Honda Civic review - decent looks but it's no Type-R - Performance and 0-60 time
Honda’s edgy looking Civic brings plenty of style, backed up by substance.
Performance and 0-60mph time
No screamers if you ignore the Type R, though the mainstream engine choices are competitive with their intended competition. The range starts with a 1.4 i-VTEC with 98bhp, that reaching 62mph in 13.4 seconds. Unsurprisingly that’s the slowest in the line-up, the rest of the range all largely clustered around the 10-second mark for the 0-62mph time and topping out at around 130mph (the 1.4 only managing 116mph).
That 1.4-litre engine needs working fairly hard to produce its best, though at least it remains smooth and decently refined when pushing it on. If you want a petrol Civic then the 1.8-litre’s the better choice; again it's smooth and willing, but delivers so much more - shaving nearly four seconds off that 1.4’s 0-62mph time thanks not just to its greater power, but also its sizeable torque advantage. Unsurprisingly, given its load-lugging role the Tourer isn’t offered with the 1.4-litre unit, and 0-62mph times trail the hatchback's by tenths against the stopwatch, but not so much you’d really notice it on the road.
The real star in the range though is the 1.6 i-DTEC engine, Honda’s engineers not liking how conventional diesels produce their power and creating a turbodiesel that’s more petrol-like to drive than its rivals. The usual advantage of a considerable torque boost over its petrol alternatives remain, while it’s uncharacteristically willing to rev - and quiet, too. The sub-100g/km emissions figure means it dodges road tax as well, while economy of between 76.3- and 78.5mpg on the combined cycle impresses, too.
