Car and Driver
TONY QUIROGA4/14/2016

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From the May 2016 issue

The old Civic coupe is a minivan. Not literally. But after driving the new one, last year’s model feels—there’s no nice way to put this—like a gigantic Cheerio depository.

Gone are the thick and distant A-pillars, and the busy two-tier instrument panel is also out, replaced by a big tachometer front and center with a digital speedo inside. Honda moved the hip point—where your glutes hit the seat—way down. As you sit closer to the ground, the narrower A-pillars and the simple and elegant dashboard work to erase that old minivan feeling. The mom jeans are off; the Civic is back to being a car, a very good one.

Taut suspension tuning means body motions are quickly damped, and the steering is alive. There’s a Volkswagen GTI–like eagerness to the turn-in, complemented by excellent cornering stability. Skidpad grip is an unimpressive 0.83 g, mostly due to the all-season rubber, but every bit of that grip is accessible and easy to modulate. A firm brake pedal provides the right amount of initial bite, although the brakes did exhibit slight fade at the track. In testing, the sixth successive stop from 70 mph measured 10 feet more than the first stop, but the pedal pressure remained constant and secure.

A new structure lies under the new skin. Honda claims it’s 25 percent stiffer than before. The structure dispatches big jolts with the brief tuung! of a tightly tuned tom-tom. Its predecessor had a hollow and weedier structure that couldn’t adequately suppress the engine or the ­suspension. Tire noise is still intrusive on concrete freeways, but the engine seems farther away now, and there’s virtually no wind noise. You don’t hear much at 70 mph, just 67 decibels of tire and mechanical hum, a five-decibel improvement over the old coupe.

Honda claims that the coupe’s unibody is 76 pounds lighter than before, and it may be. But with all the pieces attached and a new turbocharged 1.5-liter four, this car weighs 2882 pounds, or 31 more than the last coupe we tested. That slight weight gain is more than offset by the engine, which makes 31 more horsepower and 33 more pound-feet of torque than the old 1.8-liter. Acceleration to 60 mph takes 6.6 seconds, a full two seconds quicker than before.
At this point, Honda’s CVT automatic is the sole transmission for the 1.5-liter turbo. A big serving of turbo torque starts below 2000 rpm and keeps the CVT from having to zing into the higher revs in normal driving. In drive or sport mode, the transmission “shifts” virtual gears and the changing revs eliminate the unrelenting high-rpm wail characteristic of CVTs. In low mode, the CVT does hold the engine near the redline from about 40 mph until the governor engages at 125 mph. We achieved the quickest acceleration times with the transmission in low. Stepping through the fake gears added a couple of tenths to zero-to-60 runs. And unlike the previous car’s CVT, there isn’t any way to select or hold “gears” if you wish to shift for yourself.
© TONY QUIROGA 2016 Honda Civic Coupe 1.5T CVT For now, manual enthusiasts have to settle for the naturally aspirated 158-hp 2.0-liter. Paired with the manual, the 2.0-liter has the rev-happy character of Honda engines past. But the easy torque and the extra horsepower of the turbo engine is seductive, so you may want to wait until later this year when Honda will offer a six-speed manual with the 1.5-liter turbo four.
In our hands, the EX-L with the 1.5-liter returned 29 mpg. EPA estimates are forthcoming, but we are told by Honda to expect an improvement: 31 city and 41 highway.
A Civic coupe with a sensible instrument-panel layout, engaging dynamics, and attractive styling? Welcome back, Honda. In addition to the old alien-spacecraft console, designers wisely threw out every other aspect of the previous ­generation. Material quality is hugely improved and the electric parking brake allows for a cavernous center console, but we’d still like to have a volume **** instead of having to swipe the border of the touchscreen. The seat cushions are Porsche firm, but some riders might find the lumbar support excessive.

Much of the exterior seems to have been designed to highlight the Civic’s 1.8-inch-wider body. A chrome nose ring sits just above knee height, and the rear fenders flare out below the pinched-in rear window. The wheelbase has grown by 3.1 inches to 106.3, but the overall length is down an inch. Along with the added width, the longer wheelbase shortens overhangs and yields an assertive stance. The rear end is perhaps the oddest part of the styling, bulging outward in a way that may conjure up images of a robot with a full diaper.

Honda hadn’t announced pricing when we went to press, but it assures us that the coupe will carry only a slight premium over the sedan. Take that to mean a range from $20,000 to nearly $28,000. We’d estimate that our EX-L with the Honda Sensing package that adds active cruise and lane-departure, blind-spot, and forward-collision warnings will cost $25,500. Going to the top Touring level adds nav, a 10-speaker stereo, and LED headlights.

The Civic coupe is a return to form for Honda. But as good as the Civic is, we would wait for the turbo to hook up with the manual before signing any forms.

Specifications >VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED (EST): $25,500 (base price: $24,260)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 91 cu in, 1497 cc
Power: 174 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 176.9 in
Width: 70.8 in Height: 54.9 in
Passenger volume: 89 cu ft
Trunk volume: 12 cu ft
Curb weight: 2882 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 16.9 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 27.3 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.2 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.7 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.1 sec @ 95 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 125 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 173 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.83 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 31/41 mpg
C/D observed: 29 mpg
TEST NOTES: Brake-torque to 2800 rpm for a soft launch with no wheelspin. Acceleration is best in low—both sport and drive activate simulated shifts, which are slower. Nice brake-pedal feel.

 

I think it's definitely a step in the right direction. I like the idea of the Civic being smaller since it feels to me like they've grown in size since their prime years.

Only a couple things I don't like:
-CVT- I don't care for this technology currently, but I especially don't like when manufacturers make it your only option. That's one of only a handful of reasons we ended up with an Edge over a Murano for our baby hauler. I'm not saying it needs a dual clutch option, but at least a paddle shift able 6 speed auto.
-Gas mileage - I see they averaged 29 mpg which I think is pretty miserable for a car this small. I really hope their driving loop is either all city or they were really beating on the car. For comparison's sake we usually run about 27 mpg in our fully loaded Edge that has to weigh a solid 1k lbs more, and Ive been only been getting about 0.5 mpg less in my 600+ hp vette. Granted our commutes are both mostly highway, but I'm certainly not easy on the vette. For this thing being so light and having so much less power, I wouldve expected it to easily return mid-30s or better.

 

Hi `Chad, thanks for your post & thoughts I agree with your review & I was also surprised @ their MPG's.

For a few thousand more, I'd get the new Camaro with a 6spd and a 3.6L, that's faster, larger & more fun + decent MPG's.
0-60 MPH in 5.1 seconds & 1/4 mile in the 13's WoW.

I was surprised that it did 95 MPH in a 1/4 mile from a 1.5L Turbo. They said that they are going to put a six speed manual later this year (?)...I will post it when they release.

My friend has a Ford Edge and he & his family love it.

 

2016 Honda Civic Coupe

By Tony Swan April 20, 2016 <Party Date contribution by a MCF Sponsor





Just reaching showrooms, the new Honda Civic Coupe is the second chapter of a Civic renaissance that will embrace the most comprehensive lineup in the 43-year history of this Honda icon, with a five-door hatchback, a hybrid, and two performance versions, high (Si) and higher (R), still to come.
It will be a lineup that upstages every other make in the compact class, at least at the affordable end of the sprectrum. But the first question to consider in contemplating the Civic Coupe is: Why would I prefer a two-door to the greater utility of a sedan?
Most car buyers opt for four doors, which is why there aren’t very many compact coupes to choose from; three, in fact, unless you count the Volkswagen Beetle, which marches to its own beat.
But for some, four doors don’t project the right message. A sedan may be useful, but it’s not quite cool. For those who prioritize style and image above all, the new Civic coupe is loaded with both.
The sedan is certainly no wallflower, and represents a welcome departure from Honda’s usual caution with four-door designs. But the coupe’s styling is a little edgier, with more creases in its skin, a slightly wider stance, a tightly wrapped exterior treatment that looks more athletic.
It also embodies tidier dimensions.
The coupe shares the sedan’s engine choices: a 158-horsepower four-cylinder, available only in the basic L and LX models, and a 174-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four. Both engines are new, and the turbo is a first for Hondas sold in the U.S. We will undoubtedly see other turbocharged engines as the Civic family continues to expand.
The base engine offers a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission (standard) and a continuously variable automatic (CVT). Turbo engines are allied with the CVT. Honda has done a lot of development work with the CVT, eliminating most of its undesirable slipping-clutch sensation. It will simulate traditional automatic transmission upshifts at full throttle, and is particularly effective in Sport mode.
Those engine-transmission combos will be in force through the 2016 model year; Honda plans to make a manual transmission available with the turbo later this year, with all models: coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks.
Like most new cars, the Civic’s list of standard and available safety features has expanded compared to the previous generation, and includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert with autonomous emergency braking, and lane departure warning with lane assist. That last, lane departure and lane assist, is particularly annoying. More on that later.
Model Lineup

The Honda Civic Coupe comes in five trim levels: Civic LX ($19,050) is the only model with a manual transmission; CVT is optional ($800). Civic LX and LX-P ($20,850) are powered by the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Higher trim levels, EX-T ($22,300), EX-L ($23,425), and Touring ($26,125) use the 1.5-liter turbo.
As noted, Honda will make a manual transmission available with the turbocharged engine in the fall, with 2017 models. (Prices are MSRP and do not include destination charge of $835.)
Exterior

As noted the coupe shares the sedan’s 106.3-inch wheelbase, a 3.1-inch stretch versus the previous generation. But at 176.9 inches, the new coupe is an inch shorter than the previous version, 1.8 inches wider (70.8 inches), a smidge lower (0.1 inch) at 54.9 inches, with much wider track: 60.9 inches front, 61.5 rear, increases of 1.9 and 1.6 inches, respectively.
And even though the coupe is an inch shorter, its overhangs, the portions of the car that extend beyond the front and rear axles, have shrunk even more, by 1.4 inches front, 3.0 inches rear.
Compared to the new sedan, the coupe is 5.4 inches shorter, and almost an inch lower.
If the image objective is cool and athletic, the Civic has it covered. It’s lean, sexy, and ready to rock and roll.
Interior

Inside, the coupe has the same high quality materials that distinguish the sedan. That includes first rate bucket seats, and a rear seat actually habitable by adults. Though the new car is an inch shorter than the previous coupe, and substantially shorter than the sedan, Honda’s interior designers, long celebrated for creating space inside that seems physically impossible for a given set of exterior dimensions, have expanded rear seat legroom by 2.2 inches.
The stretched wheelbase is the key to this design legerdemain. Honda has also increased the coupe’s rear headroom, even though the roof is a smidge lower. This was achieved by lowering the seating positions slightly, and the car’s center of gravity along with them. Also, a new electric parking brake eliminates the traditional mechanism, recovering space in the center console area. All good.
And as you’d expect of any new car, the coupe’s connectivity and telematics have been enhanced, with the same infotainment features and options that made their debut with the sedan. The new nav system, in particular, is a big improvement on the previous generation, much easier to program, much more helpful with traffic problems and alternate routes.
On the downside, Honda’s love affair with touch screen secondary controls continues to border on obsessive, not a **** or switch to be seen. The volume slide control is particularly irritating, very difficult to be precise if the car is jiggling around at all, though the driver can alter volume via a little thumb switch on the steering wheel.
The word irritating also brings to mind a couple of new available safety features: adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking; and lane departure warning with lane-keeping assist.
Like all of these systems, the Civic’s adaptive cruise leaves too big a gap to the car in front, even at the closest setting, allowing interlopers to cut in front. Turn it off to dissect traffic and the system’s radar is spring-loaded for panic, constantly flashing a BRAKE! warning on a screen below and between the major instruments. Fortunately, we never quite initiated the autonomous braking feature.
The lane departure/lane-keeping system flashes a warning when the car treads close to a center or edge line and the driver hasn’t signaled a lane change. Then it jiggles the wheel to nudge the car back to the path of true righteousness. The sensation is similar to that produced by a bad wheel bearing.
There is some comic relief. When the system gets to the wheel jiggling stage, another warning flashes in the instrument binnacle: STEERING REQUIRED! Oh, really?
Fortunately, this system can be turned off.
Driving Impressions

Our Civic Coupe experience is so far limited to models equipped with the 1.5-liter turbo. It delivers brisk acceleration: 60 mph comes up in about six and a half seconds, but the coupe’s real forte is agility; it feels even handier than the sedan. The sedan gets high marks for its solid structure, but the coupe takes chassis rigidity a step further, with selective stiffening around front and rear suspension mounting points, as well as slightly firmer suspension tuning.
The suspension components vary slightly across the various trim levels, but the bottom line overall is a coupe that’s quick on its feet, with eager responses to orders from the driver. Body motions are modest, even in hard cornering, and there’s absolutely no drama. It’s easy to be precise with this car in quick maneuvers, thanks to electric power steering that’s exceptionally quick (2.2 turns lock to lock), accurate, and tactile. And the steering wheel enhances the experience, with its just-right rim thickness and grippy feel.
There are limits to the coupe’s agility, of course. Like almost any front-drive car, the weight bias is decidedly forward, over the front wheels. And of course the front wheels are also putting power on the pavement. That’s the classic prescription for understeer: the faster the car is pushed into a corner, the more it wants to go straight.
The Civic coupe is no exception, but its understeer is progressive, and furnishes plenty of notice when the driver is exceeding its cornering limits. A more performance-oriented tire would probably raise the understeer threshold, like most new cars, Civics come with all-season rubber, and would probably shorten braking distances.
On the other hand, the brake system allows easy pressure modulation at the pedal, and is fade free, i.e., repeated hard stops won’t diminish performance.
On the comfort side of the scorecard, the slightly firmer suspension tuning doesn’t really have a negative effect on ride quality; it’s compliant enough to take the edge off edgy bumps and expansion joints. And Honda’s efforts with sound insulation pay off here, just as it does in the sedan. The new Civics raise the standard for quiet operation among compact cars.
Final Word

Stylish, sophisticated, refined, comfortable and agile, the new Civic Coupe does everything well, and looks good doing it. There are compact coupes that offer significantly more performance, the BMW 2 Series, for example, but not in this price range. The BMW 2 coupes start about $10,000 north of where Civic Coupe pricing leaves off. Coupes may be about style and image. But a strong value proposition certainly sweetens the deal.
Tony Swan is, among other things, the founding editor of New Car Test Drive.