Smart new Honda Civic hybrid full of features

It must be some kind of a record – the latest Honda Civic is in its eleventh generation. During the 50-odd years the firm has been producing the model they’ve sold 27.6m of them. 

We have just attended the launch of the refreshed model. It’s not just a bumper, wheels and lights job either. For there’s a new powertrain, Honda’s e-HEV two-motor hybrid set-up. The former 1.5T petrol model falls by the wayside. As is so often the way with sedans and hatches nowadays, there’s just one model in the “line-up”, and it is specced to the nines. It also retails for $59,990 which may seem a lot for a Civic. 

Read more – Honda updates Civic; single model now $59,990

However, this car has grown over the decades since it first launched in 1972. It’s more like an Accord in size now, being 4550mm long, riding on a wheelbase of 2735mm. Raise the liftback – no powered fifth door here – and you’ll not believe how much room there is in the hold; Honda rates it at 700L. The space is long and deep, and enormous. They claim class leading interior space too.

The introduction of the new Civic kicked off in Nelson, and all eleven generations were on show when we arrived at Honda’s Distribution Centre. We had a sit inside the 1976 model. What a time warp, with next to no spec and a steering wheel rim that looked like a stick version of the real thing. 

Moving into the new Honda Civic and it’s like the deck of Starship Enterprise by comparison. Hopping in may be a bit tricky for those with orthopaedic issues but once inside it really does feel properly premium. There’s lovely leather upholstery, soft touch plastics up on the dash, powered seats with adjustable lumbar support, seat and steering wheel heating, a Qi charger, dual zone air,  a panoramic sunroof, and honeycomb air vents with little toggle arms that make directing air that much easier. If there’s one thing conspicuous by its absence that would be a head-up display. And the nine-inch screen isn’t the biggest out there, though resolution and speed are good. 

New to the latest Civic is Google Assistant built-in. This also means Google Maps, and other apps. There’s wireless cellphone integration too. The assistant is genuinely helpful. It’s able to set a destination, play a song, make a call, and change heating and audio settings on the Bose system. It will even find the nearest cafe for you. All the usual helpful stuff while you’re getting yourself acquainted with the vehicle. It offers remote functionality as well.

And there’s no overwhelming reliance on the central screen as primary controller. The HVAC system has its own switches (three rotary knobs and various buttons) so changing those settings is as easy as it should be.

Civic is also more, er, civilised too for it seldom bongs at you. Occasionally when it thinks you might be about to collide with something ahead it will pipe up. But mercifully the speed monitor just flashes when you’re overspeed and we felt no need to nix the lane departure warning. So it’s one of those cars that is really rather simple just to get in and drive. Except perhaps for finding reverse gear. That had us foxed for a few seconds. PRN and D are all selected by pushbuttons. It’s just that the R is next to the P button and is a bit hard to spot; you push it back towards you to select reverse. 

The powertrain is like that in ZR-V and pairs a 104kW/182Nm 2.0-litre direct-injection engine with a two-motor system for a combined output of 135kW of power and 315Nm of torque. Its 0-100 time is a half second quicker than that of its pure ICE predecessor (7.9sec) and combined fuel economy is a claimed 4.2L/100km. A highway figure of 5.5L/100km is absolutely spot on, while around town fuel use is an abstemious 2.0L/100km. 

There are four drive modes and four levels of regenerative braking via wheel mounted paddles. Normal mode is good, and Sport perks things up a bit. Performance is brisk enough, overtaking is achieved without fuss and in Sport mode the system makes mock upshifts, as if to mimic an automatic transmission (except there isn’t one). Unlike some similar hybrids, the engine, which acts mainly as a generator, doesn’t ever rev up inappropriately.  

This proved a fun drive, despite heavy summer traffic through some magical roads. On the SI’s west coast, road roar can be an issue, and while present it is quite well contained thanks to active noise cancelling. 

A slightly lower centre of gravity (-10mm) and improved chassis rigidity help makes this an accomplished drive. The front driver has impressive grip, and sound body control. There’s only a hint of torque steer under power. It rides well at highway speeds, with composure, diffusing larger bumps well. And for us, the icing was the four levels of variable regen, meaning you seldom need to activate the actual brakes to set corner speed. 

As Honda New Zealand’s MD, Mr Nobuya Sonoda, said “The 11th generation Civic has grown up to become a premium Honda designed for exhilarating drives.”