Honda Civic Tourer, first drive and presentation in Rome

As we already mentioned on Highmotor, the new Honda Civic Tourer will go on sale in February 2014 in our country. It will be the compact-based estate with the largest boot in its segment, with a total of 624 litres, and we were able to test it at its European presentation in Rome.

In the Italian capital we got to try the 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine with 120 CV, check the space it offers both in its generous boot and in the rear seats, and analyse the new adaptive rear suspension that the Honda Civic Tourer debuts.

Exterior design with flowing and very distinctive lines

Some cars make little impression and are just one more on the road. The Civic Tourer, I am sure, will not go unnoticed wherever it goes. The current generation of the five-door Honda Civic already has a design that sets it apart from other compacts, with sharp, modern, avant-garde lines, and the estate was not going to be any different.

Seen from the front, the car is identical to the five-door Civic, but the differences show in the side profile and at the rear. It is a large car: it measures 4.5 metres and is only 10 mm taller than the five-door version.

In the side profile the integrated rear door handles are retained, but the D-pillar is also made to disappear by extending the rear glass, giving a greater sense of fluidity.

Although the rear is undoubtedly the highlight, with the red light surround extending across the whole tailgate and the Honda logo also outlined in red (in keeping with the brand’s nod to the Type R). At the bottom, a styling pack is available that adds a sportier rear bumper in a material that imitates carbon fibre.

Spacious interior and class-leading boot

Stepping inside, we find a driver’s position identical to that of the five-door Civic: an avant-garde layout split into two levels (the lower section houses the temperature, rev and fuel gauges, and the upper section shows the speed in digital format).

It may look strange in photos, but when you sit behind the wheel it is very practical because the information is arranged on two levels, and with the speed displayed in a higher position we take our eyes off the road less. The cockpit wraps around the driver, although the seating position is slightly low.

In the rear seats, since the roofline is maintained, headroom is greater than in the five-door and anyone up to 1.80 metres will be comfortable. Legroom is adequate and within the norm for the segment.

The boot is the key to the Civic Tourer: with 624 litres it beats other MPVs and most saloons. But beyond being spacious, it is also practical, as Honda has shown us by fitting up to six suitcases in the boot (large and small). The secret lies in its square shape and the fuel tank placed under the front seats, and there is also a space beneath the boot floor that takes two hand luggage bags (117 litres) plus several side compartments for small items.

If you need to carry something bulky, such as bicycles or surfboards, or to move house with the car, you will have no problem either, because the boot is wide (more than a metre across). To complete the package there is a folding parcel shelf and the option of a dividing net or hooks in the boot (depending on the version).

Engine range and road test of the Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC diesel with 120 CV

The only engines available for the Honda Civic Tourer will be the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel with 120 CV, which features Earth Dreams Technology, and the 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol with 142 CV.

We tested the diesel Civic Tourer, the version that will account for the largest share of sales in our country. The engine strikes a very good balance between performance and efficient consumption. If you want to go quickly, the engine pulls hard and moves the estate along with ease, while a more relaxed driving style keeps consumption really low.

It is a very flexible engine with good response from low revs up to over 4,000 rpm, where it runs out of steam. Add a gearbox with a precise feel and the combination is perfect. In our test, sporty driving came out at around 6.8 litres, while more relaxed driving held at 5 litres per 100 km (although the official combined figure is 3.8 l/100 km).

One novelty is the adaptive rear suspension, with three modes: normal, comfort and dynamic. It is an option only available on the two most complete trim levels, but it is worthwhile because it improves the car’s dynamics and limits body roll when driving more spiritedly.

We tested it with the car unladen, carrying just two occupants, on a winding road. The response was very good: in Dynamic mode the ride is firmer and body movement is reduced, while in comfort mode it is the opposite. If no mode is selected, the car tends towards sportier or more comfortable behaviour depending on how it is driven.

Equipment: safety as standard

The Honda Civic has earned the five stars from Euro NCAP, and the Civic Tourer by extension. What also stands out is the comprehensive list of systems available depending on the trim level, many of them typical of higher segments:

• Forward collision warning (with adaptive cruise control), which detects the risk of a frontal collision by recognising the vehicle travelling ahead in the opposite direction using a multi-purpose camera.
• Automatic high beam, which switches the headlights between high and low beam and turns them on or off according to traffic, speed and the lighting conditions of the road.
• Lane departure warning
• Traffic sign recognition system, which uses the multi-purpose camera to detect road signs while the vehicle is moving
• Blind spot warning, with an audible alert as soon as we switch on the indicator if a car is in the blind spot.
• Rear proximity radar with rear cross-traffic alert

The rest of the equipment is organised into four trim levels: Confort, Sport, LifeStyle and Executive (the last two include the adaptive suspension). Prices are not yet known, although we can say that it will be around 1,000 euros more expensive than the five-door Civic, and we expect prices for our market to be announced after the New Year.

Photos | Diego G. Moreira

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackHonda Civic3 versions · from 36,300 €