Honda Civic VTi-L sedan 2012 review

Over the past few years Honda has lost its mojo. It axed sporty cars such as the Integra in 2006 and the S2000 in 2009, it quit Formula One in 2008 and when the GFC hit it canned the next NSX supercar and sat on its hands while other car companies forged ahead with research and development.

Honda has been left with a range of boring city cars and people movers with no more soul than a Camry hire car. But things are changing with the announcement of a return of the NSX, a spunky new British-made Civic hatch arriving in our showrooms now and rumours of a Type-R version down the track.

However, in its 40th year in Australia, the rather boring Civic sedan remains the Japanese manufacturer's top-selling vehicle.

Value

Explore the 2012 Honda Civic range

• Honda Civic Sport 2012 review
• Honda Civic Sport automatic 2012 review
• Honda Civic manual hatch 2012 review
• Honda Civic hatch 2012 review: road test
• Honda Civic VTi-L sedan 2012 review
• Honda Civic 2012 review
• Honda Civic hatch 2012 review
• Honda Civic VTi-L hatch 2012 review
• Honda Civic VTi-L 2012 review

In the lead-up to the launch of the attractively priced Civic hatch, Honda dropped its prices on the Thai-made sedan by several hundred dollars.

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins says the Civic hatch and sedan prices are the result of the strong Australian dollar and "an aggressive pricing strategy" and follows massive price reductions of up to $4300 on the Accord.

It comes in three variants - VTi-L, Sport and Hybrid. Build quality is excellent which is reflected in strong resale values, however servicing intervals are frequent and spare parts prices are high.

Technology

The VTi-L we drove features the 1.8-litre VTEC naturally aspirated engine, with better fuel economy thanks to the ECO Assist button which reduces air conditioning drain, changes the characteristics of the throttle and displays how economically you are driving.

But the fuel-saving auto stop-start function available in Euro models is not be coming to Australia to keep prices down. The engine has just 1kW more of power and the same amount of torque.

Technology inside is presented on two information screens and there is USB and iPod connectivity plus Bluetooth audio streaming in the VTi-L which works well.

Design

While the hatch is a sexy swimsuit model, the sedan is the dowdy cousin operating the lights for the catwalk. The "boomerang" shape of headlights and grille is a nice touch but the rest of the car is rather plain.

Inside Honda has tried a little too hard to look futuristic with its split-screen instruments. Unfortunately, when the steering wheel is in the right position for me, I can't see the speedo properly.

The cabin has a feeling of quality without being luxurious, but the cloth seat trim is very "hire car".

Safety

All Civics, except the four-star Hybrid, get a full complement of five ANCAP safety stars. Safety equipment includes six airbags, including full-length curtain airbags, stability control and rear parking sensors. Under the cargo floor is a temporary spare.

Driving

Comparing the Civic sedan to a Toyota Camry is not completely fair. The latest Camry is a vastly better car while the Civic has made only marginal improvements.

However, the two can be compared favourably in cabin noise. Both are eerily quiet and represent industry benchmarks. This makes for a relaxed and unhurried drive experience. Just as well because the engine isn't exactly fiery. Like most Honda engines it likes lots of revs and that's not possible with the automatic.

With the ECO Assist button deployed it's quite asthmatic. Even with the button switched off it struggles on hills thanks to low levels of torque. Steering is light enough for traffic duties yet stable on the highway, however it has a disengaged feeling. The pedals feel a bit mushy and soft, also with limited feel.

Suspension is compliant for a plush ride that doesn't give a lot of feedback when the car is pushed a little hard. Accommodation is comfortable all round for five adults and the seats are soft, but supportive, and adequate for long-haul duties.