Long-term report: Our Honda Civic leaves a positive lasting impression

At the start of my time with the Honda Civic, I wanted to answer ‘Is it as good as I think it is?’.

By this I mean, I’d previously only had brief stints in the Civic and come away impressed, but would it prove quite so appealing over several months and thousands of miles? The short answer is yes it absolutely would.

I’ve been able to run a number of cars from various manufacturers, but I think I can say with relative certainty that the Civic is my favourite. It’s one of those cars that is just able to get on with the job at hand and does little to irritate or annoy.

It might not have touchscreens all over the place or the largest digital instrument cluster, but it’s this more ‘traditional’ feel that I think is why the Civic excels so much.

In my time with RF22 TGY, I was always surprised I didn’t see any other new-shape Civics. But, like other manufacturers, Honda has been restrained by supply issues, meaning it could only sell a small number.

In fact, to make sure that customers didn’t face ridiculously long waits, Honda UK closed orders for a time, though the firm has recently started accepting them once again. Since ‘my’ Civic went back, I’ve started to notice a few more on the road as well, which always makes me feel happy as I just think ‘What a great car you’ve bought’.

I’ve been a little unconvinced by some hybrid powertrains in the past, often finding them a bit jerky and not as efficient as you’d hope. But the Civic’s ‘e:HEV’ system is without doubt one of the best I’ve tried. It’s smooth, offers plentiful power and is able to drive as an ‘EV’ for the majority of the time.

In my time with the Civic, I averaged 48mpg, and though that might not sound all that impressive, it’s worth noting that I had roof bars on for most of the time (which hit efficiency), while most of my driving was on the motorway. Not the sort of driving that typically suits a hybrid. Around town, it’s quite achievable to get 60mpg upwards if you’re careful.

Things I didn’t like? Well, considering after 4,000 miles I can struggle to come up with even three things, it’s quite impressive. Perhaps the thing I thought could do with improvement is the safety assists.

Though all new Civics get loads of equipment, such as lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring, I found the systems to not be quite as good as those of other manufacturers – such as Volkswagen and Volvo. The adaptive cruise control could be a bit jerky, while the lane keep assist is overly keen. The latter trait is by no means unique to Honda, though.

The Civic also has quite a small petrol tank at 40 litres. It meant having to fill up more often than I expected, though I rarely had to spend more than £50 at the pump. This is another thing that’s quite common with hybrids, often to help save weight.

But other than that, the Civic is pretty hard to fault. I’ve recently had a go in Honda’s new ZR-V – essentially a Nissan Qashqai-rivalling SUV that is based on the Civic, and uses the same powertrain. While impressive in isolation, I couldn’t help but wonder what it offered over the Civic, which is around £6,000 cheaper for a like-for-like model. It was a view shared by many on the event, too.

So yes, the Civic is every bit as impressive as I initially thought. It’s a terrific family hatchback and is without doubt one of the best cars on sale today. Buy one while you can!