Honda Civic Review (2007)

The new Honda Civic made its UK debut in January 2006, replacing the successful outgoing model.

I must admit that when I saw the first pictures of the new Civic I wondered whether it was a bit too radical for the conservative loyal Civic purchaser, but my initial misgivings have been proved unfounded as the new Civic seems to be as popular as ever with all age groups.

The Honda Civic range encompasses both petrol and diesel variants and starts at £13,030 for the 1.4 i-DSI S 5-Door and rises to £18,300 for the 2.2 i-CTDi EX 5-Door. We tested the 2.2 i-CTDi SE 5-Door priced at £17,375 OTR.

The Honda Civic is powered by a 2.2 i-CDTi 16V DOHC Common Rail Direct Injection Turbodiesel engine which pr oduces 140 PS at 4000 rpm enabling it to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 8.6 seconds and continue to a top speed of 127 mph.

I have encountered the 2.2 CTDi engine before in the Honda Accord and the outgoing Honda CR-V and whilst it might be the quietest in its class there is no doubt that this is a diesel engine, especially when the engine is cold, but to be honest the engine is never intrusive.

The engine is extremely flexible allowing fast get aways, reasonably rapid overtaking and lazy driving.