Honda Civic

Can the Civic match the high expectations awaiting its return?

- Simran Rastogi

This is a good move. The Civic is, and has been, Honda’s best-selling car worldwide, over more years than you have fingers. We got the eighthgeneration FD in 2006 and when Honda decided not to give India the next one in 2011, and the years subsequently till now, it’s only built up the anticipation for this one, the tenth-generation Civic. At last year’s Auto Expo, where we saw it (albeit the pre-facelift model) in the flesh for the first time, we were told it’s all-new from the ground up, on a new chassis, bigger than ever before, and available with a diesel for the first time. All new, except the carried forward 1.8-litre petrol under the hood. But that may not be as big a deal as you think, because...

It looks fantastic

If you think the new Civic looks amazing in pictures, wait till you see one on the road. The new one is substantially longer, wider, and most importantly, lower than the previous gen, thanks to the switch to Honda’s new Compact Global platform. The Civic certainly looks refreshing in a world of three-box sedans, with its low-slung front, and notchback rear. The lighting at both ends is especially unique (and striking), and you wouldn’t have trouble spotting one from afar. At a standstill and from certain angles, it seems like it sits a little high on its 17-inch wheels, but the suspension settles on the move. The great part is, it wouldn’t take much to make one look like its Nurburgring-record-holding sibling, the Type R. Hmm.

It’s spacious