Johannesburg - Sedans were once the bread and butter of the local car market, but these days they’re becoming a rare sight in a sea of SUVs and bakkies.
Most carmakers have given up on this sector in recent years but Honda is soldiering on with its Civic nameplate as it has become so synonymous with the Japanese brand.
But things are being played a little differently with the 11th generation Honda Civic, which has just gone on sale in South Africa. For starters it is now solely available in a new RS spec flavour and this is the only derivative that Honda will offer apart from the new-generation Type R that will eventually come our way too.
Powered by an enhanced version of the previous model’s 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine, which we’ll get to later, the new Civic RS has also taken a solid step upmarket with a significantly smarter looking cabin that’s stocked with standard features you don’t normally find in the Corolla class.
The downside to that is that it is rather expensive at R669 000.
Stepping into the cabin it becomes clear that Honda has spent a lot of time perfecting both the ambience and ergonomics, and I think what they’ve come up with is top notch. The materials and textures, for the most part feel truly premium, and that mesh grille strip that crosses the dashboard and conceals the air vents lends an air of distinction.
Honda has also modernised the electronics, with a 10.2-inch (25.9cm) TFT digital instrument cluster and new 9.0-inch (22.86cm) infotainment system, with built-in navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay. It’s modern but Honda hasn’t fallen into the trap of making everything digital. You still get a volume knob positioned in the corner of the screen closest to the steering wheel and there are also physical climate control dials, which are finished in a satin chrome effect, and they really look classy.
And as I said, this car is specced to the hilt. It even comes with a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system as standard. Also part of the deal is dual-zone climate control with rear ventilation, wireless phone charging and a whole slew of ‘Honda Sensing’ driver assist gadgets, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and road departure mitigation, among others. These features make use of a new wide-angle camera that replaces the previous standard camera and radar systems.
The heated, and power-adjustable seats, are upholstered in a leather and suede combination with red stitching and they really look the part. Featuring a new ergonomic design, they’re pretty comfortable and supportive too.
These seats, along with the red ambient interior lighting, alloy pedals and black headlining, help to create a sporty feel inside. Honda has achieved something similar on the outside too, with 18-inch matte black alloys, gloss black finishes for the boot spoiler, mirrors and door handles, and of course the obligatory RS badging.
What’s it like to drive?
The new look is elegant yet purposeful, and that ties in pretty well with the driving experience, which we got acquainted with on some rural roads north of Joburg on Thursday.
It’s no sports sedan, by any stretch of the imagination, but with an enhanced version of the previous 1.5-litre motor, featuring a redesigned turbocharger, it offers relatively effortless performance and enough power to overtake comfortably. Peak outputs are 131kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm between 1700rpm and 4500rpm, which is 4kW and 20Nm more than before.
Power goes to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission with built-in steps, and by CVT standards it’s really not bad. It’s only under really hard acceleration that it becomes a bit droney. CVT boxes can be annoying when paired with an underpowered normally aspirated engine but with a turbo motor such as this it won’t reach that droney point very often because of the abundance of low-down torque.
The pulley system makes gear changes ultra smooth, but if you’re seeking a sporty drive you might miss the jolts that traditional gears make.
In essence this is a touring sedan that gobbles up the kilometres in effortless comfort. There’s really no faulting the road holding either, but that you expect from a Honda Civic.
But would you pay R669 000 for the new RS? It does seem like a lot of money to pay for a Honda Civic. For the record, it’s priced in the same ballpark as the Audi A3 sedan, but if you specced its German rival up to the Honda’s level, you’d be looking at a whole lot more than that.