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Honda has improved one of its most invisible models – the UK-built Civic Hatch – to the point where it is a viable alternative to the better of the C-segment five-doors.
WHAT IS IT? The MY15 facelift for the Honda Civic Hatch. Now in its ninth generation, the Civic Hatch has been designed and engineered to take on Europe’s best, but has fallen since its 2012 launch due to some packaging, refinement, and styling issues. To its credit, the Japanese manufacturer has been chipping away to make the Euro five-door better.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The small car segment is Australia’s largest, and with the second oldest nameplate in the business undergoing yet another update we’re sure to take notice. Especially as the UK-built Civic Hatch has been on the cusp of goodness, if not greatness, since its launch here more than three years ago.
MAIN RIVALS Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato, Nissan Pulsar, Renault Megane, Peugeot 308, Volkswagen Golf, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, Holden Cruze, Subaru Impreza
PLUS: Jazz-style rear-seat configurability, comfortable seats, distinctive design, sporty dynamics, strong drivetrain MINUS: High driving position, rear cushion too low, poor rear vision, limited rear headroom
THE WHEELS REVIEW NOW IN the twilight of its ninth generation, the Civic Hatch is not going to suddenly set the small-car scene on fire. The compact Honda – and its overpriced predecessor, which also hailed from Europe – has failed to gain a foothold since launching in Australia during 2012.
But now there is a keener priced, better equipped, and facelifted version of the British-built oddball, ushering in a host of improvements.
Sadly, however, the excellent 1.6-litre turbo-diesel (just released in the RM CR-V Series II) has recently been dropped. It’s a firecracker so if you find one, do it.
Starting from $22,150 (or $24,450 in five-speed auto guise), the base Civic Hatch VTi-S is no longer a pauper’s special either – features like soft cloth fabrics, cruise control, alloy wheels, Bluetooth phone connectivity, audio streaming (via Honda’s best iteration of its new big central touchscreen), reverse camera, iPhone image mirroring and daytime driving lights make the Japanese car feel more like a mid-range version.
While we’re still whingeing, over-the-shoulder vision is poor (that camera is essential gear), the rear wiper only sweeps half the bisected back window, and the rear cushion is a bit too flat for taller folk. On the flipside, thanks to Jazz-style ‘Magic Seats’, made possible by the movement of the fuel tank to beneath the front seat area, tip the cushion upwards and there is a uniquely deep floor with walk-through capability, or fold the backrest down and the whole set-up folds down flat to create a panel-van rivalling cargo area that would be way comfier (and roomier) than any LX Torana Hatch Hutch. Even with all seats erect, there’s a class-leading 477 litres of luggage space.
At the other end of the car, the long-lived 1.8-litre single-cam four-cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine and five-speed automatic is a healthy combination, moving off the line smartly and maintaining a steady stream of power up the rev range. It is surprisingly responsive if you need some instant kick-down forward thrust.
All up, then, the MY15 Honda Civic Hatch has left us more delighted than expected. Thanks to the fruits of its engineers’ persistent labour, the European five-door is complete enough to fend off all but the best in the C-segment (Golf, 308, Focus, and Mazda 3). Who’d have thought this one would have aged so gracefully?
SPECS Model: Honda Civic VTi-S automatic Engine: 1798cc 4cyl, sohc, 16v Max power: 104kW @ 6500rpm Max torque: 174Nm @ 4300rpm Transmission: 5-speed automatic Weight: 1282kg 0-100km/h: 10.9s Fuel economy: 6.6L/100km Price: $24,450 On sale: Now
Click here to read the full range review of the Honda Civic.
