A Short Review Of Honda Civic Sport Hatchback 2017

Autonomous driving might be the long run, but at present we live in a golden age of automobiles. For proof, look not to the Bugatti Chiron or Dodge Hellcat, but everyday rides like the Honda Civic Sport. In this specific case, I’m talking about the hatchback version, a body style with a wealthy history of reasonable performance. And while the Civic is definitely a hidden gem, it’s by no means an exception.

The Hyundai Elantra Sport, Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Golf also back up the argument, but for the scope of this story i am sticking to the Civic. Exhibit A is some historical context. With 180 Horsepower and a claimed 2,864 pounds of curb weight, the Civic Sport hatch carries 15.9 pounds for each of its horses. That’s less than the enduring 2nd-generation (a.k.a. Mk2) Volkswagen GTI 16V, the original Nissan Sentra SE-R and the 7th-generation Civic Si hatchback.

The 2017 car is also just under the celebrated 6th-generation (1999–2000) Civic Si car. In today’s dollars, that 1999 Civic would price around $25,500 new, making the 2017 model’s base price of $22,215 a bargain. And the previous Civic didn’t come with extras like stability control, side and curtain airbags, or automatic climate control. Like I aforesaid, golden age.

Honda Civic Sport Hatchback Analyses

To paraphrase scholarly papers, more analysis is required to analyze these early findings. But a long weekend behind the wheel supports the hypothesis that the Civic Sport hatchback is at least worthy of mention in the same conversation as its historic forebears. First, there’s the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which makes 177 pound-feet of torsion in manual, Sport trim. Other small-displacement turbo engines either pommel you with instant torsion or feel dead till the boost comes in.

Honda’s motor makes the competition feel dumb. It’s smooth, linear, and builds momentum as the tachometer rushes to the redline. Manual transmissions are thus rare that any shifter deserves a important pass simply to encourage more folks to strive shifting for themselves, but this is one of the great ones. The seats are adequately supportive, and the pedals line up good for heel-toe maneuvers.

In the Civic car, you discover yourself against persistent in odd places, like functioning persistent on the brakes coming up to an empty intersection or letting out an audible “woot” at the sight of an empty onramp. It’s the kind of car you drive quick when nobody’s looking at, purely for your own pleasure. We’ve already covered the fundamentals on the Civic hatch, including the innovative rear cargo cover. And i really disagree with Jeremy – i feel the hatchback look smart, and i dig the big twin central exhaust.

Honda Civic Sport Hatchback lack of accessible

Now for the bad news, which is the paucity of choices plaguing trendy cars with manual transmissions. You can’t get the Honda Sensing active safety suite in this snug level, and the excellent Sport Touring that gets you all that only comes with a CVT. That means active cruise, no lane-departure warning, or forward-collision warning and collision-mitigation braking system if you want the stick shift.

Based on the lackadaisical standardization of adaptive cruise in other civics, this is not a complete loss, but it might deter safety-conscious parents and first-time customers from living the three-pedal life style. And while the radio is blessedly easy with each a volume and tuning knob, there’s no touchscreen, which means no Apple CarPlay or android auto like in pricier civics.

The Civic hatchback is one of those rare cars where the stable fundamentals structure for the lack of accessible trendy convenience. Heck, even the old-school keyed ignition becomes part of the Civic’s revenant theme of driver engagement. The Civic Sport hatchback rewards the sentimental idea of enjoying the act of driving.