Honda has a hard-earned reputation for producing quality cars with a genuine sporting streak, but with the move to electrification, we have been curious to see if this blend of understated luxury and sporty driving would remain in the DNA.
Well, after a week with the new Civic e:HEV LX, we can comfortably report Honda has retained all of its core attributes, while adding electric drive to the combination.
So much so, it felt a lot like a return to the glorious driving experience that was the Accord Euro, still one of the best, most complete, all-round cars I have ever driven, which actually lived up to the advertising hype of the time.
While this is not Honda's first hybrid model, it does bring the latest in electric drive technology, and is a solid pointer for Honda's preferred application of electric power in hybrid configurations.
As in so many things automotive, while they may all be chasing the same ultimate outcome, it is interesting to see how different manufacturers approach the question, in this case, the integration of electric and mechanical powertrains.
Making use of some super-smart electronic controllers, Honda has achieved a hybrid powertrain that offers seamless transitions between internal combustion and electric power sources for a comfortable driving experience.
The hybrid uses a 2-litre Atkinson Cycle four cylinder petrol engine, which essentially differs from a 'standard' four-stroke engine in holding the intake valves open for a longer period, while this reduces the total charge volume, the longer power stroke provides a more efficient 'burn' of the fuel mix.
While this is a very simplified description, and the mechanics among us will likely be going red in the face at the dumbing down of the technicalities, the end result is a more efficient combustion, although there is a loss of low-down power, making it good for high rpm applications, as well as hybrid drive.
This is because modern powertrain controllers can switch between initial electric drive and then introduce the ICE output as required, and continue to blend the two modes as the car drives on.
The end result is a combined peak power of 135 kilowatts, and 315 Newton-metres of torque, which makes for an enjoyable driving experience, with seamless joining of the two power sources.
While Honda's motorsports efforts are currently directed elsewhere, this is the methodology applied to the Hypercar class contesting the World Endurance Championship for sports cars, and I think this is the most likely future for hybrid powertrains, as manufacturers strive for alternatives to traditional, stand-alone, internal combustion engines.
The Dynamic Dynamo
So, back to the Civic...what does it mean, in real world terms?
Simple really, while the hybrid lacks the wail of the Type R, and other awesome sounding Honda engines of years gone by, for day-to-day driving, it delivers seemingly limitless acceleration, the harder you push the throttle, the faster you go.
That doesn't mean the noise is gone altogether, it is still there, providing a slightly deeper voice to the soundtrack, but like its high-rpm kin, never sounds harsh or unpleasant, regardless of the engine speed.
While there is a note of restraint as the revs build, perhaps a couple of octaves lower, it is there, a reassuring note to confirm that you are building up a head of steam, matched by a growing push into the seats from the acceleration.
For EV novices, this is usually the start of a steep learning curve, where you begin to understand just how quickly this little car can hitch up its skirts and disappear down the road.
The e:HEV doesn't try to pretend it is an outright performance car, instead, it is a pocket-sized luxury car, offering plenty of creature comforts to keep its occupants cosseted away from the outside world, that just happens to be able to cruise comfortably at well in excess of the posted speed limits of Australia.
Again, this is another of the cultural shifts assailing 'traditional' motoring - small cars are not luxury cars, that is the preserve of land barges greater than 4.5 metres in length, anything smaller is just a 'pretender', the 'a big country needs a big car' mentality, a relative of the 'bigger is better' mindset.
That was fine when Australia was a car manufacturing nation that specialised in good quality (tending towards better in the final years of domestic manufacture) big cars, where small cars were deemed incapable of dealing with the harsh conditions of Australian motoring.
In truth, that was more of an indictment on the quality of local roads, and the inability, mixed with unwillingness, of various levels of government to actually build a decent road network, a condition that still exists, and shows no sign of abating in the foreseeable future.
Put all of that to one side, and the shift in buying habits of the last 20 years or more clearly demonstrated that given the choice between maxi-sized sedans and wagons and small to medium hatches and SUVs, there was a definite shift away from big cars.
And this is where Honda shines, making a fleet of small to medium cars that meet customer demand, offering everything from the budget, entry level car through to a premium car like the e:HEV LX.
I have heard some question why anyone would buy a $55,000 small car, surely they would want something more substantial for their spend? The LX is a perfect argument for a high-end small car, it offers the same level of comfort as a more expensive larger car, but with the convenience of a compact package.
It is a great solution for someone living in the southeast corner, who travels between Logan, Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast, with the occasional trip 'west' to Toowoomba or up to Noosa.
The relatively small battery provides sufficient charge to run the car for around 30 kilometres on electric drive alone, depending on speed and the driver's enthusiasm with the right foot, without any form of recharging, before the ICE comes on line.
Add to this the benefit of regenerative braking, and that 30 kilometres can easily grow to 40 or more kilometres, especially if it is that bane of southeast Queensland driving, stop-start traffic.
EV drivers are usually easy to spot in traffic, they are the ones looking calm and relaxed as the cars around them go through the choreographed routines of accelerate, coast, STOP, with nary a sideways glance at the rollercoaster ride of fuel pricing.
Regenerative braking - again, this is the dumbed-down, understandable by journalists version - is where the electric motors are 'reversed', so they become generators whenever the car is either coasting or braking, harvesting electricity from the vehicle's kinetic energy.
While this is not quite enough to fully recharge the car's batteries, unless you are on a really long, steep, downhill run - think at least twice the height of Tamborine Mountain - it does just keep trickling enough power in to add a few more kilometres here and there, all without running the petrol engine.
Sidebar, Your Worship, please - do not make the mistake of accusing me of being an 'apologist' for EV, I am not, I will cheerfully point out any objective shortcomings, I have in the past and I will in the future, but I will equally point out the benefits of the system, objectively, not subjectively, and certainly not in a hysterical, 'EV is EVil' voice that some like to use.
Ok, back to the story...
So, having established that the HEV is comfortable running in stop-start traffic, where it does offer the benefit of significantly reduced petrol consumption, we now come to the next plus side for hybrid drive - the long road trip.
Once again, taking advantage of the super-smart powertrain controllers that handle the switching between the ICE and electric drive, Honda has set EV as the default system, meaning that where possible, the electric motor does most of the work, with the petrol engine cutting in when the battery system is depleted, with output split between driving the car and recharging the system, or as a power assist for maximum acceleration.
A key benefit of the EV system is noise, or the lack of it, which is handy if you are heading out early, or creeping up on unsuspecting pedestrians too engrossed in their mobile device to look for moving vehicles...(cue evil laugh...)
With barely the swish of tyres over the pavement, the Civic is a real stealth fighter, it just glides over the road, the only sound is the whine of the power generation when you are coasting, it is quite fun, sealed in your own world, with no outward sign of progress...
Standing On The Outside
Hatchback design has a history of being very hit and miss, it can either be a boxy, chunky thing, as though it is trying to impersonate a station wagon, or vice versa, the now-extinct Holden Commodore Sports Wagon springs to mind, or it can be a slinky, lowline, stealth bomber, creeping along, as though it is trying to run under the radar.
Or, it can be like the Civic, a mostly-usable design offering good interior space, with compact exterior dimensions, making it easy to live with in modern urban settings, where building design seems to focus on squeezing more into less, particularly when it comes to car parks.
The frontal aspect looks like a dentist's dream, with a protruding lower bumper, combined with a castellated grille intake to create what looks like a whale-inspired front, sure to be a hit with the kids!
The overall design follows the popular 'long nose/short tail' look used by a number of manufacturers, although Honda has gone for a lower roof line on the Civic, to make it more streamlined, rather than the upright look used in other cars.
While there were some complaints from Gigantor, the teenage son who was on occasion banished to the rear seat, that it made him feel a little cramped, budget-sized humans didn't seem to mind too much.
The only time it really became an issue was if you wanted to load large objects, boxes or luggage, especially square-sided items, the sloping rear did reduce the available space in the cargo area, even with the seats laid flat.
The upside of the short rear overhang was eliminating the risk of backing into bollards or similar in tight spaces, generally you would hit a stopper with the wheels before you hit something solid, this, combined with an effective rear view camera and door mirrors with a good field of view, provided a pretty clear picture of where you are backing into.
The Civic wears a surprisingly comfortable 235/40R18 tyre, surprising because normally any sidewall of 40% or less of the tread width - the '40' in the tyre size - makes the tyre so rigid that even the smallest corrugation in the road surface is transmitted into the cabin.
Instead, there is enough compression in the suspension to absorb these impacts, rather than shaking the occupants out of their seats, while the more aggressive tyre size allows the car to be driven more aggressively into corners, without the car heeling over on the more flexible sidewalls of taller tyre sizes.
The alloy rims are a rather attractive five spoke design, finished in polished chrome, also offering a good view of the Civic's aggressively sized four-wheel-discs, making a definite statement of the car's stopping ability, while looking good.
Not surprisingly, the Civic has outstanding panel fit and finish, this is another Honda hallmark, the build quality has been of consistently high standard for decades, contributing to Honda vehicles offering good resale values, even beyond five years old.
Combine this with a quality, lustrous paint finish, and it is clear to see why Civics remain popular many years after they first drove out of the showrooms.
The Inside Story
Honda has put many years into perfecting chassis design and balance, while the ultimate expression of this is the NSX supercar, in truth every production model benefits from this work.
The best way to think of it is to compare Honda to the Bavarian powerhouse of BMW, renowned for their ability to build stylish, comfortable and fast touring and sports cars, combining performance with a ride that is supple, taut without feeling like a rolling pogo stick, cosseting, but not a wallowing marshmallow.
While they have never said it in those words, this is very much the Honda ethos, a luxury car with the ride of a sporting one, capable of covering long distances in comfort, while not shying away from a twisty road.
This is definitely an area where the Civic LX shines, the luxury fit out provides plenty of creature comforts, while the inherently sporting nature of the Civic's underpinnings allow it to cope with a variety of road types without shaking the occupants out of their seats.
As bigger person, over 185cm tall, with a build to match, my only real complaint about the Civic is the seats could be more accommodating of the large-framed person, particularly the length of the seat base.
Again, regular readers will know of my campaign for larger seat bases, or at least extendable versions, as a means of combating driver fatigue on long road trips.
For those new to my rants, a significant cause of 'hidden' driver fatigue is small seat bases that do not provide support for the legs more than halfway down the driver's legs, because you unconsciously use your trunk muscles, stomach and back especially, to hold your legs up.
So, back to the Civic, yes, the seats are well made, and do offer excellent support to the upper body, the driving position is otherwise excellent, it is easy to establish a comfortable relationship between your arms and the steering wheel, and the pedals allow for knees to be braced against the door and centre console for extra bracing and control when needed.
But, finishing short of the mid-thigh point on the base, I did find myself needing to put some effort into stopping my legs sagging on longer drives.
The seat coverings are described as 'leather appointed', which is car company speak for a mix of leather and suede, while that can sometimes be code for cost-cutting, in the Civic, it means the areas more likely to wear faster - the outer edges of the seat cushions and seat back, are leather, while the contact patches, where you sit, are suede.
These cushions are not just comfortable to sit on, with firm, but not solid, foam, the perforated suede 'breathes', so you don't find yourself getting hot and uncomfortable on long drives.
Add in seat heating and the seats proved to be generally above average - yes, I would like longer bases - and a nice space to spend a couple of hours.
Best of all, the driver's seat is an eight-way, power adjustable unit, allowing you to find the best compromise position, it gives plenty of choice to find a comfortable position, and can be adjusted on the move, as required.
The front passenger also gets the power treatment, but with only four-way adjustability, however the short time I spent in the navigator's chair I found it comfortable, and I had no problem finding a favourite position.
The other piece in the comfort and control puzzle is the steering wheel, and Honda does not disappoint in this regard, providing a chunky, without being unmanageable by those with little hands, leather wrapped, medium-sized wheel that is just nice to get your hands around.
Adding a heating function is a nice touch, there were a couple of early starts that made you appreciate the warmth radiating out through the main contact patches, without scorching your palms once the heat was cranking.
Being in the luxury end of town, Honda has dug deep into the parts bin on this one, and come with an interior that is a balance of sportiness, with red stitching on the seat facings, steering wheel and gear selector boot, and the 'throwback' honeycomb facing on the dash with easy-to-use stubby directional stalks for the dash vents, as well as a suitably hi-tech central control panel and LED instrument cluster for the driver.
Where most cars use a section of vinyl trims, both padded and unpadded, for the hard surfaces like dash top and door trims, Honda has added a long-life cloth trim on the door panels where occupants come in contact, just one of many little 'human engineering' touches that prevail throughout the car.
Most visible of the high tech inclusions is the 10.2" central screen for the AudioVisual and Information displays. Being old enough to recall when the 'spare' TV in the house was a 14" unit, having a screen that big in the car is still something that makes you go wow...
Thanks to the brilliance of LED technology, the display is crisp and clear, easy to read, and visible to all and sundry, so perhaps don't have it rigged to show any personal details, it is easily seen from outside the car as well.
Being a fan of the fruit company, the first thing I do is connect CarPlay, I am told the Android Auto option plays just as well, but I will take other people's word on that one...
For those who prefer other options, the screen works well with the AM/FM/DAB options, as well as BlueTooth audio, navigation and vehicle informatics functionality, including detailed fuel and driveline reports.
The driver gets a dedicated 4.2" LCD display, handling the data necessary for running the car, although thanks to the miracle of modern design and technology, gone is the need for 30 dials and readouts to keep track of what is happening in the car.
In addition to the preset screen options, Civic drivers have the option of programming the display to their own preference, as part of the 'Individual' drive mode option where you can set your own vehicle responses, to suit your driving style and traffic conditions.
Night vision is assisted by an ambient white light, which can be dimmed to ease eyestrain and also lower the amount of reflection in the windows from the displays, just making for a more relaxed, driver-focused experience.
Driving Ambition
While fit and finish are important, at the end of the day, cars are built to be driven, and that is where the Civic really shows what it can do, and how well it can do it.
Like most hybrid cars, starting the Civic is a little bit of an eerie experience, you get in, close the door with a reassuringly solid 'thunk', put your foot on the brake pedal, push the Start button and...apparently, nothing happens.
In fact, a whole lot happens, it is just done at a level of silence that would make the average nuclear submarine commander jealous.
The dash lights up, going through the usual self-diagnosis of modern cars, and gradually the lights wink out, as each section passes muster and the car is declared 'Ready'.
It is just the petrol motor has yet to start, although it is primed and ready for when the car's electronic brain sends out a call to arms.
Instead, you select the preferred gear, after putting your seatbelt on!, and push the accelerator, which prompts the car to start moving, and all you hear, aside from your favourite in-car entertainment, is the low rumble of the tyres rolling down the road.
With a full battery charge, the Civic is good for around 15-20 kilometres of electric-only driving, although this depends on a number of factors, including demand from ancillaries like seat warmers, air-conditioning and other goodies, which may require some support from the internal combustion engine (ICE).
If you have driven a Honda previously, especially Civics and Accords from the 2000-2010 period, you will be completely at ease in the new Civic.
While there are virtually no similarities in the cars, other than being front engine/front wheel drive, there is a core 'Honda-ness' about them that is clearly part of the latest Civic range.
This is one of those conversations where, if you know, you know.
It is all about the feel and feedback the car offers, a certain weightiness to the steering, revealing how much the engineers put into providing the driver with a precise sense of knowing exactly where the fronts are pointed, combined with a suite of sensory inputs from the pedals, the steering wheel and even the driver's seat, that combine to form a three-dimensional image of what is happening around the car.
Other factors include using the weight of the hybrid storage batteries to anchor the car, helping to push it into the road, while there is less weight than a pure EV, it counterbalances the petrol engine, which nestles neatly between the shock towers, with virtually no front axle overhang.
The end result is a car that contains the bulk of its mass within the wheelbase, and relatively close to the ground, allowing you to place the car exactly where you want it on the road, ideal for having a play on a twisty piece of road without feeling like you have run a marathon after just a few kilometres of spirited driving.
More importantly it does all this without needing rock-hard racetrack suspension, yes, the Civic has its limits, but the majority of drivers will run out of talent long before the car runs out of grip, so that the car will feel composed and balanced for most owners, and more importantly, it will inspire confidence.
As previously discussed, I am a larger than average person, who requires a bit more head, leg and shoulder room than short drivers, and despite being at best a 'small-medium' car, the Civic is a little TARDIS-like, feeling larger on the inside than the exterior dimensions suggest possible.
This becomes important when it comes to being able to control the Civic, you can relax and enjoy the drive, without intruding into the space of those around you.
While there are no gears to shift, you can get a little 'arms and elbows' in your driving, and not give your significant other an uppercut halfway through an 'S' bend, allowing you to enjoy the feeling of connection with the road.
For some, this is a downside to EVs and hybrids, they claim a loss of integration in the driving experience, however my own take is that you just modify your fun to suit the experience, in this case, it is more like driving it like a go-kart, using a bit of left-foot braking to maximise the result.
With a capped power output, just like in racing cars, the Civic is a lot of fun, you can just hold your foot flat and always have access to maximum power, it is just that the car decides what proportion is ICE and what is electric.
The other big advantage of hybrid is the braking ability, which far exceeds anything an equivalent ICE vehicle can provide, courtesy of the regenerative braking system.
Not only do you have the ability to dive deeper into corners than most people thought possible, but there is a degree of satisfaction in watching the stored energy increase as you wash off speed, ready to help launch you out of the next corner.
In truth, there is not a lot of downside to driving the Civic, it is a pleasant, well-mannered car that delivers everything it promises.
While it can be pushed hard, it is a Honda, after all, and it rewards the driver's inputs, the LX is, at its core, a luxury car, which is designed to whisk its occupants along in relaxed and comfortable surroundings, and it it does this very well.
Everything is where you expect it to be, and can be operated with a minimum of fuss, and delivers the experience you were expecting.
But, just like Hondas of days gone by, there is a nice touch of driver-focused technology, all aimed at making the car a joy to drive.
Among the many features is a 100-degree front camera, which Honda says can capture smaller targets even more efficiently than the previous radar units, an impressive achievement, given Honda was one of the pioneers of automotive radar technology in the early 2000s.
The central processor uses the camera's rolling feed to build a pictographic display for the driver in the dash display, giving an overview of what is happening around the car, including other vehicles and cyclists, all relative to the Civic's position on the road.
While nothing replaces driver attentiveness, this allows the driver to 'see' something they may have missed, like a car changing lanes in a blind spot, so they can perform an extra check to make sure there is no risk evolving they are not aware of.
Parking was an easy enough task, even reversing into modern shopping centre 'mini spaces' was a simple task I found the Civic an easy car to adapt to, within a day or so I was completely comfortable with what was happening around me, and didn't have too many dramas looking for the minor switchgear, often a bugbear when swapping between cars on a regular basis, everything was pretty much where I expected it to be.
In Conclusion
If I sound like I am impressed, I am. Driving a wide selection of cars every year, I am exposed to a lot of different approaches to the same problem, and I am generally very happy with how Honda do things, compared to some other companies.
This is not a bias, or free advertising, just recognition of how much work they put into their cars, and how it makes them a nice place to be.
No, they are not the cheapest car on the market, but they don't claim that position either, they build cars that clearly resonate with the buying public, and which are also recognised as being of above-average design and engineering.
As I said previously, just because it is not a 5 metre plus land barge does not stop the Civic from being classed as luxury, being a small car does not condemn it to being a budget buy, it is luxury in a compact package.
Would I own one? Probably not, because it is not the car I need. But if my needs change, so that I am looking for a small, easy to manage, efficient town car that can deal with day or weekend trips into 'the country', then it would definitely be on my short list.
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