In This Story
Financial system automobiles should not precisely identified for being enthralling driving machines. For essentially the most half, they’re meant to deliver you from level A to level B as effectively and with as little fuss as attainable. However, typically an financial system automobile is usually a entire lot greater than that. Enter the 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
Honda determined to put 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 perhaps one of the best NPC-mobile your hard-earned cash should buy. Really, 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 numerous hybrids in any respect totally different value factors from all kinds of producers, and I’ve gotta say, the Civic’s is nearly one of the best within the biz in the case of slick operation and actually strong effectivity. What we’ve acquired right here is Honda’s “Two-Motor” hybrid system that makes it essentially the most highly effective non–Sort 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, regardless that Honda says it has an “eCVT.” This little energy unit produces a complete of 200 horsepower (the identical because the Civic Si) and a extremely robust 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 extremely peppy driving expertise whereas nonetheless returning unbelievable gas financial 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 by means of the backroads exterior of Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve little doubt that in the event you drive this factor extra gently in Financial 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 received’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 middle of gravity and wholesome energy figures means you possibly can have enjoyable when the highway will get twisty. The Hybrid’s steering really feel can be glorious, as you will have anticipated from the engineers at Honda.
There’s no actual option to management the “transmission,” nevertheless it does make pretend shifts pretty much as good as any CVT I’ve pushed. Actually, it feels loads like a extremely well-tuned automated with actual gears. Driving the Civic arduous isn’t precisely horrible for gas financial system, both. There’s selectable regenerative braking with 4 modes managed by paddle shifters, and once 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 nearly 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 allows 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 embody new 18-inch wheels, black window trim, black aspect mirrors, and physique shade trim for the grille encompass, entrance spoiler and again bumper insert. The automobile is inconspicuous, for positive, nevertheless it’s nonetheless extraordinarily good-looking. If you happen to ask me, it’s the best-looking of all of the compact automobiles you should purchase proper now.
Inside it’s an identical story to the skin. Not an excessive amount of has modified, however the updates actually do make a distinction within the general package deal. I drove a totally 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 mainly each in-car characteristic you can hope for, together with a brand new 10.2-inch absolutely digital gauge cluster and a 9-inch infotainment display screen (each of that are tremendous simple to make use of and have a slick operation), unbelievable 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 knowledge plan (solely accessible on Sport Touring), a 12-speaker Bose audio system, leather-based seats, a sunroof and, in fact, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
What extra may you actually need from a automobile that prices greater than $17,000 lower than the typical new automobile? You’ll be hard-pressed to seek out one other sub-$40,000 automobile with a nicer inside. It’s simply laid out so rattling nicely, every little thing is precisely the place you count on it to be.
There aren’t any gimmicks contained in the Civic, and that’s a very good factor. Construct high quality can be actually good for such an affordable automobile. There are many nicer-than-the-price-would-suggest supplies, particularly on high-traffic touchpoints. The within of this automobile offers numerous higher-end autos an actual run for his or her cash.
Honda is launching the Civic Hybrid in each Hatchback and Sedan kinds, and in the event you’re keen to pay the additional cash for the hatch, I actually counsel you do. Neglect the seems and all of that great things, the hatch merely has extra room on the within to 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 numerous 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 automobiles.
Proper now, hybrids are extra widespread than ever, so it is sensible for Honda to deliver 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 comparable costs, there’s simply no beating the Civic’s unbelievable mixture of seems, efficiency and practicality.
Once I was first assigned this journey, I used to be largely excited to drive the 2025 Civic Si. Nevertheless, after spending a day with Honda’s little hybrid, I’ve acquired to say it received me over in a giant approach. Regardless of its economy-focused underpinnings, this Civic is an actual performer, and I’ve acquired 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 taking a look at 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 financial system automobiles in all places.
