Wheels Australia — June 2017

44 wheelsmag.com.au

At last, the body for buyers who can’t be booted

Honda Civic RS hatch

FIRST
AUSSIE
DRIVE

At least the muscular turbo

partly masks some of the laggy

traits encountered with the 1.8

CVT combo, with its meaty torque

delivery from low revs resulting

in surprisingly rapid and rousing

performance. Even the off-brand

top-end raucousness is endearing.

SoistheCivic’sgenerallysporty

dynamic demeanour, at least riding

on the racy RS’s 215/50R17 rubber.

Eager, fluent and measured,

the steering works with a keen

driver for balanced handling that,

pleasingly, becomes more intimate

with speed. Additionally, the

hatch’s poise and control through a

wide variety of corners highlights

some welcome Aussie tuning,

backed up by a sophisticated ride.

Occasional coarse-road drone is

the only real drawback.

Shared with the sedan, the

hatch’s interior is comparatively

vast,thankstoalowdashand

thin pillars that emphasise

spaciousness. Everything’s

on a big scale, from the digital

instruments and (fiddly)

touchscreen to the easy

switchgear and plethora of

storage. Even the RS’s body-

hugging buckets envelop.

Aided by a higher roof than

the sedan’s, the hatch’s second

row is ably accommodating, with

a thoughtfully angled backrest.

Toobadtherearen’trearair

outlets, though. And the previous

hatch’s Jazz-inspired ultra-low

‘Magic Seats’ are history –

drawback of the newly-ac

multi-link suspension. Th

tailgate reveals a sizeable

cargoareaaswellasaflim

mounted cover.

Finally, AEB is only avai

the most expensive varian

very Civic minded.

Other than that, after

decades of Honda

oddities, the Mk10 hatch

fallsinlinewithgusto.

Avoid the 1.8 and fun

times lie ahead.

BYRON MATHIOUD

No manual; AEB only on top variants; no more ‘Magic Seats’ PLUS &^

MINUS

Versatility; turbo performance; ride; handling; space; solidity

Our leaks are sealed

Thai-built Civic sedan and

hatch are identical from

nose to B-pillar. The ‘Earth

Dreams’ architecture

replaces the old hatch’s

torsion beam rear with

a multi-link, while a

16k li ht b d 52 t

HAS THERE ever been a

more chameleonic car

than the Honda Civic

hatch? Although adhering

to the same basic three-

door formula through six

generations from 1973, from 2000

the five-door broke away from the

increasingly US-focused sedans,

first with a Euro centric monobox,

then turning left field with a pair

of smaller, Jazz-based curveballs

in 2006 and 2012 respectively.

None cut muster.

Now, the tenth-gen unites with

last year’s reborn sedan, with

more mainstream sizing and spec.

Like the sedan, the hatch

employs either the passable but

past-its-prime 104kW/174Nm

1.8-litre single-cam atmo lump

in the cheaper VTi and VTi-S, or

• for actual enjoyment – a rorty
  127kW/220Nm 1.5-litre four-pot
  turbo alternative. Both, however,
  only offer a dreary CVT, with no
  manual in sight until the Type R
  lands later this year. Pity.

Model

Engine

Max power

Max torque

Transmission

Weight

0-100km/h

Economy

Price

On sale

Honda Civic RS hatch

1498cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo

127kW @ 5500rpm

220Nm @ 1700-5500rpm

CVT automatic

1440kg

7. 4 s e c ( e s t i m a t e d )
   6.1L/100km
   $32,290
   Now

• thesole
  qui
  hesloping
  414-litre
  msyside-

ilable on

nt. Not

16kg-lighterbody, 52 percent

torsional rigidityboost and

new hydraulic suspension

and sub-frame bushes

further benefit handling,r

and refinement. Targeted

aero and better sealingand

glazing also improve NVH.