Honda Civic

Compared to the previous-generation version, the current Civic has a simpler-looking layout for the cabin, with it being offered with a blacked-out theme as standard. The RS and eHEV RS variants further have a sporty touch in the form of contrast red highlights on the dashboard and contrast stitching for the partial leather upholstery offered in them.

Behind the three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, that gets silver accents at the bottom, the Honda Civic has a modern full-TFT instrument console as standard – a 10.25-inch screen in eHEV RS variant and 7-inch screen in the others. A 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits at the top of the centre console as a floating unit, with a stretched rectangular bar running across the dashboard’s width accommodating the sleek AC vents.

The controls for the automatic climate control and USB Type-C ports are placed in the lower centre console, with the Civic also getting an electronic parking brake switch, drive mode controller, cup holders and transmission lever in the lower centre console. The Civic also comes with the practicality of the 60:40 split folding rear seats.

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Premium-looking leather black and red upholstery in the AV variant

Con: Outdated dashboard layout 

Features and Technology

For its category, the Honda Civic comes packed with a host of modern safety features, and has a levelled-up equipment list than the previous-generation model. All four variants of the Honda Civic come packed with features like remote engine start, walk-away auto door lock, smart keyless entry with push start-stop button, cruise control, ECON button, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, leather steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, and steering-mounted audio and Bluetooth controls.

From the V variant onwards, features like a drive mode controller, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, leather upholstery and 8-way powered driver’s seat are available in the Honda Civic. Features like front footlight, front door ambient light, sport pedals and wireless charger are available in the RS and eHEV RS variants, while key card, dual-zone automatic climate control and active noise control with active sound control are available exclusively in the eHEV RS variant.

All the variants of the Honda Civic also come with a full-TFT instrument console (7-inch screen in E, V and RS variants and 10.25-inch screen in eHEV RS variant), a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and four USB Type-C charging ports (two at the front and two at the rear). While the E variant has a 4-speaker audio system, the other three variants have a more premium 8-speaker audio system. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Several comfort and convenience features are offered as standard 

Con: No ventilated front seats in any variant

Boot Space and Storage

Honda offers a staggering boot space of 497 litres in the new Civic, which makes it one of the largest boot compartments among the compact and mid-size executive sedan category. Apart from that, the Civic also has a host of small storage spaces in the cabin, including the cup holders in the lower front centre console and rear centre armrest, a small storage space beneath the front centre armrest, a closed and spacious glovebox, and bottle holders in all four door panels.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Huge boot space

Con: Nothing much actually

The eleventh-generation Honda Civic looks much subtler than the aggressive and sportier-looking previous-generation model. There is a sense of sophistication in the overall design language of the Civic, with the model now having sleek lines and angular elements all around, without looking overly aggressive.

The front profile of the Civic now gets a slimmer trapezoidal grille with honeycomb inserts, flanked with sleek and angular auto LED headlamps and inverted L-shaped LED DRLs over them. The Civic also gets a simple-looking large air dam in the middle of the front bumper, and slim air vents on the corners. 

Coming to the side profile, the Honda Civic has body-coloured door handles and 16-inch alloys in the E variant, half chrome door handles and 17-inch alloys in the V variant, black door handles and 18-inch alloys in the RS variant and black half chrome door handles and 18-inch alloys in eHEV RS variant. While the E and V variants have body-coloured rearview mirrors, the RS and eHEV RS variants have the same mirrors in a blacked-out theme.

At the back, the Honda Civic has sleek-looking LED combination tail lamps, with the sedan available with a trunk spoiler and chrome tail pipes in RS and eHEV RS variants. Also, while the E and V variants have a body-coloured shark fin antenna, the RS and eHEV RS variants have blacked-out shark fin antenna. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Aerodynamic and sleek design

Cons: No fog lamps

Both the engine options of the Honda Civic are pretty efficient in their way. The E and V variants of the Civic deliver 16.7 kmpl fuel efficiency, while the RS variant claims 15.9 kmpl from the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The eHEV RS variant is the most fuel-efficient version of the Honda Civic, claiming a staggering fuel efficiency of 25 kmpl. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Impressive fuel efficiency on both city and highways

Con: Nothing much actually

Honda has retained the Macpherson struts at the front and multi-link setup at the rear from the previous-generation model, for this new-generation Civic. Like the Civics of before, this new-generation model also has a comfortable ride quality, with a sporty touch to it around the corners. The same goes for the steering setup too, which is lightweight in lower city speeds and weighs on perfectly as the speeds rise. However, the turning radius could have been lesser. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Good ride quality and handling

Con: Large turning radius 

The E, V and RS variants of the Honda Civic have a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine under their hood, which is paired with a CVT gearbox as standard. This engine produces a maximum power output of 182 PS and a maximum torque output of 240 Nm. With this engine, the Civic claims 8.3 seconds in the E, 8.4 seconds in the V, and 8.5 seconds in the RS variant for the 0-100 kmph run, with the top speed capped at 200 kmph.

The eHEV RS variant of the Honda Civic gets a sophisticated hybrid powertrain, which is a combination of a 2.0-litre petrol engine, an electric motor, and a lithium-ion battery. While the engine produces 143 PS of power and 189 Nm of torque, the motor generates 184 PS of power and 315 Nm of torque. This powertrain is paired with an e-CVT and takes 7.9 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run while having a top speed of 180 kmph. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Peppy and sophisticated engine choices 

Con: Transmission choices (both CVT and e-CVT) feel lazy at times

Honda has equipped the Civic with a lot of safety features, many of which are standard from the base-spec E variant itself. Features like six airbags, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, auto door lock, vehicle stability assist, agile handling assist, ABS with EBD and brake assist, auto brake hold, electronic parking brake, emergency stop signal, front and rear parking sensors, multi-angle reverse camera, Honda Connect telematics and driver attention monitor are offered as standard.

Honda also offers its Sensing suite of ADAS features as standard in all the variants of Civic, which includes systems like lane departure warning, road departure mitigation system, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking system, auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, low-speed fellow and lead car departure notification system. Except for the base-spec E variant, the remaining variants of Civic also get a LaneWatch camera. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Standard safety features, including all of ADAS features

Con: No 360-degree parking camera

Competitor Comparison

The only two direct rivals of the Honda Civic in the Malaysian car market are the Toyota Corolla and Peugeot 408, both of which are premium executive sedans offering similar levels of luxury and tech.

Conclusion and Final Verdict

Compared to the previous-generation Civic, the new eleventh-generation Honda Civic is less dramatic to look at, with its sleek design inside-out giving it an all-new personality of a more mature sedan. This maturity is also reflected in its performance and driving dynamics, with the Civic offering more composure in its ride quality and handling. The tech on offer, especially in the eHEV RS variant, also feels expensive and new-age.