It's only through pain you could love the old Honda Civic.
Every time you'd go over a speed breaker
you'd have to prepare yourself
to have a piece of your underbody scraped out
along with that, a piece of your heart.
Yet, here I am, driving a Civic
over some of Bangalore's mightiest speed breakers
and yet...
... the bottom isn't scraping!
All right now with the ground clearance ticked
and out of the way,
let's talk a little bit about the design
because with the old Civic, for most at least,
it was love at first sight.
This one though is different,
sure, you're not gonna miss it on the road
with its sleek LED headlamps,
it's thick front fascia
it's curvy body work
and those sleek LED tail lamps
that make it look like it was designed in a Michael Bay movie
but it just doesn't have a futuristic feel
that the previous Civic gave us.
And there's more of that on the inside,
it doesn't feel too special,
it doesn't have that spaceship cocoon-like feel that the previous model gave you,
but then again maybe I'm dwelling too much in the past
because this car is a lot more practical than its predecessor.
We're going to talk more about the practicality and features in just a bit.
Let me tell you more about the car that we're driving here.
This is the 1.6 diesel, produces about 120 PS , 300 Nm of torque
and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The gearing is long, the throws are nice, and quick and precise.
And driving here on the highway
it feels like this is what the car was designed to do.
For example, I'm doing about 80 KM/H and the car is doing just around 1,400 RPM
and if you chuck it in the economy mode,
then you can get up to 26.5 KM/L
which makes it also incredibly efficient.
Now, yes, they have improved the ground clearance of this car specifically for...
..the India model but it isn't just a simple jack up job, they have also
...changed a few components in the suspension.
Specifically the bump stop rubber which means that it also protects the car from...
...initial shock so we drove it up a few patrols and a few speed breakers and...
...car responds really well it doesn't get thrown off easily.
Now coming to the features on this car...
Honda have given it features that have been designed to make your life a lot more easier
...for example, you have Lane watch assist, the one that we've seen on the CRV as well...
...we push a button or when you activate your indicator stock...
...that activates a camera in the left rearview mirror and then there's an...
...image that pops up in the screen to tell you what's behind you.
It also gets cruise control, it also has a sunroof, dual zone climate control.
It now has an electronic parking brake which means that it's clear up a lot of space right here...
...in the central console and also comes with an adjustable armrest.
Visibility on this car has also been greatly improved...
...the A pillars been slimmed out a bit compared to the previous model so the visibility is a lot better...
...you sit a lot more upright as well, and then we have the NVH levels on this car...
...of course, we're driving on really smooth highways from what I can tell..
...there isn't a lot of wind noise coming and I can hear a hint of tire noise...
...but that can be easily drowned out with this really nice audio system.
Talking about the Diesel, not bad...
...it's designed to be more of a cruiser. It doesn't have that punch...
...that you would expect from a diesel engine.
Driving here at triple digit highway speeds...
...the car feels nice and compliant, brakes are responsive...
...the steering has a nice weight to it and the car feels pretty balanced overall...
...despite the fact that now, they've jacked up the ground clearance the car...
...doesn't feel unsettling and that only comes down to the suspension tuning on this...
...which Honda have done a really good job for.
So all-in-all here on the highways, the diesel performs really well.
Now with this new platform being longer and wider than before...
...the most obvious place of benefit is when it comes to practicality...
...specifically the boot space. The Civic now offers 430 litres of boot space...
...and the improvement of 73 liters over the previous model.
Not just practicality, the interiors have also benefited. Let's check it out!
Here the rear legroom has definitely improved but the biggest thing that...
...really impresses me right here in the rear are these seats they are just...
...spot-on, the backrest is at the right angle, there are nicely contours in the...
...seats themselves. It really envelope your body and Honda says that this is good...
...enough for three people, although I'm a bit suspicious I don't think so a three...
...people could rest also considering that you have a big transmission panel...
...right here on the floor. You have your AC vents but no rear charging socket and...
...headroom also is a bit of a squeeze but that does not mean that this is a bad place to be.
So the fit and finish inside the cabin is all top-notch, nice quality materials...
...have been used the dashboard is all soft that there are these really nice...
...wooden inserts as well I particularly like the contrast stitching on the seats...
...and the steering wheel.
When it comes to the infotainment system you get a 7-inch...
...infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto but what's particularly...
...interesting is this little feature here that has a bit of a cable organizer that...
...hides behind this central console unit right here.
I also like the new TFT display, the graphics are really nice...
...and smooth, the readout is nice and clear.
So although the cabin overall has gone back to being more conventional...
...compared to the previous model it does feel a lot more upmarket more premium...
...and more suave. Alright now time to head back and drive the petrol.
Alright, driving the petrol Civic of 1.8 liter naturally aspirated petrol...
Haven't said that in a while! You have 6,500 rpm to play with...
The first thing that's gonna strike you when you drive this car is the handling...
In one word guys, is incredible! Don't forget this chassis also underpins the mighty...
Civic Type-r that holds lap record for the fastest front-wheel drive car on the Nürburgring.
It's 22 kilos lighter, it's 25 percent stiffer. They've also updated a lot of suspension components in...
...and gets beefier stabilizer bars.
It gets a new front strut, it also gets new multi-link rear suspension you also have...
...a steering rack with variable ratios a suite of electronics you have their own...
...stability control and also brake torque vectoring in case you overcook it and...
,,,the driving experience here in the twisties guys is so much, fun this car...
...really really has done a great job in the corners.
With possibly the exception of maybe the Skoda VRS, I can't think of any other...
...car in the segment that just drives as nice! There is such a wonderful sense of...
...connection through the steering wheel the feedback is really good it's easy to...
...tell what the wheels are doing, it's easy to place the card.
The only thing that takes away from the driving experience for me, to be honest...
...is the fact that the petrol engine doesn't come with a manual gearbox.
To be honest the Civic does a pretty decent job we put in a manual mode and...
...and use the paddle shifters, it does a decent job of emulating gears...
It doesn't necessarily auto upshift, it holds the engine, revs nicely so you know...
...you can essentially play with the torque and power band but then again I would...
...have just prefer the Manual. We asked Honda this, they said that according to their...
...market research 90% of people who buy petrol sedans in this segment prefer...
automatics and therein lies the question folks with today's market...
Does the Civic still make sense?
But before we ask that question here are some of the things that I feel that...
...could have improved in the Civic. So first off it doesn't have a speed...
...sensing or door lock, it's manual which I think for a car in this segment is a bit...
...of a commission. Then there are the tires handling setup of the car is incredible...
...but I think the tires that laid it down on that one for a much harder compound...
...it doesn't move justice to this entire chassis and handling setup and then...
...there is the key of the car, it's very similar one that you have.
The Civic is a legend, to us enthusiasts, it was launched at a time when there was nothing else...
...like it in our markets. Of course, now the market has moved on and they all love SUVs but...
...Honda believes that the sedan is making a comeback.
This new Civic, it certainly is...
...an upgrade but I can't help but feel that it now appeals more to the head...
...then it does the heart! I'm really glad that the Civic is back but I'm also...
...cautiously optimistic! What about you? Thank you so much for...
...watching why didn't you let us know in the comment section below. My name is Glen.
Until next time, bye-bye!