Honda Civic

While the Honda Civic looks extremely extrovert when viewed from the outside, on the inside though, it has been simply styled and sheds some of the sportiness for a laid back sophistication.

The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel looks quite simple, however, the three-part fully digital instrument console behind it gives it a space edge feel. Though, it doesn’t look as cool as the two-layered digital meters of the previous generation model. Like in most of the Honda cars, the centre console is tilted towards the driver, with a large 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system taking the centre stage, with sloping style trapezoidal AC vents above it. The Civic misses out on the touch panel for the automatic climate control, and comes with rather conventional buttons for it.

The Honda Civic is armed with all the essential features like a sunroof, push-button start with keyless entry, leather upholstery, cruise control, lane watch camera, dual-zone climate control with rear AC vents, height-adjustable driver’s seat and many more. However, despite its long profile, space at the rear is just about adequate with limited headroom.

Compared to other understated looking sedans in its category, the Honda Civic looks the sportiest of the lot, with its low slung stance complemented with the curvy roofline and aerodynamic design giving it a unique identity of its own, making it a sure shot head turner.

The front of the Honda Civic looks quite wide and stretched with a thick chrome grille extending all the way to the edgy full LED headlamps, which also come garnished with daytime running LEDs. 

The side profile of the Honda Civic gives it the ‘sporty’ tag with that coupe-like sloping roofline and muscular haunches above the rear tyre, which is only complemented with large 17-inch alloy wheels. The unique placement of turn indicators on the edge of the front fender also looks quite cool. At the rear, it is the set of boomerang-shaped LED tail lamps which make the Honda Civic look extremely striking and big.

Overall, the Honda Civic’s sporty design elements surely manage to make it look unique and put it different from other cars with its sleek and aerodynamic appeal meant to turn heads.

The Honda Civic gets Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, which are arranged with a  spot-on balance between softly and stiffly sprung. It does miss out on the firm and precise sporty suspension setup of its predecessor, however, the slight softness introduced gives it the much-needed plushness for rear occupants. 

Under the hood of the LX variant is a conventional 1.6-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, that churns out 125 PS of maximum power output and 152 Nm of peak torque. A more powerful engine is offered in the Turbo variant which is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit that makes 173 PS of maximum power and 220 Nm of peak torque. Both these engines are mated to a common CVT gearbox.

The Honda Civic is equipped with safety essentials like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, traction control, hill start assist, agile handling assist, vehicle stability assist, emergency stop signal, tire pressure monitoring system, brake over ride system and electric parking brake.

The Honda Civic might not be perfect by segment standards, but then, there is a sporty soul in this car which cannot be mistaken or ignored. Its sporty character certainly brings in a sort of desirability which other sedans are missing, whether be in its coupe-like styling or the firmness in its steering and suspension setups.