In This Story
Economic system vehicles usually are not precisely identified for being enthralling driving machines. For probably the most half, they’re meant to convey you from level A to level B as effectively and with as little fuss as potential. However, generally an economic system automobile could be a entire lot greater than that. Enter the 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
Honda determined to position its sensible little dual-motor hybrid system from the Accord and CR-V into the Civic Hatchback and Sedan for the 2025 mannequin year, and the result’s a automobile that simply is likely to be the most effective NPC-mobile your hard-earned cash should purchase. Truly, the Civic Hybrid is so great it has damaged freed from the NPC allegations. What Honda has here’s a handsome, sensible, economical, well-equipped hybrid that can win over nearly anybody — together with lovers who look to the Si because the budget-focused enjoyable possibility.
Full Disclosure: Honda flew me right down to Nashville, put me up in a swanky resort and handled me to every little thing the Music Metropolis needed to supply, all so I may drive the Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
I’ve pushed a hell of plenty of hybrids in any respect completely different value factors from all types of producers, and I’ve gotta say, the Civic’s is nearly the most effective within the biz in the case of slick operation and actually strong effectivity. What we’ve bought right here is Honda’s “Two-Motor” hybrid system that makes it probably the most highly effective non–Kind R Civic ever made. The naturally 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4 is connected to a two-motor sequence hybrid system. There’s no actual transmission, although Honda says it has an “eCVT.” This little energy unit produces a complete of 200 horsepower (the identical because the Civic Si) and a very sturdy 232 pound-feet of torque that’s accessible from 0 RPM. By itself, the fuel motor makes 141 horsepower, and the AC Synchronous Everlasting-Magnet Electrical Motor makes 181 horsepower.
The entire package deal makes for a very peppy driving expertise whereas nonetheless returning implausible gasoline economic system. Honda says the Civic Hatchback Hybrid will get 50 mpg metropolis, 45 mpg freeway and 48 mpg mixed. Granted, I couldn’t obtain these numbers on my 45-mile check loop, however I used to be driving like a goofy goober via the backroads outdoors of Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve little doubt that when you drive this factor extra gently in Economic system mode you’ll hit these marketed numbers after which some.
The issue is that the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is so goddamn enjoyable to drive that you simply gained’t need to drive it like a boring commuter automobile. Like all Civics, it’s a superb handler. Positive, it weighs a bit greater than the Civic Si — Honda says it’s someplace within the 3,400 pound-range — however the returned suspension, a 0.4-inch-lower heart of gravity and wholesome energy figures means you may have enjoyable when the highway will get twisty. The Hybrid’s steering really feel can be wonderful, as you’ll have anticipated from the engineers at Honda.
There’s no actual technique to management the “transmission,” nevertheless it does make faux shifts pretty much as good as any CVT I’ve pushed. Actually, it feels quite a bit like a very well-tuned computerized with actual gears. Driving the Civic onerous isn’t precisely horrible for gasoline economic system, both. There’s selectable regenerative braking with 4 modes managed by paddle shifters, and while you put the automobile in Sport mode, the regen degree you chose will keep the place you left it (it defaults to 0 regen in Regular and Econ mode). I used to be capable of virtually fully recharge the automobile’s battery utilizing regenerative braking whereas in Sport mode, which was fairly neat to see. The Sport Touring trims additionally get an Particular person drive mode that permits you to customise your drive setting.
Like all Eleventh-gen Civics, the Hybrid Hatchback is a great-looking automobile. Not an excessive amount of has modified on the skin, however for 2025 the Civic will get a extra aggressive grille and entrance fascia, borrowing from the Civic Si. The Hybrid additionally loses the tailpipes out again for a extra eco-conscious look. Different minor tweaks embrace new 18-inch wheels, black window trim, black aspect mirrors, and physique colour trim for the grille encompass, entrance spoiler and again bumper insert. The automobile is modest, for positive, nevertheless it’s nonetheless extraordinarily good-looking. For those who ask me, it’s the best-looking of all of the compact vehicles you should purchase proper now.
Inside it’s the same story to the skin. Not an excessive amount of has modified, however the updates actually do make a distinction within the total package deal. I drove a completely loaded Sport Touring Hybrid with a $34,500 as-tested value; the bottom Sport Hybrid begins at $31,045, together with vacation spot. To your cash, the Sport Touring Hybrid has principally each in-car characteristic you might hope for, together with a brand new 10.2-inch totally digital gauge cluster and a 9-inch infotainment display (each of that are tremendous simple to make use of and have a slick operation), implausible adaptive cruise management and lane-keeping help (amongst a slew of different Honda Sensing security options), dual-zone local weather management, heated entrance seats, two USB-C ports up entrance, Google Constructed-In with a 3-year information plan (solely accessible on Sport Touring), a 12-speaker Bose audio system, leather-based seats, a sunroof and, after all, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
What extra may you really need from a automobile that prices greater than $17,000 lower than the common new automobile? You’ll be hard-pressed to search out one other sub-$40,000 automobile with a nicer inside. It’s simply laid out so rattling nicely, every little thing is strictly the place you anticipate it to be.
There are not any gimmicks contained in the Civic, and that’s an excellent factor. Construct high quality can be actually good for such an inexpensive automobile. There are many nicer-than-the-price-would-suggest supplies, particularly on high-traffic touchpoints. The within of this automobile offers plenty of higher-end automobiles an actual run for his or her cash.
Honda is launching the Civic Hybrid in each Hatchback and Sedan types, and when you’re keen to pay the additional cash for the hatch, I actually recommend you do. Neglect the appears and all of that great things, the hatch merely has extra room on the within in your stuff and your issues. Honda says this little automobile has 99 cubic toes of passenger quantity and 24.5 cubic toes of rear cargo room. That’s on par with plenty of smaller crossovers. Rear-seat passengers will even be handled to 37.1 inches of headroom and 37.4 inches of legroom, each the identical because the Civic sedan. At 6-foot-1, I may pretty comfortably sit behind my very own driving place. That’s not one thing I can do in lots of similar-sized vehicles.
Proper now, hybrids are extra widespread than ever, so it is smart for Honda to convey this automobile to the market. There’s stiff competitors on the market from the likes of Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. Automobiles just like the Prius and Corolla Hybrid are each compelling packages, however they fall in need of the brand new benchmark the Civic Hatchback Hybrid has set. For related costs, there’s simply no beating the Civic’s implausible mixture of appears, efficiency and practicality.
After I was first assigned this journey, I used to be largely excited to drive the 2025 Civic Si. Nonetheless, after spending a day with Honda’s little hybrid, I’ve bought to say it gained me over in an enormous manner. Regardless of its economy-focused underpinnings, this Civic is an actual performer, and I’ve bought a sense it’s going to win over the hearts and minds not solely of parents who need strong efficiency however individuals who might have been a crossover. To be sincere, the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is so compelling, I can’t consider a purpose you’d select an much more NPC-like compact crossover over it. It simply might have reset the benchmark for economic system vehicles all over the place.
