Honda's newest Civic gets sharp styling, sharper handling, and two new engines, including a first-ever turbo for North Americais. It's the best Civic yet
Collingwood, Ont. – I remember when Honda brought out the new, ninth-generation Civic for 2012. The company said it was “completely redesigned,” but I had a hard time telling it apart from the one it replaced.
That Civic retained its bestseller status, but given its lacklustre makeover and how good its competitors were getting, it was hard to see why. And so I have to give Honda credit for honesty at the launch of the 10th-generation 2016 Civic. At most of these events, the automakers go on and on about how they’re building on a car that was already top of its class.
But this time, Honda’s reps admitted that the company lost its way with the last Civic, concentrating solely on chasing Toyota’s Corolla instead of moving ahead. And so it went back to the beginning, putting together a truly all-new model that’s now the best mainstream compact sedan I’ve driven in a very long time.
(Disclosure: Accommodation, meals, and a pre-set driving route were provided to the writer by the automaker.)
As usually happens with makeovers, it’s longer and wider than its predecessor, but lower overall. Despite that swoopier C-pillar, rear headroom remains the same as before, and the cabin’s overall volume increases. There’s also more high-strength steel in the body, so the curb weight drops by 28 kilograms (current LX to previous LX), but the body is stiffer.
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