard, as is voice activation
but only with the phone functions.
VTi-S’ 1.8-litre four is matched
with a standard CVT transmission.
It fl atters the engine’s humble
numbers by launching the car
smartly off the line and almost
compensating for its lack of low-
down pulling power, particularly
apparent in Eco mode.
Still, the 1.8 does the job
smoothly and honestly, with
the payoff being frugal fuel
consumption. I had no problem
recording single fi gures.
In cruise mode, where it’s
impressively refi ned, it can return
a diesel-like 5–6L/100km at a
steady 100km/h.
The softly suspended Civic has
sophisticated independent rear
suspension (rivals have a simple,
cheap torsion beam axle) and VTi-S
rolls on sensible 16-inch alloyswith 215/55 Hankook tyres. Around
town, the ride is supple and quiet.
It’s certainly no sports car,
but this suspension/wheel/tyre
setup translates nicely to the
highway, where the VTi-S sits
on the road with the poise,
comfort, refi nement and authority
of a larger car, especially on
messy bitumen.
Civic VTi-S offers value,
space, comfort, refi nement,
big-car confi dence with small-
car fuel effi ciency and — most
importantly — stylish design and
quality engineering.
The only major blot on its
copybook is the fact that driver
assist safety tech such as
autonomous emergency braking,
adaptive cruise and blind spot
monitoring, now standard on
rivals such as Mazda 3 and
Toyota Corolla, is included only
on VTi-L, RS and VTi-LX.S HONDA CIVIC FROM $22,390
THINGS WE LIKE
Looks sharp and well priced
Spacious, comfortable cabin
Smooth, quiet ride and secure
handling on rough roads
Refi ned drivetrain and low fuel
consumption on regular unleaded
Comfortable driving position and
supportive driver’s seat
Clear, informative instruments and
touchscreen
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
A bit more grunt wouldn’t hurt
Driver-assist safety tech only
available on higher-spec models
Fit and fi nish not quite there yet
Short (every six months) service
intervals and warranty
SPEX (VTi-S)
Made in Thailand
1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol/CVT/
front-wheel drive
104kW of power at 6500rpm/174Nm
of torque at 4300rpm
0–100km/h N/A
5.0L/100km highway; 8.7L/100km
city; regular unleaded; CO 2
emissions are 148g/km
Warranty: Five years/unlimited km
Standard: Six airbags, stability
control, 16-inch alloy wheels,
front and rear parking sensors,
rear camera, left-side blind spot
monitor, seven-inch touchscreen,
Bluetooth, two USB ports, HDMI
port, 12V socket, Apple CarPlay,
Android Auto, tyre pressure
warning, alarm, keyless entry and
start, leather-wrapped steering
wheel, space saver spare
Redbook future values: 3yr: 50%;
5yr: 36%compare with ...
Holden Astra, Kia Cerato, Hyundai
Elantra, Mazda3, Toyota CorollaSafetyPerformanceHandlingQuality and reliabilityComfort and refi nementValue for money
OverallSTARS