What is it? The new Honda Civic is a total change in direction for the brand’s core family car.
Key features: Complete redesign – larger car, different look, new chassis.
Our view: The Honda Civic benefits from the brand’s bid to make its car a more mainstream contender and is now a purchase far easier to justify.
Type of review: First UK drive.
The Honda Civic has been around a very long time – the model can trace its history back to 1972 and the new one that has just arrived in showrooms is the tenth generation.
For the past decade, European buyers have been offered a Civic hatch that was just a bit too sci-fi – a coupé-like exterior with a high-up jellymould profile, and an interior dominated by a funky dash with a big digital speed readout. It was very different to any of its rivals in the market, and that made it a Marmite choice – some loved it, plenty of others didn’t.
With the new model, Honda has ripped up the history book. Formerly the Civic’s specification varied significantly dependent on what part of the world one was in. They have made way for a single global design that is completely new in all areas and looks very different to its predecessor, but it will still be made in Honda’s UK factory near Swindon. In fact, Swindon is now the only Honda plant building the Civic hatch, sending its cars around the world.
Next page: Exterior and interior design
