When taking your first drive of a new test car it’s always hard to try and put aside preconceived conceptions about what it might be like – this is especially true for us at Tartan Tarmac who are all fans of fun cars. If the test car isn’t the latest RS, Type R, GTI or AMG then it’s easy to just dismiss it as an A to B car and not something for ‘us’.
When stepping into an Honda Civic Tourer for the first time it’s easy to have these thoughts in your head until you notice how well bolstered the seats are and that there’s a button to change the suspension between “Comfort”, “Normal” and “Dynamic”. Maybe the engineers who created the S2000 and NSX are still hiding in the shadows at Honda and adding little bits of magic where they can?
For a company born through engineering excellence and forward thinking it feels like Honda have been off their game for a little while now. The Civic Type R is obviously the exception to this and I loved the uncompromising nature of it, the outlandish looks and the sheer performance, but it’s just not enough to lift the whole image of Honda. Does the Honda we know and love still exist?
The current Civic Tourer is still a futuristic looking machine, especially in EX-Plus trim with LED headlights, front fog lights and 17” wheels and I think it’s still managing to just be distinctive enough in a car park full of hatchbacks and small estate cars which are all getting very similar. However, the new ninth generation Civic is due out next year so if cutting edge looks are what you are after then this might be worth waiting for.
Stepping inside the car and you get a feeling of real solidity and that Honda have made everything to last the test of time. What they are missing out on is giving that glimpse of the future that they managed to deliver when going from the seventh to the eighth generation car. Compared to many of the cars I’ve tested recently it does feel a little bit dated inside and the tech feels like it’s been left behind ever so slightly.
Turn the key and you are greeted by the sound of Honda’s 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine. It’s not a particularly smooth sound, even by diesel standards, and the clatter is pretty loud on the outside. I get the feeling that Honda engineers would rather stick to making petrol engines as this is what they love – having made some of the best in the business.
On changing from the old 2.2l to the new 1.6 diesel unit Honda have managed to significantly increase the fuel economy of the car. Having been for a couple of 40 mile drives and a few local trips, the fuel gauge was still registering as full and I was starting to wonder whether it was broken. Even taking the Civic on to a country road and ringing out each gear like you’d never really do in a diesel, I still wasn’t seeing the instant MGP drop below 20. Although the engine was is from engaging, this is an impressive feat!
It was on these country roads that I tested the difference between comfort and dynamic on the suspension settings. The Sachs adaptive dampers (rear only) give the car great flexibility between being a motorway mile muncher and fast cross country machine. I really wasn’t expecting a blast over some twisty roads to be something the Civic was comfortable with but it really excelled here. Balance, grip and body roll were all very impressive and it inspired real confidence to push harder. This was also helped by the really excellent seats which hold you much better than I’ve seen of any other cars in this class.
Although the engine does let it down a bit, and I’d like to try the petrol unit, if you need a really sensible car for commuting duties but you want something you can hustle on country roads at the weekend then the Civic Tourer could really tick the boxes for you. I think Honda have done a good enough job here that they could stick in the Type R engine and make a competitor to the Golf R estate. Go on Honda, let’s relive the brand’s glory days and have a selection of performance cars.
CAR: Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC EX Plus Manual
PRICE: £36,200 (Price as tested £27,325)
ENGINE: 1.6 i-DTEC
POWER: 120PS
TORQUE: 300 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed unknown, 0-62mph 10.5 secs
ECONOMY: 72.4 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 103 g/km
TT Rating: 
