1.0T VTEC Turbo SE

A very good car slightly let down by obvious cost cutting

I always wanted one of these Civics, ever since I saw the preview images in 2016. While a lot of people were saying that the styling was not good, I viewed it as a really great looking car and I have always respected the Honda brand.

Fast forward to spring 2018 and my wife and I take delivery of a brand new 1.0T in Rallye Red. While SE spec is pretty much bottom of the range, we got a very good deal on it and it certainly has a lot of stuff (DAB, bluetooth, climate control, clear 5-inch colour screen, Honda Sensing with adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, etc).

After 18 months of ownership, these are my thoughts:

The good points:
Very roomy with big boot with lots of space in the cabin.

The 1.0t engine is superb. It goes well, sounds good and is quite economical (nearly 50mpg on a motorway run)

Great 6-speed gearbox with nice short throws and great, positive gear change

Handling is really quite impressive. Very stable and can attack fairly tight bends with confidence. The multi-link rear suspension really helps.

The seats are comfortable and supportive

Dashboard display is a very clear TFT system and the infomation such as fuel and trip info is very easy to read

DAB radio works well and compared to my previous car, hardly ever cuts out

Climate control works well in the summer keeping things nice and cool, and the heater is nice and toasty in the winter

Adaptive cruise works well on a good run, if set correctly in the menu, harsh braking can be mainly avoided

The autonomous braking system saved my bacon once when a child ran out in front of me. It saved his bacon too, thank god!

Considering this is a mere SE, it still gets compliments on the way it looks from strangers.

The not so good:

Build quality. It doesn't creak, but the door cards feel flimsy and some of the plastics used are quite cheap and nasty. Considering these Civics are quite expensive compared to many of the competitor cars, I expected a bit better

The cabin is a bit too dark, glad we don't have the rear tinted windows

Wind and road noise above 60mph is quite excessive. I understand a lot of this is to do with the fitted Michelin Primacy tyres, hopefully things will calm down when they are replaced with another brand.

Auto high beam does not react fast enough and I now keep it switched off so I don't blind oncoming drivers

Basically, the mk10 Civic is an excellent car, slightly let down by below par refinement at speed and some suspect materials used in the cabin. Would I have another one? I think so. It has been reliable and the pros outweigh the cons by far.

It is practicle, comfortable and drives well with a great engine and gearbox. If you are in the market for a hatchback and like how the Civic looks, put it towards the top of the list and give one a test drive, it may very well just put a smile on your face.

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