Honda Civic VTi-LX sedan 2020 Review

Hatchbacks might rule the Australian small-car segment with an iron fist, but there are still manufacturers out there who persist with four-door sedans.

In some cases the numbers stack up: Mazda says up to 40 per cent of its Mazda3 sales comprise sedans, while Toyota, a bit more conservative with its sedan/hatch relativities, gives a figure of about 25 per cent for its Corolla range.

At Honda Australia, it’s a bit different. The Honda Civic, the company’s third top-seller in Australia, has been available in various guises since the first version was launched in 1973. Through the 1970s we saw Civics of all sorts, from the original two-door “coupe” and three-door hatchbacks to four-door sedans, five-door hatchbacks and even station wagons. Through this, sedans have pretty much always been part of the picture.

In 2016, at the launch of the 10th-generation Honda Civic – initially in sedan form only – the company was looking at selling around 800 per month and has been consistently achieving better than that ever since.

The company now says about 35 per cent of Civic sales are sedans, which indicates buyers are not always locked into the idea that practicality and pragmatics must be front and centre when considering a small car.

Facelifted in early 2020, the latest Honda Civic comes to Australia in both hatchback and sedan configurations, spanning from the base 1.8-litre VTi to the rowdy 228kW/400Nm hatchback-only Type R.

Type R apart, the styling differences between the Civic’s two body configurations aren’t readily apparent. Look closely, however, and you’ll notice the sedan’s extended body with its incipient boot deck. The toning-down of the oversize, racecar-style cut-outs on the hatchback’s somewhat overdone rump are also giveaways.

Under the tape, the Civic sedan not only has a 147mm longer body than its hatchback sibling but is also set fractionally lower (by about 5mm), with a tad less ground clearance. This helps make it visually more snug and ground-hugging than Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla sedans, or the i30-based Hyundai Elantra.

The Civic sedan, across the range, is also $200 cheaper than its hatchback siblings.

The upshot is that the Honda Civic sedan, though its wheelbase is no greater than Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra (and a tad shorter than the Mazda3), comes with a generosity of space that’s worth crowing about.

This applies particularly in the boot where its 517-litre capacity betters that of the 444-litre Mazda3, the 458-litre Elantra and the 470-litre Corolla. And although the load-through from boot to cabin, doesn’t challenge the easy facility of a hatchback, in the Civic sedan it is wide and deep enough to get some bulky stuff aboard. Dropping the seats is made easier by the accessibility of the boot-located trip levers.

The Civic sedan’s cabin is easy to enter and offers plenty of room to move. Internally identical to the hatch in most dimensions, the it elicits no complaints about headroom or legroom in the back. In fact, the latter is arguably better than the bulk of its competitors – although there are no air vents.

In the $33,890 top-spec Honda Civic VTi-LX sedan the dash looks heavily detailed but its functions are simple and easily learned: There’s a big central dial for speedo/tacho, flanked by temperature and fuel gauges, while trip computer-scrolling and cruise control settings are located on the steering wheel spokes. No tablet-style displays here either -- the colour screen is set nicely into the dash centre where, for the most part (there are many touch-screen functions), it can be accessed and operated easily. Another plus for us is the simple radio volume dial, sited within easy driver‘s reach, on the right side of the screen.

Storage space is good. There’s a mobile phone tray (without inductive charging) ahead of the shift lever, a lower, basement-level slot that can accessed from either front seat and a centre console bin topped with a sliding armrest. The quality of the Honda Civic VTi-LX interior feels appropriately upper-end with abundant leather-like trim and soft-touch surfacing.

The centre console also contains two cupholders and an electric parking brake but, not atypical even of a top-spec small car, only the driver gets a power-adjusted seat and this doesn’t come with memory settings. Both front seats are heated though.

It’s slightly ridiculous to think of any small car in terms of its towing ability and the Civic VTi-LX sedan is no exception. With a braked towing capacity limited to just 800kg, it falls short of Mazda3 GT sedan (1200kg), Hyundai Elantra Sport Premium (1100kg) and Toyota Corolla ZR sedan (1300kg).

The Honda Civic VTi-LX drives the front wheels through a CVT transmission. The powerplant here is the 127kW/220Nm 1.5-litre turbo four also seen in VTi-L and RS Civic variants and, even though the outputs are conservative, it has little trouble hauling the 1315kg sedan.

CVTs are renowned for their tendency to make hard work out of seemingly low-demand situations. The Civic, thankfully, is not overly prone to the irritating habits of some other CVTs and can be helped along by the use of steering-wheel paddle shifters that offer seven artificial ratios that at least give the driver some feeling if being in control.

Even so the Civic sedan can be a bit noisy at times, particularly when the small-capacity turbo is pushed during an overtaking manoeuvre, or ascending a long gradient. On the downhill side, the cruise control’s complete lack of interest in holding a set speed is irritating too. This was a surprise, given the Civic VTi-LX features adaptive cruise control, with access to the braking system to maintain separation from the vehicle travelling ahead.

The 1.5-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine scores well on fuel economy: Averaging 6.7L/100km over a week of driving in a mix of conditions, our review car, on regular 91-octane fuel, came pretty close to the official 6.0L/100km.

The downside is that even this thrifty behaviour didn’t disguise the fact that both Civics, sedan and hatch, have a small fuel tank that tops up at just 47 litres.

Even though the Civic sedan’s suspension is subtly changed to deliver a slightly gentler experience on-road than the hatch, it’s still a lively, pleasantly-responsive small car.

Yes, the sedan has a more bump-absorbent ride than the hatchback but the steering, at just 2.2 turns from lock to lock, is nicely-enough weighted and is helped by the relatively purposeful 215/50R17 rubber.

The multi-link rear suspension does a good job of dealing with mid-corner road irregularities too, although a certain amount of road noise does intrude into the cabin -- particularly when one of the 60-40 split-fold rear seats are laid down (it’s probably quieter than a hatchback Civic in the same configuration though).

Although the most recent 2020 facelift has calmed-down the Honda Civic’s sometimes polarising styling, the low-slung look is still very much in evidence. And the interior, particularly in the Civic VTi-LX flagship is as inviting and well put together as you’d except of an up-spec small sedan.

This four door is undeniably spacious, and the 517-litre boot is exceptional enough to make it a viable alternative in many ways – though not all – to a small hatchback.

The Honda Civic VTi-LX’s showroom appeal is nicely underscored by pleasing levels of performance, ride comfort and handling that put this Honda within reach of the segment’s front-runners. And the engine, only partly compromised by the CVT transmission, delivers lively punch accompanied by truly excellent fuel economy.

Thing is, the hatchback Civic STILL does all the things the sedan can do, and adds undeniable practicality, at a similar price point.

How much does the 2020 Honda Civic VTi-LX sedan cost?
Price: $33,890 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 127kW/220Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 140g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP