“Once in your life, you find her, someone that turns your heart around,’’Thank you, Cristopher Cross for that opening line from Arthur’s Theme. You were talking about a girl, but the same concept can translate to a fleet car.
Not every car mind, only specific ones like the Honda Civic Sport, a car which has stood the test of time in Fleet-land, won awards in the past and continues to be relevant into today and the future.
In its current incarnation, the Civic is an oasis in a hot desert of SUVs and while it is true there are other sedans/hatchbacks of similar nature to the Civic, Honda’s version has something about it.
Perhaps it is the constant re-inventing of what was an originally brilliant design, but having the restraint to ensure the essence of that design remains intact?
The ability of a car company to do this demonstrates maturity and confidence on the part of that car company and its product and if three words could summarise the Honda Civic, they would be mature and confident.
So, there’s no real ‘new, new’ technology which has gone into the Civic. In fact, in light of the swathe of new product coming in from Honda this year – the Jazz RS, the ZR-V twins which are marking out new territory for Honda, and the forthcoming update for the CR-V due in October, one might ask, why we are revisiting the Civic at all?
Primarily because the mid-sized Civic remains a constant benchmark fleet CAR. And its power as such, should not be lost in carparks crammed with SUVs and utility vehicles.
The Civic’s 1.5-litre turbocharged VTEC puts out humble figures but delivers the reality of its power and torque in, well, perhaps not visceral terms, but certainly in ways that stir the soul.
The ride quality is still breathtakingly good in its control, precision, and refinement, it takes a lot to upset a Honda Civic on the roads, even our potholed pockmarked ones.
As to styling, the Civic does not blend in with the scenery but then neither does it visually jar the eyes of the beholder. It can’t be called dated, nor a glimpse of what cars may look like tomorrow. If anything, the Civic is a car for the here and now.
The inner appointment is simple but elegant with a slight bit of zing added from time to time. In this case, the zing comes in the form of the honeycomb vent which runs the width of the cabin.
It’s different, somewhat challenging of the norm but – as with all updates to the Civic over the years – it’s a change you can get used to very easily.
Switches and rotary knobs are a tried-and-true combination but have the risk of appearing dated in their design; if you let them, and Honda does not.
Personally, I feel the current carmaker obsession with button and knob-free interiors borders on repulsive if not on being unsafe.
A suggestion? If you are going to go down the route of electronic buttons, make ‘em big enough so that human fingers can use them without having to resort to using tweezers.
For a masterclass in classy and practical interiors, look to what has served the Civic for so long and so well.
I know, I’m a dying breed – a professional driver who insists that cars sedans and hatchbacks now – are still relevant and highly desirable.
Think about it: if your day is spent behind the wheel, wouldn’t you rather have to go from place to place and be able to enjoy the drive? Otherwise, driving for work is just work and no fun.
Honda, keep making your cars, keep giving us dinosaur-juice junkies the cars that we want to drive, not the cars the safety fun-sucking vampires insist we have to have.
Stand by your traditional values, keep making the Civic, and Honda, please save our driving souls from dying.
