THE AUTO PAGE
By
John Heilig
- MODEL: 2019 Honda Civic 1.5 Touring
- ENGINE: 1.5-liter turbocharged 4
- TRANSMISSION: CVT with paddle shifters
- HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 174 hp @ 6,000 rpm/162 lb.-ft. @ 1,700-5,500 rpm
- WHEELBASE: 106.3 in.
- LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 182.7 x 70.9 x 55.7 in.
- TIRES: P235/40R18
- CARGO CAPACITY: 14.7 cu. ft.
- ECONOMY: 30 mpg city/38 mpg highway/20.0 mpg test
- FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 12.4 gal.
- CURB WEIGHT: 2,963 lbs.
- TOWING CAPACITY: Not recommended
- COMPETITIVE CLASS: Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla
- STICKER: $28,220 (includes $920 destination)
- BOTTOM LINE: The Honda Civic is a very nice compact car, but it doesn’t have any “wow” factors to elevate it from being ho-hum.
The Honda Civic is, and
always has been, a very nice compact car, even though the EPA classifies it as
a mid-size. It has many interesting features, and some questionable ones.
Among the latter there is
the absence of a blind spot monitor, something I consider essential in any size
vehicle. There’s absolutely nothing on the left to tell you what may be
approaching. On the right, a camera located under the exterior rear view mirror
picks up what’s there when you turn the signal on, and projects the image on
the infotainment screen. It’s a clear view in daylight, but essentially useless
at night.
Civic is a light car (2,963
lbs.), so therefore the 174 horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged four offers
enough power for merging into traffic and maintaining speed. Economy, however,
was not so good. It’s listed at 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 33 overall.
Granted, we didn’t accumulate many highway miles that might have contributed to
better mileage, but we barely touched 20 mpg on our test in economy mode. The
CVT transmission is smooth
Economy is taken seriously
at Honda. For example, there’s a bar across the top of the instrument panel
that is white, but it turns green when you’re driving economically. Adaptive
cruise control is a nice feature in an economy car.
The instrument panel is
clear with a large digital speedometer surrounded by a 180-degree tachometer. I
found it easy to read.
The infotainment screen is
clear with the usual options.
Ride comfort is very good
for a small car. Front seats are comfortable with some side support. Both the
driver and passenger have power assisted seat controls (8-way for the driver,
4-way for the passenger), and both are heated. Rear seat legroom is good,and
the rear seats are heated as well. However, every time I tried to get into the
rear seat I banged by head on the door opening. Fortunately, I drove the Civic
from the front seat. Four assist handles aid in entry and egress, and there is
room for water bottles in all four doors.
There’s a sliding cover on
the center console/arm rest that is good for comfort, but it obscures one of
the cupholders when it’s in the forward position.
Overall, the Honda Civic is
a nice package for a compact car. Sadly, there are no features that stand the
Civic apart from the crowd.
(c) 2019 The Auto Page Syndicate
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