The new, 11th-generation Honda Civic has been launched in SA. With a history spanning 50 years, the new model has a lot to live up to. We headed to Johannesburg to drive it.
Throughout the past 50 years, 10 generations of the Honda Civic have notched up more than 26 million sales in 170-plus countries. Those are some staggering figures for a single product. How many other nameplates that existed half a century ago are still around today? Suffice to say most of those products (Ford Mustang, Toyota Corolla and VW Kombi, to name just a few obvious ones), have achieved legendary status and Honda’s compact car is no exception.
What’s on offer?
This new 11th-generation Honda Civic arrives in Mzansi replete with a fresh look, a comprehensive list of standard features and a turbopetrol engine. Right now, there’s just a single derivative available – the Honda Civic 1.5T RS CVT, which is essentially a sportier version of the standard car – it will plug the gap until the mighty Civic Type R lands to take on the established hot hatch players such as the Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Golf GTI in the 1st quarter of 2023.
The model’s wheelbase has been extended by 35 mm (the overall length has gone up by 25 mm), the rear track widened by 12 mm and its overall height is lower. Honda has also focused on reducing the noise, vibration and harshness levels.
Just as the Civic’s platform is carried over (with revisions, mind you), the engine is an updated version of the outgoing model’s 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol mill. With peak outputs of 131 kW and 240 Nm (+4 kW and 20 Nm compared with the older-spec motor), it’s a far cry from the workmanlike naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre that does service in other recent Honda products, such as the new HR-V. The claimed fuel economy figure is 6.2 L/100 km.
Power is directed to the sedan’s front wheels via what Honda says is an updated version of its continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The new Honda Civic RS is assembled in Thailand.
We’ve already mentioned that the spec level of the new Civic is comprehensive and some of the luxuries are worth a quick mention; they include a 12-speaker Bose audio system, leather/suede heated seats, digital instrument cluster, wireless charging pad, sunroof and a raft of semi-autonomous driving tech. View the full specification here.
Inside, this new Civic RS feels considerably more upmarket than any of its predecessors. In fact, there’s enough “premiumness” to the fit-and-finish for us to call the newcomer an Accord-lite (it reminds us of the Civic’s discontinued – in South Africa – larger, D-segment sibling). The feature-packed Civic is certainly a rival to the Toyota Corolla, although it costs about R180k more than the latter’s 2.0 XR flagship derivative; to put the Japanese model in a better context in terms of its price positioning, in slots in between the 35TFSI S line and 40TFSI S line derivatives of the Audi A3 sedan range and is in the ballpark of the BMW 218i Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz A200 hatch Progressive.
Customers have five colours to choose from: platinum white, meteoroid grey, lunar silver, cherry red, and brilliant blue. The RS trim includes some subtle sporty touches such as a boot spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber, dual exhaust outlets, and gloss black wing-mirror caps.
The newcomer’s bigger than you think and photographs don’t quite do it justice. The white with black trim details is a great nod to JDM (Japanese domestic market) culture!
2022 Honda Civic RS Specs and Pricing
What’s it like to drive?
The route of our evaluation drive encompassed an assortment of roads, which gave us an opportunity to experience the Civic on good, to poor, surfaces. First impressions count for a lot, as they say, and before we even left the launch venue, we were suitably impressed with the Civic’s upmarket cabin. Not only does it look premium, its touch surfaces feel pleasant and substantial. There’s a great-looking honeycomb trim insert across the dashboard that’s understated and classy.
The well-calibrated transmission, aided by the sizeable wad of torque available from the 1.5-litre turbopetrol motor, demonstrates that the era of dull-to-drive CVTs is mercifully drawing to a close. Look, if you treat the Honda’s accelerator pedal like an on/off switch, you’ll get that dreaded “elastic band” feeling with an engine drone to match (the downside of a CVT). However, if you’re a bit more thoughtful and gently feed in the power, the driving experience improves markedly.
There are drive modes, such as Econ(omy), Normal and Sport, but the Civic does not need to be in Sport mode to perform eagerly. No more than a 66% application of the accelerator pedal will prompt the powertrain to deliver a solid “push in the back” without sounding too strained as the revs climb. Cleverly, in Sport mode, the CVT is mapped to simulate the way a conventional transmission shifts gears, which can be exploited by using the paddles located on the steering wheel.
Of course, the main benefit of a CVT is good fuel economy and we saw an indicated 8.9 L/100 km after some enthusiastic driving (mostly in Sport mode). To reiterate, the claimed consumption is 6.2 L/100 km, which is a tad ambitious, but we’re confident that an efficiency-minded driver would be able to get that figure to dip below 8 L/100 km by adopting a more measured driving style. It’s such a pity this powertrain couldn’t make its way into the HR-V…
The steering setup is on the lighter side and, when we drove the Civic enthusiastically, the tiller was not as precise as we hoped. But, given the model’s target market is commuters (as opposed to driving enthusiasts), it’s an appropriate setup.
Road noise from the Michelin 235/40 ZR18s was higher than expected, but the lovely Bose audio system drowned it out easily; we’ll wait for the Civic to make its way to us for a comprehensive assessment before passing a final judgement.
The Civic’s general ride quality is on the firm side of pliant, which is to be expected given the newcomer’s mildly-sporty designation. Interestingly, RS stands for Road Sailing (as opposed to Rennsport), which implies a balance between refinement and sportiness. Still, we’d say the Civic is more of a quiet, comfortable “cruiser” than a warm sports sedan… Less Nurburgring, more Drivetoworkburgring.
Interior space, meanwhile, is excellent, and the boot is capacious. In a quick sit-behind-yourself test, I was able to get my 1.91-metre frame into the rear passenger seat behind a driver’s seat that was set up for me – there was ample legroom, even if headroom was a bit cramped. Rear occupants are also availed USB ports to charge their electronic devices, which should please family-car buyers no end.
How much does the Honda Civic RS cost in SA?
Civic 1.5T RS CVT R669 000
The new Civic is sold with a 5-year/90 000 km service plan, 5-year/200 000 km warranty, and 3 years of roadside assistance. The service intervals are every 10 000 km or 12 months.
Summary
Honda has not exactly been flooding the new-vehicle market with a raft of new models and, other than the new Fit (previously known as the Jazz), the brand’s newer products have been good, but short of brilliant. The good news is that the new Civic brings some much-needed pizzazz to Honda South Africa’s line-up. Oh, and the brand-new Honda CR-V medium SUV will be introduced in the local market in the near future, which is something to look forward to.
This Civic is undoubtedly one of the better-to-drive products from the brand and its interior quality deserves commendation. It’s a foray into the luxury space and you could be forgiven for thinking this was the new Accord.
The proverbial elephant in the room is the 1.5T RS CVT’s pricing and, to the casual observer, R669 000 (Aug 2022) may seem quite expensive for “just a Civic”. However, the premium is understandable, to an extent… Honda SA doesn’t manufacture vehicles in our market and thus doesn’t benefit from earning customs duty rebates, which it could use to reduce the costs of bringing foreign-built products to market. Then there’s the exchange rate, which is not favourable.
One would think the Civic would go up against the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 (now available only in hatchback guise), but the highly-specced (and priced accordingly) Honda is more of an Audi A3 sedan rival, which is a tough match-up.
Should you buy one? In an era in which small crossovers are selling up a storm compared to the C- and D-segment hatchbacks/sedans, it’ll take a brave and determined soul to purchase the new Civic. However, those who do are likely to be satisfied with what’s a pleasantly surprising and accomplished offering from the Japanese marque.
