Honda Civic Hatchback (06-11) - Review

While the Civic is roomy the rear is lacking in headroom for taller passengers and care needs to be taken in the five-door model to avoid hitting your head on the rear pillar on the way in. The large pillars also make you feel hemmed in, but the interior is comfortable and should carry five people without complaint. Climate control is standard from SE specification upwards and on the Type S plus electric windows are fitted across the range.

The new Civic offers superb luggage space with a 485 litre capacity - that's 100-litres more than the Ford Focus, plus the boot features a neat twin-level floor. But it's the rear seats that are the Civic's cleverest feature - they fold flat in one go, or alternatively the bases can be lifted up - there's also extra storage space underneath the chairs. This is an area where the Honda is way ahead of the alternatives. However there are gripes - rear visibility is obscured slightly by the spoiler in the split rear screen and there's no rear wiper either, the bottom pane has a water-repellent coating that Honda claims clears itself - but in practice it doesn't really work and collects dirt easily.

The interior of the Civic is equally as futuristic as the outside. The dash uses something Honda calls the Dual Link Concept - this puts the most important controls up high while less important switches are lower down. As a result you'll find the ventilation and stereo controls at the same level as the steering wheel, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. The driving position is excellent and there's plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering column while the three-spoke multifunction steering wheel is a wonderful piece of design. The blue back-lit dash with it's digital read out creates a 3D effect, although it's sometimes hard to see as the arched plastic instrument cover reflects light in bright sunshine. Overall, the quality of materials and robust build really impress.