More bark than bite: The Honda Civic Sport
When Honda announced that the updated Civic has arrived in South Africa, the Autodealer team was keen to get behind the wheel and find out what it is all about.
Soon enough we had our hands on the key of a Honda Civic Sport finished in Aegean blue.
At first glance
The Honda Civic Sport will certainly appeal to the younger generation with more aggressive lines and styling cues. The first noticeable change, upfront, is the redesigned front grille, garnished with black details instead of the chrome found on the Comfort, Elegance and Executive derivatives. Viewed from the side, the new 17-inch alloy wheels finished in Berlina Black was another stand-out feature for me. Remaining true to its sporty nature, the Sport derivative comes fitted with a boot spoiler at the rear.
While the interior in most remains the same, it has new finishes applied. One of the main improvements on the interior comes in the form of soundproofing, with extra insulation around the doors and underbody coverings.
The drive
The new Civic range comes with two engines to choose from, a 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol producing 104 kW and 174 N.m and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged, petrol motor which produces 127 kW and 220 Nm of torque. The Sport derivative comes fitted with the latter and is mated to a CVT transmission which sends the power to the front wheels in a seamless fashion.
While the powertrain provides enough pick up and go for aggressive driving it is no S2000, however, the engine works extremely well under daily conditions and returned with combined fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km. The interior of the Civic Sport comes fitted with dual front, side and curtain airbags for safety while the 7.0-inch infotainment screen provided a clear image of the reverse camera.
Verdict
The Honda Civic Sport provided for an entertaining and comfortable drive with ample space for kids and enough tech to keep your passengers occupied on long trips. If I had to nitpick, I did not like the hard buttons on the steering wheel but after some time spent behind the wheel, I did get used to it. All in all the Civic Sport is a good value proposition although could face stiff competition from the likes of Mazda with its Mazda3 sedan in Astina guise.
Warranty
The Honda Civic Sport comes with a 5-year/200 000 km warranty and a 5-year/90 000 km service plan, as well as three years of AA Roadside Assistance.
Price
Honda Civic sedan 1.5T Sport – R 484 200
