How many mums out there remember Dad picking them up for date night all of those years ago in a Honda Civic with an exhaust louder than Halloween night and wheels that seemed to come up as high as the driveway pillar? These days the Civic name lives on, but it is attached to an excellent family hatchback similar in size to the Volkswagen Golf. We recently put it through its paces to see how it measures up.
Despite the apparent mass rush to own Crossovers like the Nissan Qashqai, car sales figures in Ireland actually show that five of the top ten selling models are c-segment cars like the Honda Civic. Clearly a lot of people just don’t want a car as large as a Crossover. The challenge for families is to fit their family and stuff comfortably into a smaller car. This is where the Civic might appeal to Irish mums.
Inside, the Civic is simply way bigger and more practical than its competitors. The boot is almost 25% bigger than that of the Volkswagen Golf, and Honda’s ‘magic seats’ can be flipped forward easily to create a massive load area for bulky items, like in some people carriers. The rear three seats can all take adults as the transmission tunnel on the floor is not at all high.
The styling is different to almost every other car on the road today – we will leave it up to you to decide if you like it. We are big fans, but we don’t like the visibility out of the back window, which is the drawback with such a futuristic design. The cabin layout is striking, and quality wise, it feels like it is a match for a Volkswagen. The dashboard looks quite busy from behind the wheel with all of the buttons and dials though, and while nothing is difficult to use, you may be someone who prefers a car with a simpler layout like you would find in a Toyota for example.
The 1.6 diesel engine is widely accepted to be the best in its class by motoring critics. It is quiet, powerful, smooth, and fuel economy is a whopping 78miles per gallon. While you won’t achieve that figure by doing short city driving regularly, we still expect the Civic to do at least 420 miles on €50 diesel (€1.42 per litre) around town, and considerably more on a long journey.
Cars this good don’t come cheap and the entry level price is €21,895 for a 1.4 petrol engine, which costs €270 per year to tax in ‘Comfort’ trim. It features climate control and alloy wheels, but you have to spend €23,495 on the ‘Sport’ model to get things like Bluetooth, cruise control, fog lights, automatic wipers and a leather steering wheel and gear knob. That fantastic 1.6 diesel engine costs €24,195 in Comfort trim and €25,495 in Sport specification. Strangely, in Sport trim the petrol engine car has no parking sensors, but the diesel model does.
Is there loads of storage space?
There sure is! The boot is almost as big as larger cars like the Toyota Avensis when you take into account the false floor in the loading area which hides a decent sized storage area. The boot floor is a little low so you may find yourself reaching to get some items out. The magic seats mean carrying a lawn mower or a bike is easy.
Is it baby friendly?
Generally, yes. There is a lot of space on the floor for your feet when you are strapping a baby in, although taller parents will need to be careful not to bang their head or their child’s. There are two ISOFIX baby seat mounts; the middle seat in the rear doesn't have one.
Is parking easy?
There is no parking sensors fitted on petrol models at all, while diesel cars have them from Sport trim upwards only. The view out the back window is unfortunately poor due to that handsome spoiler. The Civic does have large mirrors though, which make parallel parking easier. Perhaps Honda would make a ‘Mummypages special edition’ with no rear spoiler if we asked them nicely...?
What about safety?
No problems here – the Civic is fitted with all of the modern safety features you might expect, including full length curtain airbags, hill start assist, braking and stability assist. Those ‘assists’ all help prevent you losing control of the car. It was awarded a five star safety rating in 2013. The Civic has no spare wheel at all, so if you get a flat you will most likely be calling the AA to bail you out. It also does without a driver’s knee airbag, which is becoming a more common feature on family cars.
Verdict
Thumbs Up:
Looks cool
Incredible fuel economy
Excellent quality cabin
Loads of space
Thumbs down:
Poor rear visibility
A touch pricey
Mummypages Ratings
Baby friendliness: 3.5/5
Safety: 4.5/5
Cool rating: 4.5/5
Passenger and storage space: 4/5
Car park friendliness: 2.5/5
Value for money: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 22.5/30
Statistics:
Price as tested: €25,495
Fuel Economy and tax: 78mpg / €180 per year
Warranty: 3 years
ISOFIX baby seat mounts: 2
Seats suitable for adults (excl driver): 4
Seats suitable for kids only: 0
