Reviewers Love The New Honda Civic

2016 Honda Civic (Credit: Honda)

Reviewers seem to think Honda went a little crazy with the 2016 Civic, creating a fastback that looks faster. The tenth generation of the new car is also longer, lower and wider than ever before, which would seem to signal that the Civic has gone softer than ever. Not so, say multiple car reviewers.

Road & Track is calling the new Honda Civic “nimble” and fun to drive. That’s difficult to believe, considering how numb and uninspiring the latest iterations of the compact car have been. In fact, the reviewer went so far as to compare the Civic to the Mazda3.

AutoBlog was similarly skeptical about the 2016 Civic, but after driving it the reviewer was convinced Honda wasn’t just pulling a marketing spin job about the rebirth of a legend. He went so far as to say that the vehicle will be able to compete fairly with the best compact cars in the world.

Before you get all hot and bothered, realize that these reviews are for the regular, 1.5-liter turbo or 2.0-liter four-cylinder Civics. These are the cars that kids will learn to drive on, that people will drive to their jobs each day, that shoppers who want basic transportation will choose.

Yet, reviewers are saying it’s actually fun to drive, at least when compared to the likes of the Toyota Corolla.

Among the reasons cited for why the new Civic is so fun to drive is the quick acceleration from the turbo engine, actual low-end torque and a suspension that’s responsive plus comfortable. The general consensus is that the 1.5-liter turbo engine is worth the extra money, thanks to far better performance. The problem is no one expects shoppers to pony up the cash. Reviewers also noted that the interior was far quieter than one would expect in a non-luxury car.

Reviews of the 2016 Honda Civic Si and Type R are coming up, but expectations are sky-high now that everyone knows the regular version of the car isn’t half bad. This might mean that Honda can be taken seriously again, that it might create a legitimate performance model once more. It’s still too early to say for sure, but you never know.