New Honda Civic turbo easily fills Accord’s shoes

The Honda Civic has always had a special place in my heart. It was one of the first cars I set my hopes on of owning when I passed my license all those years ago.

So it’s comforting to know, that just like me, the new Honda Civic has evolved and grown, making it that much more attractive.

All-new, and nine generations later, this is probably the perfect generation of Civic to own. The Japanese have captured the design perfectly, it’s sharp and eye catching, thanks to its zigging and zagging lines in all the right place.

Ready to take its brother’s place (the Honda Accord is sadly no more) at the top of the sedan line-up, the Honda Civic is deceivingly spacious. The trunk is never-ending thanks to the 20 percent increase in space, and the backseats can comfortably seat three tall adults – a rare feat. But, the place you want to be is in the driver’s seat.

Spacious and driver focused, the cockpit layout is on point. The rich textures and visually appealing finish elevates the cabin to premium status. Glad to see Honda’s previous bland quality has been an area of constructive overhaul.

I’m in love with the layout, Honda has dubbed it the, “daring ACE design” concept. All the car’s vitals can be seen at a glance, while the centre console boasts a rich infotainment system. Designed to be ergonomically intuitive, the uncluttered design offers a refined experience. Touch-sensitive volume controls on the steering wheel a nifty feature that not many rivals have implemented.

As we’ve come to expect from Honda, the creature comforts are abundant, like heated seats, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning… and the list goes on.

What I was most excited about when it came to testing the all-new Civic was the turbo-charged powertrain as the Japanese finally embrace turbo engines.

And boy do they embrace it well! Housed beneath our test Civic’s bonnet is a 1.5-litre VTEC turbo cauldron. The brand’s first-ever 1.5 VTEC turbo engine and it doesn’t disappoint. Off the mark, the car pulls like a deranged racing horse, certainly not what you would expect from a car earmarked as a ‘family sedan’.

The Honda Civic has a sporty personality which I immediately connected with. Boasting 127kW of power and some 220Nm of torque, the car has a very well-rounded driving appeal to it. It enjoys a long drive at a consistent pace, but isn’t shy to get the blood flowing with a quick off the line shove if needed. Power is transferred via a CVT gearbox, with its monotonous hum, I can’t help but feel a good manual gearbox would bring the Civic to life and add to its already awesome driver personality but that’s unavailable on all models.

On the safety front, the Civic houses the notorious Honda safety credentials, from Agile Handling Assist to the EPS, EBD and ABS. All models are equipped with dual front, side and curtain airbags, complemented with a reverse camera and rear parking sensors on all but the base model.

I grew rather fond of the Civic during our time together. It’s a superbly capable car that’s practical too and has revived the passion for the Civic moniker. The introduction of a turbo engine, makes it fun to drive and hey, it certainly helps that the exterior embodies a sporty persona.

I think Honda has gotten this one spot on and it’s just a matter of time before we see more of them on our roads… hopefully. Already a Wesbank South African Car of the Year Finalist voted in by a select group of jury members, including SA Car Fan’s editor, seems I’m not alone in giving it a thumbs up.

Read our launch drive impression here: