European Press Launch, Rome

Honda transported many Civic Tourers from the plant in Swindon, where they are to be built, to the City of Rome where we had chance to see and drive this latest addition to the Civic family. We also had chance to test, at length, the recently launched 1.6 diesel engine.

We have driven the latest Civic hatchback many times before and also the new diesel engine. But it was a good chance to test the new body style with this new cleaner and more efficient diesel engine.

The latest Civic was introduced with just one diesel engine option, the tried and tested 2.2 litre unit. It was obvious from the outset that this was not going to be a popular choice with buyers, due to the higher than sector average Co2 figures it produced. It wasn't long after launch that Honda announced the new smaller engine and then not long after that it was announced the 2.2 was no longer available and it was dropped from price lists and ordering systems. It was a brave and bold decision, yet one that was ultimately necessary.

The Civic Tourer is basically the estate version of the hatchback and quite a pretty looking estate it is too. It has coupe styling lines, with a roof that slopes away at the rear and like the hatch, it has hidden rear door handles making it look even sportier. The rear windows are shaped to make it look less like an estate, which does make it look great from the exterior. But this design restricts rear and side visibility a little, which we did find a bit awkward when parking.

Despite the sloping roof, there is still plenty of space in the luggage compartment. In fact it is huge and you have to wonder where all the room came from, when you consider it is a C-Sector estate. The boot load area has two levels; you can either leave the false floor in place so the load floor is level with the tailgate sill or you can remove it and have a step down, which creates a larger load capacity.

The rear parcel shelf can be removed and stored neatly out of the way under the floor and therefore you don't need to leave it at home, on the back seat or anywhere else that it may be lost or damaged. We thought this was a very useful feature. 

The rear seats can be folded completely flat and can be put up and down again using one hand. With them folded, the Civic has almost van like load carrying capacity.

Honda describe the rear seats as 'Magic Folding'  which means the base can be folded upwards, positioning them up against the back rest part of the seat. I cannot understand why they have done this as it does not, in my opinion, serve any useful purpose. The only thing magical about them is if you put something on the floor in the rear foot well, you may find that it has magically disappeared by the end of your journey. Is it a good idea or a bad design? Honda and I seem to disagree on this one.

The 1.6 litre diesel engine produces 120ps, goes from 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 121mph. It has Co2 emission figures ranging from 99g/km to 103g/km, which places it in and amongst its competitors. The only petrol engine on offer is a1.8i-VTEC. This produces 142ps and goes from 0-62 in 9.2 seconds, has a top speed of 130mph when mated manual transmission and 11.4 seconds and 127 mph with the 5 speed automatic transmission. The Co2 figures range from 146g/km to 155g/km.

The new 1.6 diesel is a sweet engine which is quiet and refined and has more than enough power, although we did only get chance to drive it with two people on board and no luggage. But it felt as though it would be more than adequate even when fully loaded. 

We drove it on a variety of roads, most of which were up to normal Italian standard. It rode the lumps, bumps, cracks and potholes well, without any creaks or squeaks from anywhere in the car.

The Tourer can be ordered with rear Adaptive Damping System which gives various settings for the rear suspension. It was explained in great detail, most of which went over my head and I can't really understand why anyone would pay extra for this option, as it seemed pretty good without it. Although it does become a standard feature on the higher specification derivatives

The trims available when the Civic Tourer goes on sale early 2014 will be the S, SE Plus, SR and EX Plus. With prices ranging from £20,265 to £27,685 OTR and it will be priced at a premium of £1,000 over the hatchback.

I enjoyed driving the Civic around Rome and surrounding countryside, it was a pleasure to drive, although I suspect that just like in the hatchback, getting the manufacturers’ mpg figures will be difficult, unless it is driven very gently by one of the ladies dressed in black and white and regularly seen around the Vatican.

Martin Ward, Manufacturer Relationship Manager