What is it?
After three years without a single saloon in its UK line-up, Honda has bolstered the Civic range with a new four-door bodystyle.
Customers see the Civic as synonymous with the brand, Honda says, and a saloon should help broaden its appeal. It also has to tempt Accord customers, who have been without a direct replacement since that model went off sale in 2015.
The elongated, coupé-like styling is certainly more restrained than the polarising hatchback, with a more discreet rear bumper and a roofline that slopes smoothly into the C-pillars. Overall length has grown 125mm to 4644mm, with the extra dimensions increasing boot space to 519 litres, versus 478 litres in the five-door.
The launch line-up is limited to two engines: a 127bhp, 1.0-litre i-VTEC three-cylinder turbo petrol in six-speed manual or CVT automatic guises, and the 118bhp, 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel, tested here with manual transmission but also available with a nine-speed automatic - a first for any diesel Civic. For the time being, the more potent 1.5-litre petrol is staying exclusive to the hatchback.
The diesel is expected to outsell the petrol 3:2, with an even split between manual and automatic transmissions. And even then, Honda expects the hatchback to continue to make up the majority of Civic sales.
What's it like?
Front and rear passengers will find little difference between this car and the regular Honda Civic, with plenty of leg room and the same low-slung driving position.
As big as the newly separated boot may be, though, actually using the space is made trickier by the smaller opening. It may be wide, but the boot opening isn’t as tall as the hatchback, and it can be harder to store bulkier items.
The mid-spec SR trim of our test car includes a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system as standard but, compared with rivals, the Garmin-supplied navigation graphics feel outdated and cumbersome. Thankfully, both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available for an improved sat-nav experience using your smartphone.
Overall interior quality still isn’t quite up to the same standard as Volkswagen or Mazda, but the soft-touch plastics and sensibly laid-out dashboard continue to make a good impression here. The digital instrument cluster is particularly slick compared with similarly priced rivals'.
On the road, the four-door Civic is just as engaging as the hatchback, with direct and nicely weighted steering, and a chassis that’s responsive to your inputs. The saloon uses a version of the dual-pinion power-assisted steering found on the Civic Type R, specifically tuned for the four-door model with a focus on secure handling.
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Grammar
"Went off sale" ???? Do you mean was discontinued? Does Autocar no longer require it's journalists to speak English?
It’s huuuge!
I’ve seen one or two and it looks quite big, Mondeo big even,and it’s not a shape you could love either, sorry, but it’s a no from me....
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Its a whole 11mm longer than the current 3 series
Must be......?
The Wheelbase, and maybe some of the naff colours the non metallic Grey is just plain aweful, I’ve seen Mini’s in this color too, maybe it’s that?
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Agreed, that grey just looks like the painted it in primer, and forgot the top coat
Peter Cavellini wrote:
So big is this car, that I cannot see how it can be a continuation of the Civic line. It's growth rate is far beyond that of the Golf.
Bob Cholmondeley wrote:
Agreed
It is ugly and the interior is far to sombre
I have grown to quite like
I have grown to quite like the looks of the current Civic as i see more out and about, and the tamed down bumpers of the saloon are an improvement here. A further plus is no ugly kid glass, but why not let us have the 1.5 with a little get up and go?