2015 Honda Civic Road Test & Review

by Lyndon Bell

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September 21, 2014

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7 min. Reading Time

With a reputation so outstanding it’s almost become clichéd, the extraordinarily versatile Honda Civic family of automobiles encompasses a model variant for just about everyone.

For the conservative driver, a standard Civic sedan will fill the bill quite nicely. If you’re environmentally concerned, there are the Civic Natural Gas and Civic Hybrid models. If you’re single, looking to mingle, and feeling like a four-door sedan will cramp your style, there are a variety of Civic coupes.

Aimed at the fire breathing sporty car intenders in the audience, Civic Si delivers a high winding, racing-like engine in both coupe and sedan formats. If you’re tech-oriented and wanting all the latest bells and whistles, Civic EX-L with Navigation will deliver you a cockpit bristling with a strong helping of the latest tech.

Yes, there really is a Honda Civic for every driver, and what’s more, they’re all remarkably affordable for what they deliver. Oh, and did we mention the fuel economy of each variant is wholly competitive with any other car you’ll find out there? If you want conventional but even more economical, opt for a Civic HF model, with a standard powertrain delivering fuel economy bettering that of many other manufacturer’s hybrid models.

Models & Pricing

As we indicated in the introduction there is an incredibly broad variety of Civic models. More than we can reasonably discuss in any detail here and expect to hold your attention.

Here’s a brief overview of the pricing for the 2015 Honda Civic lineup.

Civic LX is the base model and starts at $18,400. Civic HF slots just above LX with a base price of $20,040. Next up the ladder of Civic progression (equipment-wise) is the SE, which is a new trim package for 2015, priced at $19,990. (Typically, when Honda introduces an SE trim package it presages an all-new model for the following year.) Civic EX is next in terms of level of equipment, priced at $21,190. Civic EX-L comes in at $22,840, and the top of the Civic Sedan lineup is the Civic EX-L Sedan Navi at $24,340.

On the Civic Coupe side, the LX starts at $18,290; the EX Coupe starts at $20,390, while the Civic EX-L Coupe commands a base price of $22,640. Topping out the two-door lineup, the Civic EX-L Coupe Navi starts at $24,140.

As of this writing, pricing for the 2015 Honda Civic Natural Gas, Civic Hybrid and Civic Si variants had yet to be announced.

Design

The windswept styling of the Honda Civic, which looked futuristic and edgy when the model was introduced back in 2012, looks a bit dated today. The styling of the Civic Coupe was updated with new front and rear treatments for the 2014 model year, so they go into 2015 unchanged. Civic sedan got its last styling update back in 2013, lending further credence to the speculation an all-new model is on the horizon for 2016.

Based upon Honda’s one-motion profile styling language, the Civic’s dramatically raked windshield, arching roof line, long nose, and short rear deck are all intended to make the car look as if it is in motion, even when it is at rest. The thin A-pillars stretch far forward to afford occupants improved outward visibility, while also adding “lightness” to the design. What’s more, they lend the impression of a more spacious interior to Civic.

At the trailing edge of the greenhouse, the C-pillars are elongated toward the rear of the car, adding to the stretched appearance of the Honda. Finally, Civic’s low and wide stance support the notion the Honda is both solidly planted and handles competently—which in fact, Civics just so happen to do.

Features & Controls

The interior design is dominated by a two-tier dash treatment, which places the speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature gauge, and trip computer (AKA Intelligent Multi-Information Display) readouts just below the road so the driver’s attention isn’t diverted from what’s happening out there for an overly extended period.

When you examine the layout of the controls, you’ll immediately note like features are grouped together, almost in clusters. We especially appreciate the employ of dials and knobs for the climate system, rather than the touch-sensitive stuff so in vogue today. Yes, touch sensitive controls do make the instrument panel look cleaner, but they’re also a pain in the left foot to use.

Interestingly though, while Honda nails this in pretty much every respect for all other functions, the 7-inch display audio radio is almost nightmarish because it strays away from this strategy. We understand the need for some functions to be menu driven, given the sheer number of features the system offers. However, the radio should always have two dials; one for turning it on and off and adjusting the volume, and another for tuning stations and adjusting the sound quality.

Call us old-fashioned if you will, but dials simply work faster and better in this regard.

Comfort & Cargo

Both Civic Sedan and Coupe offer admirable leg and headroom for the compact category. The Coupe, as you might expect, is tighter in the back seat. As far as quality of interior accommodations, Honda is noted for its high level of fit and finish. The company also employs premium-feeling materials. While these cars are affordable, they really don’t feel cheap. Cargo capacity for the Coupe is 11.7 cubic feet in the trunk, while the sedan boasts 12.5.

Standard equipment for the base model 2015 Honda Civic LX includes full power accessories, A/C, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity and audio streaming, as well as a rear view camera, text message functionality, and Pandora Internet radio.

The best value in a 2015 Civic Sedan is the SE trim package, which adds Honda’s 7-inch display audio system with smartphone integration, automatic climate control, Honda’s Lane watch blind spot monitoring camera, and a continuously variable transmission as standard equipment to the LX’s offerings.

Ascending through the trim range, the EX models add features like automatic headlights, four disc brakes (LX gets rear drums), keyless entry and ignition, a sunroof, a blind spot camera for the right side of the car, navigation, an HDMI interface, and smartphone integration.

Safety & Crash Test Ratings

All 2015 Honda Civic models employ stability control, antilock brakes (EX and Si get four-wheel discs, the others run rear drums), front side airbags, side curtain airbags, and a rearview camera. EX/EX-L versions also include a right-side blind spot camera (LaneWatch). This year's updated HondaLink system also includes emergency crash notification.

In NHTSA crash testing the Civic sedan scored the agency’s best, five-star rating overall. The model earned four stars in total frontal impact events and five stars for total side crash events. Civic Coupe scored four stars overall; four stars for frontal and five for side crashes.

The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) awarded the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe its highest possible rating of "Good" in the small-overlap frontal offset crashes (see the videos below), which is one of the toughest tests of all. Most cars barely make acceptable in this category. The Civics also scored ‘Good” in moderate-overlap frontal offset, side impact, and roof strength tests. The IIHS also ranked Civic's seat and head restraint designs "Good" for whiplash protection when subjected to rear impacts.

Engines & Fuel Economy

A 1.8-liter, inline four-cylinder engine producing 143 horsepower and 129 ft-lbs of torque powers most Civic models. Civic LX pairs it with a choice of a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which was added to the front-wheel drive powertrain for the 2014 model year. All other trims get the CVT as standard, though Civic EX Coupe does offer the manual transmission as an option.

Fuel economy with the 1.8 and the manual transmission is rated at 28-mpg city, 36 on the highway, and 31 combined. The CVT returns 30-mpg city, 39 on the highway and 30 combined—in all Civic applications except the high mileage HF model, which delivers 31-mpg city, 41 highway, and 35 combined.

Civic Hybrid’s powertrain uses a 1.5-liter gasoline-fired engine and a lithium-ion battery-powered electric motor good for a total system output of 110 horsepower and 127 ft-lbs of torque. The CVT comes standard. Fuel economy is rated at 44-mpg city, 47 on the highway, and 45 combined.

Civic Natural Gas runs the 1.8-liter with a five-speed conventional automatic and returns 27-mpg in the city, 38 on the highway, and 31 combined, while producing no tailpipe emissions at all—only water vapor.

Civic Si goes with a 205-horsepower, 2.4-liter four, good for 174 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is employed. Fuel economy (when driven moderately) is 22-mpg city, 31 highway, and 25 combined.

Driving Impressions

With so many other attributes going for it, the Civic’s road manners are just one more aspect of the car to praise. Smoothness, coupled with fluidity and ease of handling are the primary characteristics here. Some bemoan the lack of steering feedback from the electric power steering system, but we found it to be perfectly adequate.

Honda’s 1.8-liter engine is a competent performer, though it doesn’t set the world on fire in terms of its performance potential. However, it is nicely responsive and delivers very strong fuel economy, so we give it a pass on the performance side of the equation. After all, it is adequate for the Civic’s basic mission in life.

The high mileage versions of the Civic on the other hand are a bit on the slow side. Not dangerously so, but not thrilling either. Of course anybody buying a Civic Hybrid or the Natural Gas Civic and expecting to scream down the highway with their hair on fire, is wasting both time and money.

In all of these applications, the CVT performs commendably. Of course, much of its success is due to the smoothness of the engine. In so many other cars the way the CVT lets the engine run hard reveals their thrashy nature. This is not a trait of the Honda’s 1.8.

Being the performance-minded creatures we are, Honda’s Civic Si is always a favorite whenever it shows up for a road test. The engine loves to wind, produce good thrust, and coupled with the precision of Honda’s manual gearboxes, is an absolute joy to drive. You can spend a lot more money for a lot less fun than you’ll get from a Honda Civic Si.

Final Thoughts

There was a time when the Honda Civic was the no-questions-asked, hands-down definitive model in its class. And while the Civic is still an extraordinary car the Koreans are nipping at the Civic’s heels rather hungrily.

That said, with a Honda Civic you get outstanding build quality, exceptional fit and finish, and above average reliability. You literally have to try to kill a Civic—they seldom break. The Civic can also be had with such a broad variety of personalities.

The base models represent the “practical” choices, as they consume less fuel, require less space to park, and are neat and tidy and comfortable to drive. If you’re loving all of that, but like a nice smattering of luxurious touches, the Civic EX models layer on wonderful bits of comfort and convenience kit—stuff you used to only find in luxury cars.

If high mileage and/or low emissions are more of a priority, no other maker offers so many different ways to be environmentally conscious in one product line. Between the HF, Hybrid, and Natural Gas Civics, you’re bound to find a workable strategy for your personal preferences.

And then, of course, with the Si iteration of the Civic’s high-winding engine, slick manual shifter, and handling oriented chassis tuning; there really is a Civic for pretty much everybody.