HEELS ON WHEELS: 2017 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK REVIEW

HEELS ON WHEELS
By Katrina Ramser
San Francisco Bureau
The Auto Channel

INTRO TO THE CIVIC VEHICLE
The Honda Civic elevates your typical compact, with the all-new athletic hatchback version seemingly offering everything including an outstanding price and highly responsive turbocharged engines.

I drove a 2017 Honda Civic hatchback with the 180-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired to a 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic hatch is offered in five trims – the base Sport, EX, EX-L Navi, and Sport Touring. My Civic Sport trim featured the following standards: cloth upholstery; leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter; 5-inch color touchscreen with rearview camera; Bluetooth connectivity; driver’s seat height adjustment; Eco Assist with Econ button; four-speaker audio system; tailgate spoiler; fog lights; dual exhaust; aero kit; and eighteen-inch alloy wheels. Price as described came to $21,300.

Restyled just last model year, Civic hatchback competitors with similar value and style include the Mazda3, Chevrolet Cruz hatchback, VW Golf and Subaru Impreza.

HEELS ON WHEELS REVIEW CRITERIA

Stylish But Comfortable Results: An unbeatable choice in terms of style, both inside and out, and done well at my step-up-from-base trim (Sport) without the need for more options – unless you really want some of the better features like the Honda satellite-Linked Navigation with Voice Recognition, Honda Sensing safety technology, and a seven-inch touchscreen display (personally I think you can do without the power seating and leather upholstery which isn’t that impressive). Although Honda offers a pretty straightforward connectivity system that has improved over the years – and stays up-to-date with Apple CarPlay and Google Android Audio – the system is slow and the graphics cannot compete the vividness from Kia and Ford. Plus, their no-knob volume system can be aggravating. The Civic offers more room as the body is three inches longer and two inches wider, and for something on the sportier side, to was easy to maneuver in and out of the vehicle driver and passengers. The hatch features a very wide opening.

Reliability & Safety Factor: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback ratings of “Good” in all crash-test areas, making it a Top Safety Pick. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awards the sedan with an overall score of 5-Stars. Standard safety equipment includes Vehicle Stability Assist, anti-lock brakes; Electronic Brake Distribution, and a rearview camera. The Honda Sensing Package (Collision Mitigation Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning) is available on the Sport Touring trim.

Cost Issues: A base LX starts at $19,700 with such standard features as the 174-horsepower 1.5-liter engine and multi-angle rearview camera with the 5-inch display being the main headliners. The Sport Touring reaches $28,300. A base Mazda3 iSport hatchback starts at $20,145 with a recent fully loaded Grand Touring and options at $27,730.

Activity & Performance Ability: The Civic hatch puts on a great road show – precise acceleration, fine-tuned steering, responsive brakes. Additional equipment includes a rear multi-link suspension and front MacPherson strut suspension. Fuel economy is still a major ability of the Civic at 30-city and 39-highway for a combined 33 miles-per-gallon. If you’re really looking to rip up the road, the popular Si version gets turbocharged power and the Type R can deliver a whopping 306 horsepower.

The Green Concern: My Honda Civic hatchback that outputs a bit more turbocharged horsepower through the 1.5-liter has a fuel economy of 30-city and 39-highway for a combined 33. The Mazda3’s 2.5-liter engine retains 25-city and 33-highway for a combined 28 miles-per-gallon (also available for the Mazda3 is an optional "i-ELOOP" system that captures and redistributes braking energy turning fuel economy to as high as 29-city and 40-highway for 33 mile-per-gallon combined).

FINAL PARTING WORDS
To stylish to be an average compact, the 2017 Honda Civic gives buyers a road-worthy hatchback experience at an excellent price. I recommend going with my modest Sport trim – a step up from base – that gains you the 180-horsepower 1.5-liter, underbody spoilers and 18-inch alloy wheels for a touch over $20k.

More Unbiased "Tell not Sell" Independent Honda Vehicle Research Information Than Anywhere!