Honda Civic 1.6 SEDAN i-VTEC Review: Latecomer to the party

What we like:

Honda dependability and sensibility

well-equipped

competent handling

smooth engine

well-damped ride

What we dislike:

Unimaginative styling

no major new feature or technology over the old model

Like its exterior, the new model’s cabin is an evolution of its predecessor’s, which means a two-tier layout for the instruments. The eye-level, upper binnacle displays an electronic speedometer and other vital information that the driver regularly needs while the lower one houses secondary instruments like the tachometer. The new instruments have been made clearer and more legible to read at a glance than the old model’s. A new addition is the i-MID Intelligent-Multi-Information five-inch colour LCD display next to the electronic speedometer. The screen displays a digital clock, trip computer readings, stereo settings and so on.

The driving position is highly adjustable and comfortable thanks to a height adjustable seat and a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel. The view out from the driver’s seat is improved over the old model thanks to slimmer A-pillars. The steering wheel is a nice, sporty three-spoke item with controls for the stereo and for the first time in an entry-level model, cruise control.

The new model’s better packaged interior also means that there’s no loss in rear accommodation when compared to the old car despite the 30mm shorter wheelbase. In fact, Honda claims that the new model offers marginally more knee room at the rear than in the old model thanks to a slightly lower floor.

Although most of the switches and controls feel robust and solid, some of the surfaces on the dashboard and centre console feel a tad harder to the touch than the old model’s. Everything feels superbly screwed together though, as we’ve come to expect in a Honda.

With the new Civic, Honda seemed to have taken the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach, concentrated instead on refining the Civic as a whole package and making it even easier to live with. With all the refinements in the new model, the Civic is undoubtedly the most painless-to-own small family saloon out there.

Credits: Story by Raymond Lai Photos by Yang and Raymond Lai