Honda Civic 2021 Review

The new-generation 2021 Honda Civic is available in Australia in one model grade and one body style only – a highly specified VTi-LX hatchback priced at $47,200 drive-away.

That’s a lot of money for a small car from a mainstream brand.

For reference, the new Audi A3 hatch starts at $46,300, the BMW 1 Series opens at $47,900 and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class kicks off at $49,889 (all plus on-road costs).

The most expensive non-performance Mk8 Volkswagen Golf (R-Line) will set you back $37,650 plus ORCs, while carsales’ Best Small Car for 2021, the Mazda3, tops out at $42,390 plus ORCs – from a 38-variant range…

What’s more, the new Civic’s $47,200 price tag represents a $16,200 increase in the entry point to Honda’s small car, with the previous opener, the Civic VTi-S, starting at $31,000 drive-away.

The previous VTi-L was set at $34,900 and the top-spec RS at $39,600 (both drive-away).

Honda Australia representatives told us it doesn’t plan on introducing more affordable Civic models any time soon.

So what do you get for your almost $50,000 outlay? Well, quite a lot, as you’d expect.

For starters, there’s a decent-sized 9.0-inch touch-screen system with a fast interface, crisp, sharp visuals and Apple CarPlay (wireless) and Android Auto (wired) compatibility. The infotainment system also features over-the-air (OTA) updates for the operating system and satellite navigation maps.

There’s also a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter, alloy foot pedals and heated and power-adjustable mirrors. The dual-zone climate-control system comes with an ionising air purification function, while LED mood lights are positioned in the doors and footwells.

The cabin is definitely a more premium proposition than before, with improved materials and controls throughout and a simplified layout.

Regular-use systems like keyless entry and engine start, automatic headlights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a neat 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster make drive life in the new Honda Civic more relaxing.

An excellent 12-speaker Bose sound system is included, as is a wireless smartphone charger, while the form-fitting seats are comfortable and feature a supple synthetic leather and lovely red-tinged suede upholstery.

The front seats are heated with eight-way power adjustability for the driver and four-way power adjust for the passenger. None get lumbar adjust, which seems odd at this price point.

There are other key features offered by far cheaper rivals that are missing in action here, such as a sunroof, ventilated front seat cooling, a head-up display and a 360-degree parking camera.

There’s no parking sensors front or rear either, just a low-quality parking camera. Honda’s ‘lane watch’ blind spot video feed has also been deleted.

While rear seat space is very good, especially legroom, amenity is poor. Twin air vents and a fold-out arm rest are pretty much it, with no USB ports, no reading lights and only one seatback pocket.

The boot is deep and wide and offers a lot of space (449 litres expanding to 1212L with the back seats folded). That’s more than double the space of its top-selling rival, the Toyota Corolla hatch (217L), and better than the Hyundai i30 (395L), although the Honda Civic has ditched its spare tyre to achieve this.

Aftersales provisions are good, with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty backed up with claimed class-leading capped-price service costs pegged at $125 per year or 10,000km, whichever occurs first, lasting five years.

The new 11th-generation 2021 Honda Civic hasn’t yet been tested by independent safety authority ANCAP.

However, the new small car now features a reinforced structure and stronger body shell, more advanced driver assist technology and eight airbags as standard – including knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, but no central front airbag to prevent head-clash in the event of a crash.

Adaptive cruise control works well and the updated lane keep assistance feature delivers impressive autonomous steering.

The Civic’s upgraded sensors are able to ‘see’ further down the road and have a broader field of view. They combine to deliver a new traffic jam assistant that works between 0-72km/h.

Also on board are expected safety systems like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that can detect other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, along with a driver attention monitor.

There’s a blind spot monitoring system too, but the lane watch video feed feature has been scrapped and speed sign recognition is not available, which is disappointing for a brand-new small car that’s sitting right at the top end of its market segment.

The new 2021 Honda Civic hatch uses the same 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine as its predecessor, albeit with several updates to improve performance.

Honda has bolted on a new turbocharger and reworked the exhaust manifold to boost power and torque by 4kW and 20Nm respectively when running on 91RON regular unleaded fuel – which will be phased out in Australia by 2024. That equates to engine power of 131kW at 6000rpm and torque of 240Nm at 1700-4500rpm.

Fuelled with 95RON fuel, Honda says power rises to 134kW, with torque unchanged.

Initial acceleration is prompt rather than arresting, with power pumping through a reworked continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels.

It has steering wheel paddle shifters but they’re largely ceremonial and at freeway speeds overtaking other vehicles takes a little longer than expected.

It’s a relatively responsive powertrain set-up, the CVT feeling a little less anodyne than previously.

The new turbo and the addition of VTEC to the exhaust valves are claimed to deliver improved fuel efficiency, but compared to its predecessor, consumption has risen from 6.1 to 6.3L/100km.

After four days behind the wheel our testing saw 7.0L/100km which isn’t terrible, but miles off the Toyota Corolla hybrid’s 4.2L/100km.

It may have missed the mark in some areas, but Honda has delivered an eminently impressive dynamic package here with the 2021 Honda Civic.

While the powertrain is about as interesting as reading the fine print on a mobile phone plan, the chassis is very likeable.

Indeed, the latest Honda Civic is one of the most engaging Japanese small hatches released in recent memory, with excellent body control and admirable road manners.

Driven on demanding roads the Civic feels balanced and eager, tracking through corners with an almost joyful agility that really draws you into the experience.

It sits flat through faster corners with only mild body roll, aided by a stiffer body, a wider and lower stance and upgraded suspension system.

While the steering doesn’t have a huge amount of feedback it’s precise and there’s no rack rattle.

Honda’s latest Civic small car is rewarding to drive in less exciting scenarios too, whipping through roundabouts and navigating urban environments with equal parts charm, confidence and refinement.

This all bodes well for the upcoming Honda Civic Type R, which is set to arrive in Australia later in 2022.

It feels as though Honda’s engineers are back to their best with the new Civic and this goes for comfort levels, not just driving dynamics.

While the ride errs on the side of firmness, there’s still compliance in the suspension and it absorbs a wide variety of road imperfections with grace. Indeed, it has a very Volkswagen Golf feel to it, which is the current benchmark in this segment for ride and handling.

Like it’s German competitor, the Civic is remarkably quiet as well, thanks to the inclusion of extra sound-deadening materials and changes to the engine.

Smaller changes like the more upright windscreen and lower bonnet improve forward vision, while wind noise is reduced via the recessed windscreen wipers and repositioning of the wing mirrors from the windows to the doors.

The new-generation 2021 Honda Civic is an impressive step up over its predecessor, with solid fundamentals that ensure it feels great in almost every interactional respect.

And that’s why we’re lamenting the lack of more affordable model grades.

The new Civic is tremendously engaging to drive and delivers an upmarket experience, but so few people will experience it given the high price.

If there was a $31,000 version – heck, even a $39,000 model grade! – it would give the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf some real competition.

That it costs a smidgen over $47,000 is a crying shame and given the lack of some crucial features that are standard on considerably more affordable rivals, the new Civic VTi-LX is almost impossible to recommend in its current configuration.

How much does the 2021 Honda Civic VTi-LX cost?
Price: $47,200 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 131kW/240Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 148g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested