2016 Honda Civic Reviews, Pricing & Specs

In the past, the coolest Civics were restricted to Europe, where three-door hatchbacks have been practically modern art in the automotive world. The last few years of Civic styling in North America had been humdrum, even after Honda rushed to overhaul the car in 2013—just one year after the new 2012 car debuted—after unusually sharp criticism over its diminished interior materials and overall workmanship. The new Civic sedan is just over 7 centimetres longer, its wheels stretched 3 cm further apart, and those numbers are as dramatic as its silky silhouette. It appears to be a four-door hatchback in the vein of an Audi A7, yet there’s a regular trunk. Yes, the Civic can be compared to an Audi because it’s all dressed up and remarkably attractive, sort of like the quiet, skinny high-school classmate who’s suddenly hot, ripped, and making big money. Where did this come from?

In either sedan or coupe form, the Civic is sharp. Our top-level Honda Civic Touring sedan flashed chrome on the door handles and roofline, sported polished two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, lit up the road with full LED lighting (including those spacey taillamps), and generally aced the European sport sedan formula. Inside, the two-tiered instrument cluster has been axed for a cleaner, edgier pod of gauges. Soft-touch rubbers line the dash, no longer broken up into hard, brittle plastic parts prone to rattling. Enough hard plastic remains because the Civic starts under $20,000, but the clean-cut presentation of tight panel fits, contrast stitching, and aluminum-look trim makes this car feel expensive, which it isn’t. I usually surprise my father’s engineering colleagues by showing up to his office with exotic cars. What does it say when these same engineers want to see a new Civic?

Two new 4-cylinder engines replace the previous 1.8-litre engine. A 2.0-litre four with power specs of 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque is standard on the bottom three trims (DX, LX and EX for the sedan; all LX variants for the coupe). The next two trims (Honda Civic EX-T and Touring) get a turbocharged engine, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 174 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard on the DX and LX grades. All other Civic trims have a continuously variable transmission (CVT; optional on the Honda Civic LX) but no paddle shifters or manual mode. Like every mainstream compact sedan save for Subaru, a front-wheel drive (FWD) drivetrain is the only propulsion choice.

The 1.5-litre turbo delivers full torque from just 1,700 rpm, and power delivery is linear and strong for its size. A quick stab of the throttle can catch the turbo off guard, but after it spools up, the CVT keeps the engine revs down so the driver experiences a moving, swiftly accelerating vehicle, not a frenetic juice blender switched to max. Handling is on point, with direct, lightweight steering and a compliant suspension that’s well balanced between tempering body roll and allowing ample wheel travel. On back roads, the Civic felt alive and eager to play, the brake pedal again a master’s blend of smooth initial travel that transitions into a firm, progressive bite of all four discs. Enthusiasts will want to wait for the higher-revving, 200-plus horsepower Si to return or save up for the limited-edition Type R. As with its other competitors in the high $20,000 range, our Touring trim delivered a surprising silence on the road that made our weekend camping trip an absolute breeze. Natural Resources Canada rates the 1.5-litre turbo engine and CVT-equipped models at 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 5.5 on the highway, and 6.7 combined (the 2.0-litre gets a slightly higher 7.8/5.8/6.9 with the CVT and 8.8/5.9/7.5 with the manual). Over 500 kilometres, our fuel economy averaged close to 6.4 L/100 km.

Despite its sweptback profile, the Civic offers a generous backseat with enough headroom and legroom for 6-footers, no slouching required. New cars are all getting larger, so this Civic’s overall footprint is probably comparable to a Honda Accord from 10 or 15 years ago. Seat padding and back support are of no complaint, front seats or rear, and those in the rear seats can enjoy optional heating. The trunk opening’s tall height takes care of big suitcases and beer coolers. (The trunk offers 428 litres in all sedans except our Touring, which has a rear subwoofer that drops total capacity to 416 litres; coupes range from 343 to 337 litres.)

Simple, legible controls and instrumentation pervade the interior, except the HondaLink infotainment system manages some of the climate control functions. Radio knobs and hard buttons to switch between navigation, audio, and vehicle settings are also missing on the centre stack. A touch-sensitive portion to the left of the screen handles these tasks, but they wash out in sunlight and smudge with the rest of the screen. They provide no tactile feedback, either, which is a major oversight. Steering-wheel controls take much of this slack, but Honda could afford to stamp out a couple extra switches and buttons so the driver and passenger don’t need to second-guess themselves every time they want to lower the volume or adjust the fan direction of the air conditioning.

Cubbies and storage are abundant and well-placed, including a secondary tray hidden behind the centre stack and a central sliding armrest with a sliding coin tray. Visibility is also excellent thanks to thin pillars and a low beltline, something Honda absolutely nails in all of its sedans. You can use the standard backup camera, but unlike some cars, you won’t ever feel you need it. Lighting with our car’s bi-LED headlamps was the best we’ve seen in a small car and better even than many luxury cars costing twice as much that still come with halogens.

There are plenty of nerdy customization tricks inside the Civic’s Android-based infotainment system. Dig in, and you’ll find a second interface “skin” that completely changes the look into something resembling Windows 10, with reconfigurable, multiple-size tiles. Change the background image to display an animated black hole or your cute puppy? How about making the temperature readout automatically compensate a couple degrees to match your Weather Channel app? Turn off the tachometer? Needless to say, you can do all of these things in the Civic and way, way more if you wade through all the menus.

The touchscreen system itself is quick, and the Garmin navigation is even quicker, with single-string voice inputs for addresses, live traffic, and pinch-to-zoom capability. Some settings such as adjusting the stereo’s bass are too buried. And while our Civic was all about that bass, Honda put no thought into how the 450-watt 10-speaker stereo would actually sound. The subwoofer rattles the rear shelf and window glass like a cheap aftermarket unit because there’s no insulation fitted by the woofer (really, we couldn’t have just a little foam for $10?). Even with HD Radio, SiriusXM, Bluetooth streaming, and other app connectivity like Pandora, Aha, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, the stereo quality disappoints.

But the Civic’s electronics are mostly spot on. Honda’s LaneWatch system is so startlingly simple you’ll wonder why no other car manufacturer offers it. A camera mounted to the right side-view mirror displays the vehicle’s blind spot as a video feed whenever the driver activates the turn signal, and there are even lines denoting car lengths for safe passing. The Touring version’s digital instrument panel can be customized to show all types of scrolling information, such as phone, audio, trip, navigation, and other functions accessible directly from the steering wheel. The volume control clicks up and down but also offers swiping—a downward flick of your thumb mutes the stereo. This is simple, smart stuff.

On the Honda Civic Sedan, five trim levels (DX, LX, EX, EX-T, Touring) range from $16,155 to $27,155, not including a $1,595 destination charge. Our car carried that highest price. The Honda Civic Coupe (LX, EX-T, Touring) ranges from $19,455 to $27,555. If that sounds expensive, well, compact cars don’t cost $15,000 anymore. That’s what subcompact cars compete against, and the Civic is so much more refined and full of upscale features that its price is well-justified not just as a Honda, but among competition like the all-new Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra. (Don’t even bother with the Toyota Corolla—it feels ancient by comparison.) Honda’s hit most of our buttons with this Civic.

Note: Images show a US model.