2009 Honda Civic reviews

Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC Si 2009

You won’t find civic pride in our town centres these days, with litter adorning the pavements and our once prestigious municipal buildings left to go to seed, as they are turned into drinking dens for the ’alco-pop’ generation. But you will find civic pride in the driveways of the fortunate owners of Hondas superb hatchback. Some would be tempted to call this cars design ’futuristic’ but the wonderful thing is that it belongs, not to the future, but to the ’here and now’. Unlike many of its ’wannabe’ rivals, it is a true precision instrument tailored for the needs of today’s sensible, but enterprising, motorist. VW’s Golf might be the benchmark ingot of ’Tiger Tank’ solidity but the Honda Civic is the benchmark for chronometric standards of engineering. The owner/driver knows he can depend upon Hondas established reputation, which is second to none. A dreamlike combination of style, performance, comfort, reliability and definite class is available for a price that’s great value at £17,559. Surely this is too good to be true. Well, it almost has you rubbing your eyes in disbelief. How do they do it when you consider that low a spec. Ford Focus costs more than this Honda. It is said that the Japanese habit is to ’hint’ at things rather than being too explicit, so let me lay it on the line. This car, for what it is, for what it does, for what it costs and for what it gives its owner in terms of pride of ownership, is as good as it gets. It might not get you from A to B as fast as a Bullet Train but you’re guaranteed to arrive at your destination with a minimum of strain. In its understated and stylish way, this machine is a veritable temple to technology - a dynamic demonstration of all that is best in the progressive world. The build quality is of the highest order and the equipment list is lengthy - and on this Si spec. car you get climate control, an excellent audio system, half-leather upholstery and, of course, power windows. You even get a refrigerated glove box for storing your chocolate in the summers that we never have. Needless to say, it’s a very practical and flexible five-door hatchback. Hondas respect and consideration for its customers is evident down to the smallest detail. While most of the niceties of design are tucked away in the internal mechanicals, one cannot help but be aware of them every time one switches on the ignition. Beyond the attractive surface lines of this machine and the ergonomically perfect and attractively different interior, there is the beauty and poetry of refined mechanical and technological excellence. A near perfect position was easy for me to tailor on the comfortable and supportive seats, setting the mood for particularly relaxed driving. The 140PS 1.8litre VTEC engine is a jewel to enjoy, revving sweetly and smoothly to take you to speeds up to nearly 130mph - yet at the same time just sipping fuel. I easily achieved an overall 45mpg, which is in stark contrast to the pathetic showings of some ’superminis’ I could name. There’s the finest ’snickety snick’ six speed gearbox in the business, transmitting drive to the front wheels; so piloting the Civic is delightful - whether you’re subsonic or supersonic. It drives so nicely, majoring on that hard to achieve, ideal balance between ride comfort and pin sharp handling. Labour intensive twisty roads that can make a chap perspire in other vehicles become a delight to traverse in the Civic. Poised like a Sadlers Wells artiste, the fluency and composure are so reassuring that one is tempted to be bold. This is just the sort of car that bureaucrats in the bowels of the Ministry for Perpetual Misery would tax out of existence, despite its clean breathing exhaust and super safety gear - not only that, but my test car came in inflammatory Terrorist Red. For Home Counties purchasers, in the past, the hallmark of a cars reliability was the extent to which one could depend upon it for a trip to Scotland. With the Civic one feels that a thousand John O’Groats trips a day for a hundred years wouldn’t be out of the question before one would even begin to hear a squeak of complaint. Sweet as silk, keen as a blade and smooth as cream - Honda just seem to keep pouring it on: and I have to say, ’I like it’. If only the Community Charge could be such good value for money, we might then see the rebirth of those ’Civic’ values we all aspire to, but which are only attainable these days to the fortunate buyers of the exceptional all-rounder that is the Honda Civic. Driving one of these cars is to feel reassured that your needs are being conscientiously attended to, that your individuality is recognised and that you’re afforded due respect for your good sense is seeking such a car in the first place. And all for a price that’s guaranteed not to raise any complaints.