06 Dec 06
In a galaxy far, far away - well, Surrey, in fact - I earned my living from writing about modified cars. Late 80s VW Golfs and Ford Escorts, mostly, the majority of which were packed to the gills with shiny, bleeping gadgets that floodlit the interior in a ghostly shade of blue. Modified car owners are like magpies - they're all about the bling. I should know: I was one myself.
Had my accessory-obsessed brethren and I been presented with this eighth-generation Civic, I'm not quite sure what we would have made of it. Between the screens, the gadgets, the bucket-shaped, Gore-Tex-adorned front seats, red starter button and all-powerful knob on the centre console, it pretty much ticks all the Max Power bases already. Short of getting 'Big Dog' Tim Westwood to fit a Jacuzzi in the boot, it's pretty much pimp-proof.
Two months into my ownership experience, I'm also now convinced that the Civic is the benchmark interior in its class. It feels at least as well built as a Golf, and for such a stylised interior design there's an amazing lack of ergonomic flaws.
Particularly impressive is the way that Honda has managed to place all the instruments you actually use - the speedo, rev meter, sat nav screen, interior temperature display, stereo volume and track information - at eye level, just below the base of the screen, without making you feel like you're driving some kind of mumsy MPV.
I'm a big fan of this EX model's charcoal grey velour seats, too. Okay, so crumbs stick to it like iron filings to a magnet and I'm pretty sure they won't wear as well as leather would. But it's nice to see something other than the usual cloth or shiny, artificial-looking leather that most manufacturers offer to their customers.
