It’s rare that concept cars are put into production without much being changed in terms of design, but there was such overwhelming support for the Honda Civic hatch concept when it debuted a few years ago that Honda decided to put it into production without changing much of the original concept.
A concept car is a prototype that showcases a new vehicle’s styling, technology and overall design to gauge customer reaction to new ideas before production of the vehicle starts.
Thanks to Honda taking a chance on a concept vehicle, we now have a very striking eighth generation Civic hatchback that looks as if the Japanese manufacturer might have somehow kidnapped an alien and set him to work in its design department because this car is about the most futuristic and unearthly car on our roads.
Everything from the funky wraparound lights at the front to the triangular exhaust at the back signals the Civic’s intention to be a cut above the rest.
Of course, when I got into the 1,8 litre I was testing recently, I wondered if the creativity shown in the exterior design would flow into the car and it certainly did.
The dashboard is made up of three levels with the digital speedometer situated quite high above the rev counter.
Initially, I thought this was a bad idea as it might prove to be distracting, but it wasn’t. If anything, I was simply more aware of the speeds I was driving at and that’s not such a bad thing because the Civic hatch is a very athletic little car.
Like most Hondas on our roads, its six-speed manual gearbox is silky smooth and its steering is quite precise, so you feel confident about driving at high speeds, whether on straight or twisty roads.
The interior is comfortable, spacious and sporty and it features a CD/radio that is integrated into the dashboard thereby making it extremely difficult to steal.
Features include a push-start button, multi-function steering wheel, aircon, aluminium pedals, as well as four airbags, ABS, EBD and more.
On the open road, there wasn’t much vehicle noise and the fact that a great deal of torque is available lower down the rev range meant that overtaking was as easy as pie.
The engine did sound a bit stressed at high revs, though.
Overall, the Civic hatch is technically sound and is certainly more than just a pretty face as it was impressive in practically all aspects from ride comfort and handling to safety and steering.
And, of course, it scores 10 out of 10 for outlandishly creative design.
Fact file
Model: Honda Civic hatch 1,8-litre VXi
Price: R204 000
Engine: 1,8 litre
Tech: 103kw, 174Nm
Top Speed: 205kph 0-100kph in 8,9 seconds
Tank: 50 litres
Services: 15 000km