New Honda Civic 1.8 ES i-VTEC Review

Overall Rating

Interior space / layout.
engaging drive.

Firm ride (bad point for some, not for me).
Rear visibility.

I've had by 1.8 EX for just over 2 weeks now and can say with my hand on my heart "What A Car".

Although some people have a problem with the exterior styling (namely the back end takes a bit of getting used too) I find the styling spot on. Honda have really grabbed the bull by the horns on this one! The front styling is great, although I do have some concerns as to the clear plastic front - how bad will this look after it's been stone chipped? I guess only time will tell. I have taken the option of the 18in alloy wheels, £850 gets you an extra inch and this could be one of the reasons for the firm ride. The car does fill you with confidence whilst being driven. It's cornering abilities are awesome, it sticks to the road at whatever speed you choose to take the corner at (those Yokohama tyres must have been dipped in super glue). It begs to have the throttle stamped on and is extremely rewarding to drive when you do so. 0-60 is achieved in about 8.5 seconds and yet when driven "sensibly" will reward you with about 40mpg. I have read in reviews that they think the car is noisy at motorway speeds, yes you can hear a bit of road noise but they make it sound like it's deafening, it isn't. I can only assume they have all been driving £50k BMWs for too long 

Now for the interior! I don't think there is much more I can say about it that hasn't already been said. It's a work of art! The dashboard wraps around the driver and although there are an array of buttons, everything is easy to use. The voice activated sat nav, stereo and Bluetooth phone all work well and again are straight forward to master. The stereo system (upgraded mine to concert - bass works) is phenomenal.
The seats are extremely comfortable and the "magic" one touch operation to lower or lift the rear seats is the best thing since sliced bread. Rear visibility isn't great for parking but I have taken the parking sensors option and that eliminates the problem.

I have had a few cars in my time (although it's the first Honda I have owned) - If you want a car that's rewarding to drive and will put a smile on your face , you can't go wrong with this!

Members' Comments onSteve Fernandes's Review

• Darwen on 27th Mar 2006

  Your 18'' alloys aren't giving you the hard ride. The car gives a hard ride anyway. But it still is the fastest car I've driven in its class (when it comes to cornering). And I love mine. Glad to hear you love yours too.