Honda Civic at the 2022 Wheels Car of the Year

Moments of unanimity among the COTY judges are cause for celebration, whether that be scorn for the previous night’s motel accommodation or high praise for the snot-block from the local bakery. In the new, 11th generation Honda Civic’s case, it was gushing adoration for a sparkling chassis that you simply didn’t want to stop driving.

“Gives a glimpse at how good the new Type R will be,” said Alex, a sentiment echoed by all other judges.

Indeed, it’s perhaps damning the new Civic with faint praise in getting excited for what it could be, but not yet is. So far, only one variant has arrived in Australia – the VTi LX – loaded to the gunwales with standard equipment.

36

And this is a much better Honda Civic. Its handsome exterior styling has done away with the Japanese manga comic-book angularity of old, while the interior has also had a major overhaul.

While designed for the US market, it’s more European, more mature, with night-and-day better ergonomics including – hallelujah! – a physical volume dial for the infotainment. “No longer feels inspired by ’90s sci-fi inside,” said Curt. Forward visibility, another focus point for Honda engineers, is also much-improved.

Around the proving ground, the Civic excelled again. Honda does some of the best control weights in the business – almost Porsche-like – making the VTi LX a joy to operate at low speeds. However as the speed picked up, despite claims of improved NVH, there was still a notable degree of tyre noise, the Civic’s 72.8 average measured decibels the fourth ‘loudest’ car tested.

36

“A more mature Civic with broader appeal than the old one” – Curt Dupriez

Ride quality was also comfortable enough, though a certain tautness hinted at a sportiness buried below – and the Civic’s incredible performance through the lane-change, in the dry braking and up the twisty Five Percent Gradient had every judge thinking about turning around and doing it all again. It really was that impressive, a lot of credit surely due to the independent rear suspension.

The magic handling, however, only made it more wanton there wasn’t the powertrain to match. With 131kW/240Nm, the turbo 1.5-litre four-cylinder provides the stage on which the chassis can shine – so to speak – but felt uninspiring and at times a bit thrashy, especially mated to a CVT. Zero to 100km/h in an as-tested time of 8.24sec doesn’t really cut the mustard.

That wasn’t the biggest of the Civic’s concerns, however. An are-you-sitting-down national driveaway fixed price of $47,200 had the judges wincing in early presentations, and from then on, the Civic was fighting an uphill battle to justify its positioning.

36

“Certainly the most premium a Honda has ever been this side of an NSX, but probably a little too much too soon,” said Dan.

Against other criteria, until the new hybrid model arrives, it doesn’t really break any new ground for technology; the 9.0-inch central touchscreen is also a bit small compared to rivals, and there is no head-up display. Eight airbags, however, bode great for safety, as does a full suite of active chassis gubbins. Claimed fuel use of 6.3L/100km is also commendable, but overall the Civic, while laudably performing its intended function, would have simply just done better if it was cheaper.

Instead the judges were left to agree that all it needed to be perfect was a fizzier, more powerful engine and a slick Honda manual gearbox.

So a Type R, in other words. All aboard the hype train.