Category: Small Family 
Price Range: No data available
Hot hatch looks, fine fuel consumption, low emissions.
Tepid performance, poor rear visibility, i-Shift gearbox is poor auto substitute.
New 1.4 is the low-cost star of the range, but it's no hot hatch.
We wondered earlier if the Honda Type-S is more of a marketing exercise than a warm hatch, so we are pleased to see Honda has treated the car to a unique chassis set-up that sees the track widened by some 200mm, while stiffer springs and more aggressive dampers have been added.
But point the Civic towards the typical British B-road and the suspension struggles to cope with bumps and poor surfaces. Where a Ford Focus or a Volkswagen Golf stay composed at speed, the Civic feels on edge. It also has a less controlled ride and less front end grip.
Push too hard into a bend and understeer is poorly tamed coming off the throttle - the Honda lacks the sophisticated multi-link rear suspension offered by the Golf and Focus.
The engine's performance - or lack of it - is even more disappointing. Reaching 62mph in 13 seconds means this is not a hot hatch; it's not even warm.
That said, the engine is willing and loves to rev. It will be more than adequate for most - in fact, this is our favourite engine in the non-Type-R Civic range.
Honda has worked hard to quicken changes and improve the driveability of its automatic offering. It is indeed better but it's still a long way from the excellent double clutch autos offered by Volkswagen and Ford. Honda points toward the significant fuel economy benefit of the i-Shift compared to the more expensive DSG, but the automated manual is still too jerky and slow to be a real two-pedal contender.
