2019 Honda Civic 1.5 Touring

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