2019 Honda Civic review, road test

The Civic returns to India after seven years, in its 10th-gen avatar, and now gets a diesel engine.

Published on Jun 03, 2019 07:00:00 AM

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At 430 litres, it’s got the smallest boot capacity in its segment.

The previous Civic stood out for its revolutionary styling and the current model is pretty radical too with its Audi A7-ish fastback-like design. It’s just that the tail doesn’t open like a hatchback’s but is a conventional boot that can hold a modest 430 litres of luggage.

That said, the new Civic’s design isn’t as groundbreaking as the original one’s whose cab-forward design blended all the three ‘boxes’ (the bonnet, passenger compartment and boot) into one seamless shape.

Its hunkered-down proportions and fastback-like design make it appear fast even when parked.

The new hood is distinctly longer and points to a car that has grown substantially. It is a good 111mm longer than before and 49mm wider too. It sits on an identical 2,700mm wheelbase but the overall height is a good 17mm lower. The low-slung roof, which sweeps into the tail, the wide track and 17-inch alloy wheels (biggest in class) that nicely fill the large wheel arches give the Civic an aggressively sporty stance, which is a huge part of its appeal. And it’s not just the hunkered-down proportions but also the design details that make the Civic a stunning car to look at.

Up front, the Honda grille, with its signature chunky chrome strip, is flanked by sharply cut full-LED (on the top-spec) headlights that look techy, and the way the bonnet bulges upwards on the sides is a show of the car’s sporty intent.

All LED lighting (head/fog/DRL) lend a very premium look.

The air intake below the bumper flares out at the edges to house the fog lamps and a chrome surround, which accentuates the width of the car. From the side, the muscular front wheel arches, the subtle character lines on the doors and the rising beltline that sharply dips after the rear door into the rear lights are interesting elements that stand out in the Civic’s coupé-like silhouette.

The C-shaped tail-lights, with the top edges extending into the boot lid, is another stand-out feature the Civic abounds with. In fact, it’s hard to find a boring bit in the new Civic. Even the alloy wheel design is classy.

Under the skin, the Civic gets a MacPherson strut suspension up front, but the first Civic’s torsion bar setup at the rear has been replaced by a sophisticated multi-link setup. Honda was acutely aware of the serious ground clearance issues the first Civic faced, so they raised the ride height by over 20mm to ensure that speed breakers don’t foul with the car’s underbody.

Raised ride height makes it less susceptible to belly scrapes.

The new model is based on a new global platform, which has a high degree of torsional stiffness and uses high-tensile steel to keep weight down. In fact, weighing 1,300kg (for the petrol variant), the Civic is only 60kg heavier than the first Civic and that’s quite commendable when you factor in a stronger body structure, all the safety features, and the long equipment list – all of which are a must in cars of today.