Road Test: Honda Civic Tourer 1.8 i-VTEC SR

The Honda Civic has been around since David Bowie was going through his Ziggy Stardust incarnation.

Since then the Civic has evolved through a plethora of generations, the latest of which is the Tourer.

In old money, tourer means ‘estate’. But estates aren’t called estates anymore, they’re called tourers.

The Honda Civic Tourer, is like the Honda Civic. But bigger. Longer.

2014 Honda Civic Tourer Adaptive Damper System button2014 Honda Civic Tourer Adaptive Damper System button
2014 Honda Civic Tourer Adaptive Damper System button

It’s a fine looking car, truth be told. Fine looking.

There are 12 models in the range, and I was testing the 1.8 i-VTEC SR model.

I’d heard word on the street that the Civic Tourer boasted quite an impressive boot, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The boot is humongous. Even with all the seats up there’s a whopping 624 litres of space in there. That’s enough to fit a five-a-side football team in. Or 624 litre bottles of water.

2014 Honda Civic Tourer boot, luggage space2014 Honda Civic Tourer boot, luggage space
2014 Honda Civic Tourer boot, luggage space

But is this motor all about good looks and big booty?

Not on your Nelly.

Inside you get leather upholstery and a space age dashboard loaded with some great tech.

A petrol estate/tourer is never going to win any frugality awards, but the clever Econ setting helps you squeeze as much mileage as possible out of every drop of unleaded.

2014 Honda Civic Tourer interior2014 Honda Civic Tourer interior
2014 Honda Civic Tourer interior

In a nutshell the Econ setting works by adjusting the performance of the engine, transmission, heating and cooling system/climate, control system, and cruise control.

Switch Econ off and you get a bit more oomph, a bit more of a dynamic drive, but at the price of poorer fuel economy.

It’s a trade-off, but it’s good to have the choice, and not something you get with other cars in its class.

There are also other handy features, such as being able to adjust the rear dampers at a press of a button.

The SR model also comes with Sat Nav, DVD player, voice activation, alloy foot pedals, cruise control, 17” alloys, start/stop, rear parking camera and a crystal clear sound system.

Sick of losing Nicky Campbell on 5 Live every time you drive under a bridge. Well, the Tourer’s DAB radio takes care of that.

There are also front and rear parking sensors, which I found handy when trying to guide this impressive length of metal into a 1980s era multi-storey car park bay without leaving impressively sized derriere hanging out.

All these things make the Civic Tourer easier and more fun to drive. It drives beautifully, and handles well in all conditions.

It’s no slouch and does 0-60 in 9.6 seconds and has a top speed of 130mph.

The is also a 1.6 diesel model for those who are more concerned about fuel economy.

The Civic has been popular for donkeys years, and on this evidence the bigger Tourer version looks set to follow suit.

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