In This Story
Economic system automobiles are usually not precisely recognized 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 doable. However, typically an financial system automobile generally is a entire lot greater than that. Enter the 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
Honda determined to position its good 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 the most effective NPC-mobile your hard-earned cash can purchase. Truly, the Civic Hybrid is so fantastic it has damaged freed from the NPC allegations. What Honda has here’s a handsome, sensible, economical, well-equipped hybrid that may win over nearly anybody — together with lovers who look to the Si because the budget-focused enjoyable choice.
Full Disclosure: Honda flew me right down to Nashville, put me up in a swanky resort and handled me to every thing the Music Metropolis needed to supply, all so I might drive the Civic Hatchback Hybrid.
I’ve pushed a hell of a number 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 relating to slick operation and actually stable effectivity. What we’ve bought right here is Honda’s “Two-Motor” hybrid system that makes it essentially 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 extremely sturdy 232 pound-feet of torque that’s out there from 0 RPM. By itself, the gasoline motor makes 141 horsepower, and the AC Synchronous Everlasting-Magnet Electrical Motor makes 181 horsepower.
The entire bundle makes for a extremely peppy driving expertise whereas nonetheless returning incredible 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 take a look at 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 for those who 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 just 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 middle of gravity and wholesome energy figures means you’ll be able to have enjoyable when the highway will get twisty. The Hybrid’s steering really feel can be glorious, as you could have anticipated from the engineers at Honda.
There’s no actual approach to management the “transmission,” however it does make pretend shifts nearly as good as any CVT I’ve pushed. Actually, it feels so much like a extremely well-tuned automated with actual gears. Driving the Civic exhausting isn’t precisely horrible for gas financial system, both. There’s selectable regenerative braking with 4 modes managed by paddle shifters, and whenever 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 in a position to 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 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 surface, 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 shade trim for the grille encompass, entrance spoiler and again bumper insert. The automobile is unassuming, for positive, however it’s nonetheless extraordinarily good-looking. Should you ask me, it’s the best-looking of all of the compact automobiles you should buy proper now.
Inside it’s the same story to the surface. Not an excessive amount of has modified, however the updates actually do make a distinction within the total bundle. 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 may hope for, together with a brand new 10.2-inch absolutely digital gauge cluster and a 9-inch infotainment display (each of that are tremendous straightforward to make use of and have a slick operation), incredible 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 out there 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 might you actually need from a automobile that prices greater than $17,000 lower than the typical 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 effectively, every thing is precisely the place you anticipate it to be.
There aren’t any gimmicks contained in the Civic, and that’s a great 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 a number of higher-end autos an actual run for his or her cash.
Honda is launching the Civic Hybrid in each Hatchback and Sedan types, and for those who’re keen to pay the additional cash for the hatch, I actually recommend you do. Overlook the seems to be 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 a number of smaller crossovers. Rear-seat passengers can 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 might 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 common than ever, so it is smart for Honda to deliver this automobile to the market. There’s stiff competitors on the market from the likes of Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. Vehicles just like the Prius and Corolla Hybrid are each compelling packages, however they fall wanting the brand new benchmark the Civic Hatchback Hybrid has set. For related costs, there’s simply no beating the Civic’s incredible mixture of seems to be, efficiency and practicality.
After 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 bought to say it gained me over in an enormous approach. 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 oldsters who need stable efficiency however individuals who could have been a crossover. To be sincere, the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is so compelling, I can’t consider a motive you’d select an much more NPC-like compact crossover over it. It simply could have reset the benchmark for financial system automobiles all over the place.
