07 Nov 06
Daniel's already a big fan. It's not that he didn't like my J-reg Peugeot 205 GTi, it's just that he views its replacement as some kind of futuristic playground. In the face of the Honda's space-age instrument panel, voice-recognition satellite navigation and shiny red start button, the ability to make the Peugeot's electric windows slide up and down understandably loses its appeal.
He's not the only with a penchant for toys. Like most thirtysomething blokes, I like a nice gadget or 10 - and this top-of-the-range EX comes stacked with them. Cruise control, drilled aluminium pedals, drive-by-wire throttle, sat nav, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth telephone capability and rain-sensing wipers are just the highlights of the standard specification. To which we've added metallic paint (£375), bumping the price up from £18,095 to £18,470.
For this you get Honda's acclaimed 2.2-litre i-CDTi diesel engine and six-speed manual gearbox, which is the combination to go for, no question. Light years faster than the 1.8-litre petrol and impressively quiet once on the move, the 138bhp common-rail diesel unit has, so far, been consuming a gallon of fuel every 47.2 miles. That's more than an equivalent Focus or Golf has historically managed in my hands.
Gearing is the key - the Civic i-CDTi's is rev-perfect. The shift could be a little smoother (that's one area in which the petrol version has the edge) but the action is precise and each ratio stacks neatly into the other to provide a seamless blend of torque and flexibility. Nominally an overdrive, you seldom find yourself needing to drop down from sixth gear once up to motorway cruising speed.
Ride quality is one area that the Civic has come in for a bit of flak since it went on sale earlier this year. And, to be honest, the detractors have a point. It's not bouncy or jarring, but you'd definitely make smoother progress in a Ford or VW.
