Honda Civic e:HEV – Back to Basics

Honda Civic e:HEV Elegance

€35,680

With a starting price of almost 36 mille, the new Civic is not a bargain in an absolute sense, but compared to its predecessor it is not even very much. It was in the order books as a hatchback at the end for at least €33,120, but in that case you got a 129 hp 1.0 three-cylinder under the hood. With the new Civic, you can only opt for the 184 hp hybrid e:HEV powertrain in our country for the time being. This sprints the Civic to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds, the top speed is 180 km/h. According to Honda, a practical consumption of around 1 in 20 should be possible, but that has yet to be tested in practice.

Honda offers the Civic in three versions: Elegance, Sport and Advance. The Sport is on the price list for €37,390, as Advance the Civic costs at least €41,055.

Fog lights betray slip-on

The basic version of the Honda Civic is mainly recognizable by the lack of fog lamps in the front bumper. The two more expensive variants do have that extra lighting. You can also see from the wheels that you are dealing with the loafer. As an Elegance, the Civic is on 17-inch light-alloy wheels, while 18-inch is the norm for the other trim levels. Honda offers a choice of five different exterior colors for the Civic, of which the ‘Sonic Gray Pearl’ shown is the standard color. For each of the four other paint colors you have to put €700 on the table.

Honda Civic

From the outside, the new Civic as Elegance does not look like a slip-on. For example, LED headlights and taillights are standard, as are tinted glass for the rear side windows and rear window. Front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are also always included, as are electrically folding and heated door mirrors and a light and rain sensor. When unlocking the car, you can leave the key in your pocket, because the Elegance already has Keyless Entry. Convenience serves people.

It can be anything…

… as long as the fabric cover is black. Inside the Civic Elegance, Honda offers no choice when it comes to the decoration of the interior. The furniture is upholstered in black fabric and the center console has an aluminum look. The driver faces a set of instruments with a digital 7-inch display and an analog speedometer. The 9-inch Honda Connect touchscreen that towers centrally above the dashboard can work with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, while Apple CarPlay is also suitable for wireless use. Two USB connections and one 12V connection are located under the climate control panel for charging electrical devices.

Honda Civic

Speaking of climate control: it is already divided into two zones as standard. Seat heating is also present on the Elegance. Furthermore, the Civic has a multifunctional leather steering wheel with buttons for the multimedia system and cruise control, which is also adaptive and has a traffic jam assistant. Other standard safety systems, which Honda bundles under the name ‘Honda Sensing’, include traffic sign recognition, emergency braking assistance, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning and a blind spot assistant.

Is it worth paying extra?

By default, the Civic is already pretty good in its stuff. Is it worth upgrading to the Sport or Advance? That depends a bit on what you’re looking for. The Sport, as the name suggests, gives the Civic a sportier look with things like black 18-inch wheels, black window surrounds and black side mirrors. Front fog lamps, a wireless phone charger, half-leather upholstery and stainless steel sports pedals are also included with the Sport. The Advance is the most luxurious version with leather upholstery, a panoramic roof, a Bose audio system with 12 speakers, adaptive LED headlights, a 10.2-inch digital instrumentation, heated steering wheel and electrically adjustable front seats.