By Kevin Harrison
I’ve been a fan of Apple products ever since I can remember. My dad went against the grain back in the early 90’s and bought a Macintosh computer instead of going IBM. Turns out he was on to something.
Since then Apple has clearly revolutionized itself to be one of the largest, most profitable and technically advanced company today. This is both good and bad news for consumers.
It’s good that we get the latest and greatest from Apple but let’s be honest. It’s hard on our pocket books. And that’s not the only issue. Technology changes so quickly that it’s hard to even keep up with the latest and greatest.
If you buy an iPad today, your iPad will be considered old news next year. Same with the iPhone same with the Macbook and same with – well almost anything. Isn’t that truly annoying?
Honda must have looked at Apple’s incessant new product year after year and took a page from their book for the Civic.
They redesigned it for the 2012 model year. All fine and good, people bought them (despite criticisms of the product overall). But then Honda surprised us all by introducing a close to brand new Civic for the 2013 model year. I can only imagine those who bought a 2012 stocked up on Tylenol after repeatedly banging their heads against a wall.
So those who bought the 2013 gloated a bit in knowing they got the newer and better product. Well, not so fast.
For 2014 Honda has once again redesigned the Civic after only one model year. This time it’s the coupe that’s getting some attention. Is it up to snuff enough to keep it going for longer than 365 days?
New for 2014 is a front fascia which incorporates a new black grille, bumper and slightly modified headlight design. It also gets new wheel choices along with revised tail lights. Overall the changes are small, but indeed noticeable. I’ve always felt a bit neutral on the Civic coupe’s styling but it’s clear that they do get noticed. A Golf owner commented on how nice it looked as she walked by while a Sentra owner at the gas station declared to be that the Civic coupe would be her next ride, specifically the 2014 model with the minor styling upgrades. It’s clear Honda may have been right to update the styling once again.
Inside is generally a nice place to be with the still futuristic seeming layout, even though this layout has more or less been used since 2006. The two tiered dash is a synch to get used to, as is the digital speedometer. I also rather like the coloured bars on both sides of the speedo that let the driver know when they’re driving efficiently by glowing green while slowly shading to blue as the driver puts the throttle down. These are generally good at training drivers to drive efficiently and its placement in the Civic means you don’t really need to take your eyes off the road to see it.
The touchscreen is also smartly placed and angled towards the driver. For the most part is responds to commands however one thing that I can’t understand is why Honda would get rid of a dial for the volume control and opt for a touchscreen function instead. You’d think this wouldn’t be a big deal but it’s actually quite frustrating, especially while in motion because unlike the rest of the touchscreen, it doesn’t always respond to command. You also need to take your eyes off the road because Honda placed it in the middle of the right side of the screen. You wouldn’t think this would be a huge deal but my girlfriend mentioned without hesitation that that alone would be a deal breaker for her to buy a new Civic. There is a control for the volume on the steering wheel which makes it a bit better, but it’s still not ideal.
Interior room is good if you’re up front but not so much if you’re relegated to the back seat. A big reason why is the sloping roof line of the coupe. After really putting the coupe to the test by transporting four other friends, it was not only quite a squeeze to get them back there comfortably, but my 5 foot 7 friend’s head was hitting the back window. I know, I know, if you want more room in the back then buy the Civic sedan, however there needs to be some sort of limitation of style over function as well. If a 5 foot 7 passenger can’t sit comfortably then that’s an issue. We’re not talking about people over six feet here. There should be some compromise expected if you buy a coupe, but the rear seats should still be at the very least usable to average sized people.
Another odd choice I found was to equip it with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). If you are unfamiliar with CVT’s just know that their mere existence would make any driving enthusiast faint with rage. They are loud, droany, power limiting, soul sucking things. However, the reason why manufacturers continue to develop and implement them into new cars is because they are inherently fuel efficient. That’s all fine and good, however, again, if you’re buying a coupe chances are you’re looking for a bit of sport injected fun and the CVT provides anything but. Even a traditional automatic would allow for a bit more fun behind the wheel.
Still, power is up by three horses as the 1.8 litre four cylinder produces 143 horsepower and 129 pound foot torque. This is not blisteringly fast by any means, but it’s fairly adequate for everyday driving. And as much as I just railed on CVT’s in the previous paragraph, I must say, this isn’t the worst CVT I’ve ever driven. Sure it still neuters power, but it’s quieter and a bit more refined. And it has paddle shifters which are a bit pointless with this transmission since gears are simulated (up to seven gears) but the simulation isn’t harsh or intrusive.
Handling is where the Civic coupe really shines. It’s poised in most corners with little body roll. If you throw the Civic coupe into a corner quickly you’ll get some mild understeer but overall it does well. The steering wheel is great – I love the small size which helps with spirited driving, but I wish there was more feedback to the driver. But the suspension set up is great for both moderately spirited driving and driving around town, though you do feel a few road bumps every now and then.
So back to that CVT. Does is really help with fuel consumption? Well the Civic coupe is rated at 6.9 L/100 kms city and 5.1 L/100 kms highway I returned 9.6 L/100 kms in pretty cold weather which isn’t bad but I expect the Civic could do better in nicer weather. And if squeezing every MPG out of the tank is your thing then you could leave the ‘Econ’ button on which keeps RPM’s low, but I didn’t bother with that save to try it out for the purposes of testing and I can say that you’re better off not using it, or at the very least, just using it in heavy traffic.
While I can point out a few faults with this new Civic the fact remains this is likely still one of the best in the segment. Sure you might be well advised to wait on the new Volkswagen Gold 3-door and Mini Cooper before making your decision but if you simply can’t, and you’re willing to deal with its few faults then this Honda Civic coupe will not disappoint you.
That is, until Honda comes out with a newer and better version next year.
Price As Tested: $20,900
Pros:
- Agreeable updated styling
- Well laid out interior, good tech
- Awesome steering wheel
- Decent handling, decently comfortable
Cons:
- CVT castrates power and fun
- Disappointing back seat room
- Volume knob. Give it back!
Immediate Competition:
- Hyundai Elantra Coupe
- Hyundai Veloster
- Kia Forte Coupe
- Mini Cooper
- Volkswagen Golf 3-door
Overall: 8/10
