Chris Tsu
If there’s one thing in Toyota’s arsenal that rival Honda deserves to be frankly jealous of, it’s the Prius. For more than two decades, Toyota’s compact hybrid sedan has dominated the industry in terms of sales and shared mindset, becoming an environmental icon in its own right: everyone knows what a Prius is, everyone has driven one, and everyone knows someone who owns one. The Prius is to hybrid cars what Kleenex is to tissues. None of those things can be said, for example, about the Honda Insight.
But that didn’t stop the company from introducing a new rival and, in this case, one of the most productive price propositions out there today: the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid.
By 2025, the Civic as a whole will receive a mid-cycle update. On the outside, there’s a new lower front fascia, darker taillights on the sedan and new wheels. Inside, Honda hasn’t touched what works because, aside from some specific hybrid elements on the tool screen (10. 2 inches on this Sport Touring version) and the word “Hybrid” posted in the guide column, the interior is the same as before. Physical buttons and switches are used for anything that deserves to be a physical button or switch, HVAC buttons click satisfactorily, and screens are transparent and run conscientiously designed software.
Opt for Sport Touring and the nine-inch touchscreen now integrates with Google, Google Maps, and other media and navigation apps from the Play Store, and Google Assistant voice commands can be run natively (no need to plug in or attach them). ). Thankfully, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still there: Sport Touring can be connected to either of them wirelessly, the lower versions requiring cables at all times.
Overall, it’s as attractive and practical an interior as the Civic’s has been. Clean design, intuitive controls, decent materials, top-notch build quality, it’s all still there. However, if I had to point out one thing I wish was a little better, it’s the touchscreen hardware itself. It starts to look a little small and low-resolution compared to, say, competitor Hyundai.
The big improvement for 2025 is, of course, the addition of the hybrid powertrain. The Civic will be available in 4 trim levels: LX, Sport, Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid. The LX and Sport are powered by a naturally aspirated 2. 0-liter engine. An Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder engine (a new engine, whether or not it is) that makes 150 horsepower, while the two full-capacity Sport versions, as their full names suggest, are hybrids. Using the same dual-motor formula discovered in the Accord and CR-Hybrids V (one motor drives the wheels directly and the other powers the battery), the Civic Hybrid develops two hundred total horsepower and 232 lb. -ft. of torque. Honda says the hybrid setup is faster and more effective than the old 1. 5-liter turbo. that’s no longer available, probably out of the next updated SI.
“Reported excellence” is also a clever way to sum up what it really means to drive the updated Civic. And with the hybrid powertrain, it’s noticeably better. This car’s reliance on electric power provides it with strength comparable to that of an electric vehicle, especially from 0 to 20 mph, making it incredibly fun to get around downtown Montreal. Integration with the petrol engine is seamless and, aside from the admirably muted combustion noise, the Civic hybrid rushes down a road with a smoothness that is also reminiscent of all-electric cars. It’s not too noticeable when the music plays, but pay attention conscientiously and Honda’s hybrid formula still emits an electronic hum. It’s not boring or exciting, but it’s still something to pay attention to in a test drive.
The addition of regenerative braking didn’t introduce any problems to the pedal, at least not as far as I know, and the rest of the Civic’s driving pleasure is still enjoyable and admirably athletic. All 2025 Civics get chassis innovations such as retuned springs and shocks, stiffer upper suspension mounts and subframes up front, and stiffer lower suspension mounts. Rear torsional rigidity is increased by up to 3%, factory tires offer 19% less rolling resistance, the wheels of the Sport Touring have noise-reducing resonators, and the center of gravity of the entire car is reduced by 10mm.
And you know what? In my opinion, the 2025 Civic seems a bit more physically powerful than the last Civic I drove; It is one of the differences in which a consecutive comparison is needed to rule out the placebo effect. Anyway, the Civic Ya was a rock-solid vehicle and Honda went ahead and made it even stronger.
All the other virtues of the Civic in terms of driving are maintained. Visibility outside is pleasant and perfect thanks to the giant windows and narrow A-pillars. The guide is heavy enough, accurate enough and provides discreet visibility. emotion to use it, and everything moves with a solidity close to that of a luxury car on the road.
The popular Honda Sensing suite of assist-driving technologies has also been enhanced in this car. Acceleration and deceleration under adaptive cruise became smoother at traffic jam speeds and on hills, while lane keeping was also said to be smoothed. One road revealed a rather impressive system, capable of traveling long distances with minimal intervention from the motive force: slowing down, accelerating, and staying in lanes with natural, reassuring movements. Automated traffic with stops and starts was not a challenge for the car. , even in heavy rain.
Like everything else in this car, Honda Sensing’s steering wheel-mounted guided controls and related tool presentations are easy to inform and understand.
The primary goal of electrification is to consume less fuel, and the Civic Hybrid does just that. Honda sets it at 50 mpg city, 47 highway and 49 combined. Impressively thrifty and particularly more effective than the 36 mpg turbo style. It replaces, although it is behind, the front-wheel-drive Prius, which is rated at 52 mpg on the top models and 57 mpg on the base trim. For reference, here are the full EPA numbers for the Prius XLE/Limited, Corolla Hybrid, and Hyundai Elantra. Hybrid, as well as the outgoing non-hybrid Civic.
The 2025 Honda Civic starts at $24,250 for the base LX, but a hybrid styling will charge at least $29,845. The Sport Touring edition you see here with all the amenities will charge $32,845, destination included, a relief of more than 3 thousand dollars. compared to the $36,060 front-wheel-drive Prius Limited. This is arguably Honda’s (and, by extension, the rest of the auto industry’s) most productive choice for this award-winning Toyota to date.
Before you even compare it to anything else, the Civic Hybrid is a wonderful car. Honda boasts of being the toughest Civic no Si or Type R ever. As a driver, I’d say it’s also the most productive Civic non-Si or Type R ever. Practical without being dated, sublime without being raucous, and genuinely fun to drive without being compromised or fragile, the electrified Honda Civic is one of the most productive commuters around. Cars you can get right now.
Will it dethrone the Prius as the de facto compact and economical hybrid sedan in the hearts and minds of the buying public?I’m not so sure (public belief is a hard thing to reposition) but, on merit alone, the electrified Civic deserves it. its position right next to it. Comparing them directly, the Civic Hybrid may not look as attractive as this Toyota from the outside or is rarely as effective (according to the EPA), but it drives better. Its interior is also nicer and simpler, and that’s probably the one it would have: that $3,000 saved doesn’t hurt either.
Do you have any tips or queries about the Civic Hybrid?You can check it here: chris. tsui@thedrive. com
Chris Tsui is the review editor at The Drive. He oversees the site’s car appraisal operations, as well as participating in industry news and writing his own appraisals of the newest attractions. He lives in Toronto, was born in Hong Kong, but aspires to Los Angeles basically because he plays GTA V too much.
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