Honda Civic gets a racy mid-life revamp

HONDA has been involved on and off with Formula One racing for the past 50 years as an entrant, constructor and engine supplier, with varying success. This year, the Japanese company is back in F1 having re-established their links with McLaren, for whom they are now supplying engines.

I mention this because the Honda Civic, which I drove last week, has got a mid-life revamp and I think it wouldn’t look out of place on any racing track. I drove a dark blue Si version and it looked really impressive. It certainly attracted the attention of boy racers as they gathered in my local McDonald’s car park to compare cars. I reckon they were impressed.

The front, which has a nice touch of black, has an all-new look to it, with new bumper, lights, grille and bonnet. The daytime running lights are now integrated into the main headlamp unit.

The Si version is positioned between the Sport and Executive and bridges the gap to the new Type R, which is coming soon. Externally, the car looks great and I suppose you could say that by keeping the interior mainly black, Honda retained the sporty feel. But I thought the black interior roof line was a bit too dark. However, I love the design on the dash where you get a glass section under the windscreen which clearly displays what speed you are travelling at, temperature etc.

At first glance you would think it’s only a two-door car as the back door handles are hidden, which adds to the sporty look. Inside the radio controls were tilted slightly towards the driver, but I didn’t find them very user friendly and I depended mostly on the slave controls on the steering wheel to work the radio. There is now an App for Internet Radio, but I’m not really into apps and like to scroll or scan for something different as I travel around.

The 1.6-litre diesel engine with 160 brake horse power had plenty of

‘poke’ and fuel consumption wasn’t too heavy. Another new innovation available in the Civic is

‘City Brake’, which means the car will stop automatically if a person walks out in front of you in a city street or a car pulls out, provided you are not doing more than 32 km/h.

The only problem I ever have with the Civic is the rear window, which is split in two because of the rear spoiler. However, the top part of the rear window does have a wiper and the lower section has a demister.

The boot is massive, but no spare wheel, not even a

‘mini’ one and there is certainly enough room in the second level of the boot for one. So if you are buying new, just haggle with the dealer if, like most other people, you don’t like repair kits.

The Civic is Honda’s best-selling car in Ireland and the good news for its fans is that entry level prices have not increased. Prices start at

?¬21,895 for the 1.4 petrol and the 1.5 diesel version I drove will cost you

?¬27,795. Road tax is only

?¬180 and the PCP offer is

?¬290 per month.