Honda Civic E:HEV Advance (2023) Review

AS the keys are exchanged the collection driver of the ridiculously expensive 4x4 bourgeois-mobile sneers at this week’s test car.

“I see you are coming down in the world,” he scoffs. “No, not really,” I reply, because the new Honda Civic is a class act.

In fact it’s everything the big car isn’t and this very moment helps me distil exactly what I want in a vehicle – and what I don’t.

New Civic is sleek and smart, aerodynamic and sporty. Can’t say any of that about the Dutch barn I’ve just been driving.

It will fit in the carriageway, go down narrow country lanes and will round bends with the tenacity and grace of an F1 racecar. You can park it without needing two bays or a kerbside gap the length of the A1 and its steering and handling are so sharp you could use them to shave the legs of an Olympic cyclist.

It also goes and stops extraordinarily well; the 2.0 petrol hybrid is whisper quiet and extremely brisk. But stick it in ‘sport’ and it revs like a British Tour Car and the automatic gearbox changes in the blink of an eye. It will stop too, unlike the barge from which I have recently alighted.

Civic is stupendous on long tiring commutes, which somehow seem shorter and no longer fatigue the driver. In fact at journey’s end it leaves you wanting for more.

It may lie in a conventional class of also-ran hatchbacks but the amiable Honda is so much more than that – it’s pure driving pleasure with amazing dynamics that go way beyond its practical packaging.

The interior is perfect for me and my demographic. The interior is an exercise in simplicity. There is a touchscreen but it only handles the extras – the infotainment, the excellent music system, the satnav. Generally you don’t need to tinker while you are on the move so you can concentrate on your driving.

For me I need to be able to connect my phone – easily done on the new Civic. I need to be able to tune and save my favourite radio stations; again a doddle. I need to get comfortable quickly; electrically adjustable sports seating takes care of that. I like to have a warm bum in the winter; there’s the switch on the dash, with the choice of three heat settings. And warm hands too would be cool; the button for the heated steering wheel is actually on the wheel – well that makes sense.

Some days I may feel sporty, while others I like to go eco. No problem with the Honda, there’s a toggle switch on the transmission tunnel which swaps between settings.

And I get sick of visiting the pumps, but that isn’t a problem either as 50+mpg is easily achievable, more if you become obsessed, like me, with getting the hybrid to run on EV rather than its petrol engine.

‘Advance’ specification adds to an already comprehensive list and includes aluminium coloured headlight extensions, adaptive driving beam, synthetic leather seats, a glass panoramic roof, 10.2 inch multi info display with premium BOSE audio and 12 speakers and 18-inch two tone black and diamond cut alloys.

New Civic wants for nothing. It looks great, drives brilliantly well and accommodates perfectly passengers and luggage. The model has always shone in the sector but the new one is definitely the finest yet, in fact, I would say it’s one of the best cars I have driven in recent times.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Honda. My very first motorbike was a Honda, so was the second and the third. They are just so easy to live with, which is more than can be said of the big off-roader which was almost four times the price. Coming down in the world? Not if you actually enjoy driving.

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