2018 Honda Civic Sedan Specs, Safety, Engine, Test Review

Honda is a famous manufacturer for not wanting to give up the aspirated engines. But the pressure of pollutant emissions and downsizing has also made the Japanese bend the genus in front of the turbo. This is how the 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engine, the only engine currently available on the Civic Sedan.

It does not have much higher spin speeds, as it does in aspirators, but the engine is extremely fluid. It offers the machine a cursive, long-distance car. Everything is natural since you turned the key in contact without any drama. The engine has enough power resources, delivering 182 bhp at 6,000 rpm and a torque of 220 Nm at 1,700 rpm.

The Civic Sedan can be selected with a six-speed manual gearbox or automatic CVT transmission with seven simulated pseudo-stages to satisfy those who feel the need to change gears with the steering wheel dampers.

But the CVT box does its best if you leave it alone. You have a choice between Drive and Sport, the character of the car changing radically between the two lever positions. But it’s one of the best continuous variation boxes I’ve ever met. Yes, it has the same annoying habit of keeping constant speed when we accelerate heavily, but it is less intrusive than ever and even contributes to the serenity of the 1.5-liter turbo engine.

Honda does not yet offer diesel engines for the new Civic. And probably will not. The official figure for the 1.5 Turbo engine consumption is 5.8 liters / 100 km. And this consumption puts the Honda Civic Sedan in a good position on the market, being the most powerful compact sedan available.

Competition does not come close to this power figure, and in terms of consumption, the new Ford Focus is doing better with a similar engine, but only 150 hp, 5.5 l / 100 km. At the same time, the Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI 150 hp consumes an average of 5.1 liters / 100 km.

In real life, the Honda Civic 1.5 Turbo 182 hp consumes 6.9 liters / 100 km on the stretched road, and in summer traffic in Bucharest, the onboard computer has a consumption of 8.5 liters / 100 km.

Due to the fact that Honda offers the most powerful gasoline engine in this segment, it is also the absolute leader of the category, with an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 200 km / h. As we have seen above, the only models with similar relative powers are the Ford Focus Sedan 150 hp and the Volkswagen Jetta 150 hp. Focus needs 8.9 seconds for the sprint to one hundred and 8.6 seconds for the Jetta.

The Mazda offers a 165 hp petrol engine for its compact Mazda3 model, but it is only available on the hatchback version. On the Mazda3 Sedan, the most powerful gasoline version has 120 hp. There are also gasoline-powered berlin in the Toyota and Hyundai offer, where Corolla and Elantra have 1.6-liter engines delivering 132 hp. The acceleration time to 100 km / h is over 11 seconds.

Opel still has the Astra Sedan 1.4 turbo 140 hp model, but it is based on the previous generation. And the Renault Megane Sedan can be equipped with a maximum of 1.2 CVe of 130 hp.

The interior of the new Civic Sedan is similar to that offered by the hatchback. With a set of digital dashboards, but illuminated differently, and a central console dominated by a generous touch display with modern graphics.

The interior is better structured than the previous generation, and the more logical board thought. But we have a number of materials that do not honor Honda, which has accustomed us to quality interiors. The model we tested came in equipping Elegance, an intermediate level. Some of the interior elements, the armrest and the door faces were covered with a poor quality textile fabric which obviously will get dirty over time. So is the transparent plastic used for the buttons on the steering wheel. Although Honda tried to get a modern look, the feel and look of these buttons is inexpensive.

Otherwise, if you go over these perceived quality aspects, the Civic Sedan is a spacious car with enough room for five passengers. The luggage compartment, which can only be opened from the inside or from the key, offers a 519-liter capacity, enough for any family. However, some normal items are missing, such as hooks for hanging a shopping bag or an inside handle to lock the luggage compartment. It should also be noted that the Civic Sedan does not have a spare wheel, but just a pen repair kit.

Honda has never had low prices, and the new Civic Sedan is no exception. But it has the strength to be the most powerful gasoline sedan in this class, except for the Skoda Octavia, which technically is a notchback, that is, a sedan hatch.

With no direct opponent on this beach, Honda has set a starting price of 20,800 euros. The model tested by us, the Honda Civic CVT Sedan in Elegance equipment costs 24,300 euros, and the top Executive CVT model costs 27,500 euros (VAT included).

The only competitor that has a similar price is the Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI 150 hp with DSG7 transmission in Highline equipment with 23,700 euros. The rest of the competition has prices varying around 20,000 Euros and below depending on engine power.

EuroNCAP tested the hatchback version of the Civic and the results were not to the liking of the Japanese. With a four-star overall rating, Civic is still working on this. The degree of protection of adult passengers is 92% higher, but the infant is only 67%. Problems go from the curtain airbag, which does not protect a child’s head in the event of a side impact.

Civic Sedan Civic Sedan is complete with six airbags and an automatic warning and braking system in case of an imminent impact.

Civic Sedan is an excellent cruiser. Silent and very fluid, it’s a great car to go for long distances. He feels best on the highway, but he is not ashamed even on the turned roads. The 182 hp is a power reserve that the Sedan does not make clear unless we select the CVT gearbox mode. With vigorous acceleration, we can leave behind the traffic or we can overcome it without emotion.

The suspension is silent and well tuned for comfort, but some bumps can take it out of its area of ​​excellence. Such as tramlines.

The Honda Civic Sedan has grown in size and this also helps with visibility. The steering position is good and provides an overview of the surrounding traffic. As usual, the left pillar may have a look at the left corners, but nothing out of the ordinary.

For narrower maneuvers, a set of parking sensors and a camcorder allow for trouble-free parking, given the large gauge of the new model.

As usual, the Honda models are well-equipped, but offer little flexibility in terms of additional options. You have to choose one of the three levels of equipment and you can set up just the color, the rims and a limited number of packages.

Honda does not rely on technology. The list of standard features is long since the basic model, especially the safety equipment. We have an automatic warning and braking system in case of imminent impact, as well as pedestrian detection. The list is complemented by the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Active Direction Adjustment, Adaptive Cruise Control and Circulation Recognition System.

At the multimedia chapter, Civic Sedan has on board the Honda Connect system with a 7-inch touchscreen and Garmin navigation system. In addition, Honda offers in standard and compatibility Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The audio system has eight speakers and front passengers have two USB sockets and an HDMI input.

The design of the new Civic has raised some controversy. It’s an aggressive look that does not please everyone, but the fact that there are more and more Civic in traffic makes us believe that the world started to like it. 

The sedan takes on the same theme, even if tamed sometimes, and reinterprets the rear to fit the classic luggage compartment. For many, the Civic Sedan looks better like the hatachback because it has a more “good” air. But it still attracts a lot of traffic.