Washington - American Honda Motor's spokesmen told me their company was
selling a new hatchback in the United States. I thanked them for the
information and filed it somewhere in the back of my cluttered mind.
Hondas are among my favourite cars. But, let's face it, the little
Civic, be it sedan, coupe or hatchback - and it hasn't been hatchback in
America for a while - has never been a style leader. It always has been a
wonderfully ordinary little car - remarkable for its reliability, efficiency
and safety. Except in 2008-2009, when Japanese supplier Takata smeared its
safety reputation with fatally faulty air bags.
Honda has been fighting back ever since and doing a very
good job of it, but not good enough for me to be excited by news of a new Civic
hatchback.
Still, it helps to keep an open mind. It protects you from
having yours blown, as mine almost was when the 2017 Honda Civic Sport Touring
hatchback was delivered to my driveway.
It is a hatchback with attitude, certainly the most
attractive Civic I've ever seen. It wears a sporty front fascia, sculptured
side panels and an uplifted rear that gives the compact, front-wheel-drive car
an in-flight appearance.
At first, about the second day behind its wheel, I thought
the new styling was too much; too bold a departure from the vanilla approach to
reality that characterized predecessor Civics. I radically changed my mind by
the end of the week.
Whoever thought of this new Civic hatchback design should
get a promotion or a raise. Seriously. People in my generation, baby boomers
who have "seen it all," loved the excellently functional,
simple-as-a-straight-line early Civics. They were a welcome counter to the chrome-laden,
gas-guzzling, almost-as-dysfunctional-as-a-politician cars rolling out of
Detroit.
Note to the Trump administration: You might want to do a serious,
academic study of the US automobile industry. You'll find that American
companies didn't start making their cars elsewhere solely in pursuit of cheaper
foreign labour. Asian and European auto manufacturers forced them to start
producing automobiles that Americans and almost everyone else preferred - cars
such as the little Civic. And, now, Honda has upped the ante again.
The 2017 Civic hatchback is offered in two trim levels,
Sport and Sport Touring. They are both snazzy. But the Sport Touring has
discernibly more attitude. It appeals to a younger generation - folks who love
functional simplicity but who also have a highly technical sense of style.
The Civic Sport Touring gives it to them. It also gives them a turbocharged 1.5-liter, gasoline
four-cylinder inline engine that delivers a respectable 174 horsepower and 162
pound-feet of torque.
Read also: Honda reveals edgy new Civic hatch
It does more - runs well on regular-grade gasoline at 31
miles per gallon in the city and 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
To me, the little Civics usually have been noisy cars, prone
to battering by high winds and rumbling on rough roads. The 2017 model is
substantially quieter, although not as quiet as one might expect given its
aggressive wind-cheating styling.