Take one look at the 2020 Honda Civic hatchback, and you’ll either find its robotic-looking exterior polarizing or look past it. If you did the latter, congratulations: You’ve stumbled upon the best iteration of the popular compact car. In addition to subtle styling tweaks toning down its looks, the range-topping 2020 Honda Civic Sport Touring is now available with a six-speed manual transmission, expanding its appeal to a broader range of consumers. We’ve got our hands on this exact model to see how it performs and if you should consider one as a daily driver.
Simply Entertaining
Since its debut as a 2016 model, the Honda Civic has remained the benchmark in the compact segment because of its exceptional chassis tuning. That remains true with the 2020 Civic hatchback, especially in the Sport and Sport Touring models equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels shod in 235/40R18 tires. On the daily commute, the Civic rides superbly, adeptly absorbing imperfections and uneven surfaces; even if you hit a pothole while taking a corner, it stays composed. The cabin remains quiet, too, with little road- and wind noise entering the interior.
Complementing the comfortable ride is handling that puts the Honda at the top of the pack; minimal body roll, accurate steering, and a playful chassis make the Civic a joy to drive. At the track, the Civic finished the figure-eight course in 26.5 seconds with a 0.66 g average, and it generated 0.90 g of lateral grip on the skid pad. Although it’s nimble, testing director Kim Reynolds observed that it understeers at the limit and has an overly intrusive stability control system that’s also undefeatable.
Every 2020 Honda Civic hatchback, except the 306-hp Type R, gets a 1.5-liter turbo-four paired to a six-speed manual or CVT. Our tester came with the former, which is one of the easiest units to use. Although it had long throws, they were smooth, accurate, and easy to slot in. The light clutch doesn’t have a clear engagement point, and there’s excessive rev hang, which road test editor Chris Walton found annoying during testing. Brake pedal feel remained reassuring, even after a couple stints through Angeles Crest Highway. Stopping from 60 mph took 113 feet with a firm pedal feel and little dive, but Walton noted that the distance crept up on consecutive stops.
Opting for the Civic Sport or Sport Touring gets you the 180-hp, 177-lb-ft version of the 1.5-liter turbo-four with the manual transmission (the CVT has 162 lb-ft of torque). There’s prominent turbo lag initially, but once you’re past 3,000 rpm, the engine has plenty of power on tap. Walton noted that launching and controlling wheel spin was easy, enabling our Civic to hit 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and run the quarter mile in 15.3 seconds at 91.3 mph.
Practical Solutions
For its size, the 2020 Honda Civic hatchback is incredibly practical. It has plenty of usable space with its 60/40 seatbacks folded, two mobile device tray under the center stack, and a configurable center console. Passenger space is equally useful; front and rear passengers have plenty of head- and legroom, making the Civic an excellent road trip vehicle. Quibbles? The rear window’s angle limits your ability to stack or carry tall items upright behind the rear seats.
All 2020 Honda Civic hatchbacks come standard with the Honda Sensing driver assistance suite. Lane keep assist does a great job preventing the vehicle from drifting into another lane. Its centering feature, on the other hand, gets confused when one lane splits into two. Adaptive cruise control leaves just the right distance between you and the vehicle ahead, and it works well together with the lane keep assist on a well-marked highway.
Now that it has a volume knob, Honda’s infotainment system is less distracting to use. Unfortunately, the 7.0-inch touchscreen is small, slow to respond, and easily overwhelmed if you make too many inputs. It could also use a tuning knob to help improve usability. Sport Touring models get a 540-watt, 12-speaker premium audio system that sounds clear but doesn’t do a good job distributing sound throughout the cabin even in surround sound mode.
Still the One
It’s easy to love the 2020 Honda Civic, especially in hatchback form because of its practicality and excellent road manners. Sure, it’s got an unconventional shape, but clever packaging ensures practicality isn’t sacrificed. No other compact car is as multi-talented as the Honda Civic hatchback, and that’s why it’s at the top of its class. Many automakers have tried and a few have gotten close, but none have succeeded in dethroning the Civic to date.
The post 2020 Honda Civic Sport Touring First Test: Even Better With a Hatch appeared first on MotorTrend.
Source: WORLD NEWS
