Voting. Perhaps it’s an age thing, but I always do my civic duty at every General Election and wander along to the local polling station to put a cross in the relevant box. I know a lot of younger people who’ve never voted. Well, don’t complain about the government when you feel that things aren’t being run as you reckon they should be. Around 18 months ago, I called into the voting station as part of my daily early morning walk with the family dog, Dave. I asked the bloke behind the desk if it would be okay to bring the dog in with me. He replied: “Yes, as long as he doesn’t want to vote.” There’s always a comedian.

Plenty of trim options, but just one engine choice

I’ve also been doing my civic duty by testing the latest Honda Civic.

Choice within the Honda Civic range is limited to trim — Elegance, Sport or Advance. Don’t bother looking for engine options, as there aren’t any. Sadly, this has meant that the fantastic Civic Type R is being banished to the history books. Sob.

But don’t worry, because even though the 2.0 litre petrol engine used in this latest Civic may seem rather large nowadays for a car which is aimed fair and square at family life, it is seriously economical. Honda refers to the Civic as e:HEV, meaning hybrid. The mechanical setup sees the engine operating for most of the time as a generator, which tops up a battery. The battery then powers the car along, except for when you need maximum power or when travelling at higher speeds on motorways, then the engine cuts in. At town speeds, it feels very much like a typical electric car.

Speed & performance figures

Honda says this latest Civic has been designed to spend a hefty chunk of its time running only on electric power via the battery and a pair of electric motors. Total power is in the region of 181bhp, which equates to a nippy 0-60mph time of 7.9 seconds, a top speed of 112mph and terrific fuel economy, which is nudging 60mpg. There are paddles behind the steering wheel which allow you to adjust the regeneration. This tops up the battery when you approach traffic lights or a roundabout and means you don’t need to use the brakes until the last moment.

Driving experience

Just don’t sigh when you spot that the Honda Civic uses a CVT gearbox. It doesn’t scream its revs to the stratosphere and works away quietly in the background. It’s responsive too. It all makes for very refined motoring; in fact, the main noise comes from the tyres, but even that isn’t intrusive.

It’s also worth pointing out that even though this Honda Civic is built in Japan (Honda ceased production at their Swindon plant 5 years ago), it has been engineered to suit European roads, and it works. The ride is surprisingly smooth but allows for some entertainment when road conditions allow. Squeeze the throttle as you exit a corner, and the Civic will power away nicely. Honda says they’ve lowered the car’s centre of gravity with this latest model by plonking the battery under the rear seats. Put it this way, the Civic feels very ‘planted’ on a twisty country lane.

If you want a similar mechanical set-up but prefer a more sporty, engaging drive, go and check out the recently launched Honda Prelude.

Interior

The biggest changes for this latest Civic are to be found inside. Okay, there are one or two tweaks outside but nothing major, which, to be fair, the Civic didn’t need in any case. I think it’s a good-looking car. It’s refined and understated in a good way.

The interior has finally moved into the 21st Century. Everything looks and feels good.

Prices & interior upgrades

Elegance trim kicks off the range at £32,445 (Jan 26). I’d be perfectly happy with this because you get sat nav, smartphone connectivity, heated front seats, keyless entry and start, 9-inch central touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights and rear privacy glass.

Sport trim ups the price by about £1,500 and now adds a heated steering wheel, bigger alloys, front fog lights, wireless charging and faux leather seats, which are seriously comfortable and supportive.

Advance adds stuff like a panoramic sunroof and a Bose audio system, but I’d stick with Elegance and save several thousand pennies.

Thankfully, if you want to alter the cabin temperature, adjust the speed of the fans or turn down the radio volume, there are knobs to twiddle. You don’t need to spend hours prodding the screen trying to find a menu followed by a couple of sub-menus. Too many firms think it’s clever to make everything hi-tech rather than simple.

There’s a quality feel to the materials used throughout the surprisingly roomy cabin, and plenty of legroom in the back for 6-footers. The wide rear hatch gives easy access to a decent sized 420 litre boot.

Concluding thoughts

If you are looking for an economical family car which is good to drive, safe, nicely equipped, even in entry-level form and should be incredibly reliable, the latest Honda Civic e:HEV gets my vote.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Honda

Honda Civic - Doing your civic duty in a hybrid masterpiece