If you're one of those people who catches themselves muttering about cars looking the same these days, you clearly haven't studied the Honda Civic very closely.
We would argue it looks like no other car that's ever existed, let alone any other current family car. Whether you approve of its looks or not is another question entirely, and it's not one for us to answer here. After all, we're in the business of dealing with the objective facts, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Sticking with those facts, the Honda Civic has been a fixture on Britain’s roads for as long as the Volkswagen Golf, which means it has a greater heritage than many of its rivals – the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia are mere youngsters in comparison.
We’re focusing on the regular hatchback version with a choice of 1.0- or 1.5-litre petrol engines, but don’t forget that Honda also makes the stunningly quick 316bhp 2.0-litre Civic Type R that crowns the range (if that sounds more appealing, you can read our full separate report on it here).
Read on through this suitably thorough Honda Civic review to find out whether the latest version deserves be at the top of your list if you're considering buying a family car, and how it compares with the key rivals we mentioned above. We’ll tell you how it drives, how much space there is inside and which engine and trim choices we think make the most sense.
If at the end you decide that the Civic ticks all the right boxes for you – or, indeed, you decide to buy another vehicle of any make and model – we can help you save thousands of pounds simply by using the free What Car? New Car Buying service. You'll find plenty of great Honda Civic deals with no awkward haggling.
We reckon the 124bhp 1.0 VTEC Turbo petrol engine is all you really need in the Honda Civic. It delivers perfectly acceptable acceleration for town and motorway driving (officially the 0-62mph dash is ticked off in a reasonable 10.5sec) and it's just as perky as its chief rivals, including the Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI 110.
Naturally, with 180bhp, the 1.5 VTEC Turbo is even quicker (0-62mph takes 8.2sec) and it has more low-down shove. However, it's available only in the Sport trim and doesn’t actually feel dramatically quicker on the road until you really rev it out.
All Civic engines come with a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional CVT automatic. See our separate Honda Civic Type R review for details of the hot-hatch variant.
The Civic doesn't ride as smoothly as the Volkswagen Golf (but few cars do), yet it's pretty comfortable by family car class standards. Lower trim levels with the standard suspension deliver a generally more settled ride than the Ford Focus and manage potholes without any of the thumping that can blight some versions of the Skoda Octavia. Still, it's best to resist the temptation to upgrade to the optional larger alloy wheels if you want the smoothest passage through town or countryside.
EX and EX Sport Line trims ride on an adaptive suspension system, which you can stiffen and soften at the touch of a button. The softer setting is just dandy, but the firmer mode is certainly more for agility than suppleness. We don't recommend you stretch yourself financially just to get the adaptive suspension because the standard set-up is fine.