Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Honda Civic VTi-L 2012 Review

The VTI-L is a big vehicle for a small car with plenty of room for mature adults.

Inoffensive. In a word. The Civic used to be such a fun, sporty little car but who's hiding it and when can we get it back?

Honda is doing a great job out of Toyotaring Toyota, with a car that does everything extremely well but is almost totally devoid of character. This one on the other hand feels like it is targeted at retirees (not a bad thing considering this is a growing market).

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Prices for the VTi-L start at $20,990 plus on road costs. The auto adds $2300 bringing the total to $23,290. But the Sport at $27,990 is another $4700 but includes the auto. The extra dosh buys you a sunroof, leather upholstery, fog lights and 17 inch alloys. Standard features in both models include Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.

TECHNOLOGY

Even though the VTi-L has a smaller engine than the Sport, it goes nearly as well and is not disappointing. The VTi-L model’s 1.8-litre SOHC four-cylinder petrol engine with 16 valves and a dual-stage intake manifold is a refined version of the previous engine.

The engine produces almost identical figures to last year's model at 104kW of power and 174Nm of torque. It's hooked up to either a five-speed manual or five-speed adaptive auto with steering wheel mounted paddle shifts. The Sport in comparison produces 114kW/190Nm seems hardly worth the effort.

The new engine has extensive changes that reduce friction, improve emissions and increase fuel economy. The changes have reduced fuel consumption from 7.2 litres/100km to 6.7 litres. During our test program the car returned a figure of 7.4 litres/100km which shows it is more than achievable. CO2 emissions are slightly down too at 158g/km (previously 164g).

SAFETY

Gets a full five stars for safety. A long list of standard safety equipment including front, side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes and next-generation Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA).

DRIVING

The VTI-L is a big vehicle for a small car with plenty of room for mature adults. It’s easy to get in and out of and easy to drive and park. The Motion-Adaptive Electric Power Steering (EPS) improves steering response at low speeds. I like the big centrally located digital speedometer which makes it easy to tell exactly how fast you're going at a glance. But I don't like the space saver spare, even though there's room for one in the biggish boot.

The VTI-L is extremely smooth and quiet inside and zips through traffic with consummate ease. It lacks the low down torque of the Sport with its larger 2.0-litre engine but there is very little difference in the way they drive once it's up and running. With the ECON economy option activated, throttle response is more gradual, shift pattern is reconfigured in the auto and climate control operation is altered. It certainly saves fuel but throttle response is sluggish.

VERDICT

After driving the two Civic sedans back to back I've come to the same conclusion as last time. And that is, forget the Sport, save your money and stick with this the entry level VTi-L model.

2012 Honda Civic VTI-L

Price: from $20,990
Warranty: Three years/100,000 km
Engine: 1.8-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 104kW/174Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body: 4540mm (L); 1755mm (W), 1435mm (H)
Weight: 1180kg
Thirst: 6.8 L/100km, 161 g/km CO2

Pricing guides

$13,990
Based on 121 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$7,990
Highest Price
$16,999

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
VTi 1.8L, ULP, 5 SP MAN $6,160 – 8,690 2012 Honda Civic 2012 VTi Pricing and Specs
Type R 2.0L, PULP, 6 SP MAN $15,400 – 19,800 2012 Honda Civic 2012 Type R Pricing and Specs
VTi-L 1.8L, ULP, 5 SP MAN $7,810 – 11,000 2012 Honda Civic 2012 VTi-L Pricing and Specs
Sport 2.0L, ULP, 5 SP AUTO $8,800 – 12,430 2012 Honda Civic 2012 Sport Pricing and Specs
Chris Riley
Contributing Journalist

Share

Pricing Guide

$7,990

Lowest price, based on 111 car listings in the last 6 months

View cars for sale
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.