Honda Civic Tourer Review

Honda face-lifted the Civic Tourer in March 2015, after its introduction in 2014. It is built here in the UK at Honda's Swindon plant alongside the new Jazz and CR-V.

The Civic Tourer is a compact estate car competing against the likes of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf Estate. It follows on from the Civic hatch which was first introduced in 2006/7, although it is slightly longer with a lower rear lip height to aid loading.

Currently prices start at £18,585 for the entry level 1.8 i-VTEC manual S grade model and rise to £26,200 for the 1.8 i-VTEC EX Plus Tourer.

What we tested

We tested the Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC EX plus with manual transmission, finished in Passion Red Pearl with black leather.� At the time of testing the on the road price was £26,200, plus £525 for the paint and £600 for the driver's assistance safety pack which was added to our car.

Driving and Performance

For potential Civic Tourer owners there is a choice of a 1.8 i-VTEC 142PS petrol engine or the 1.6 i-DTEC 120 PS diesel unit, you do not get the 1.4-litre option that is available on the hatch. -�The petrol engine can be specified with a 5-speed automatic transmission otherwise a 6-speed manual gearbox is standard across the range.

We tested the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel which develops 120PS / 300 NM which equates on the EX Plus model to a 0-62 mph time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 121 mph. A similar spec petrol model sees 0-62 in 9.6 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.

The official economy figures for the ‘EX Plus’s on the combined cycle are 72.4 mpg with CO2 emissions of 103 g/km. Lower spec cars see the economy figure increase to 74.3 mpg with C02 emissions of sub 100 at 99 g/km.

We were achieving around 56.3 mpg on mixed driving routes which nudged just over 60 mpg out on open ‘A’ roads and this was with a full laden car.

If like some people you find stop/start technology intrusive and premature then it is easy to switch off, but for once we did not feel the need to do this with the Civic.

You will need to do your own calculations to see what engine suits your needs bearing in mind you are paying an extra £1205 for the privilege of diesel power, what we can say is that the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel is very enjoyable to drive and is responsive if you keep the revs up via the standard six-speed gearbox which is precise and easy to use.

We found the re-worked electric power steering was well weighted and gave enough feedback to enjoy a spirited drive through the tight bends of the Duke’s Pass in Sterling, the Civic Tourer remaining perfectly composed and predictable. Only when provoked did the Civics’ VSA stability system pull the car back inline.

The ride can be a little crashy with some pot holes transmitted back into the cabin and we did comment on the road noise at speed but engine noise seemed fairly well in check. It does have adaptive dampers on the rear axle, which are controllable via a switch under the climate control, you have the option of normal, comfort or dynamic settings - we left the car in dynamic for most of the time of we spent with it, as most of our driving was on ‘B’ roads, switching back to comfort mode for the motorways or where the road surface dictated.