Tag: compact sedan

2019 Honda Civic Touring Sedan Leads Segment In 3 Categories

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2019 Honda Civic Sedan Touring

Your Honda News revisits the refreshed 10th generation turbocharged Honda Civic Touring Sedan. A 50 year love story? Almost. For 2019 Honda Civic leads the compact class in 3 important categories. We take a closer look at America’s best selling compact sedan.

Honda historic retrospective

As an automotive journalist I trace my beginnings back to the Honda Civic. Actually my history with America’s original import brand goes back to childhood with memories of mom’s 1970’s Accord sitting in the garage, and before that, a Honda generator and the C600 series.

The first family Honda was white with a red interior, smallish yet perfect for driving through the already congested streets and highways of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Driving the 2019 Honda Civic Touring for me is like saying hello to an old family friend.

Looking back, that little Honda Accord, and later my Civic, would remain a cherished family member for a decade or two, and lead to other Honda products leading to a lineup of on and off road motorcycles. That’s Honda’s market advantage in the United States. It’s generational. 

Thanks to Civic, CR-V and HR-V, the Honda automotive brand continues to lead the automotive market in compact, midsize cars and light truck sales. Our subject Civic remains the best selling retail compact sedan in America. There’s several reasons for that, including standard entry level features and a turbocharged option being but two.

2019 Civic a carry over with a refresh or two

I first drove the 10th generation Honda Civic four years ago on the back roads of Malibu Canyon of Los Angeles along with a pre-production 10th generation Civic Si. That day my impression of Honda Civic would change forever. Gone was the entry-level economy sedan of last century.

Since, i’ve driven every Honda car and light truck in the lineup over the years, so, forgive me for being a bit blurry on the factoids.

Nonetheless, my first drive impression of the reinvented Honda Civic remains valid. As discovered in 2015, the refreshed 2019 Honda Civic Sedan remains the best overall, tech rich, and fun to drive purchase value available in the sub premium sedan and hatchback segment today. Honda goes after the German imports with this Civic, and wins in overall purchase value and road handling.

And, while many Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Toyota readers and fans may balk at Honda Civic styling, Civic outruns the pack in turbo power and overall ride dynamic — quiet cabin, infotainment, with standard featured driver assist and accident avoidance technologies. Me, I like Civic styling. A bit edgy, yet cool.

Civic is the only entry in the sub premium sedan class claiming 174 turbo charged horsepower while maintaining class leading fuel economy (30 city/38 HWY)

Perfect? Well, not yet, but close

There remains a handful of changes I’d make to Civic beginning with seating position in relation to the cabin floor and side doors. Ingress and egress remains a challenge for taller drivers and passengers.  Yet at 6’5” inches tall and large of frame, I’ll hand it to Honda engineering and design for superior value and performance packaging. In short, 2019 Honda Civic Touring is an overall delight to drive and ride in. 

With the 10th generation Civic comes the maker’s first fuel injected turbocharged 1.5 Liter 4 cylinder gasoline engine powered compact. This engine is responsive and fuel stingy. Gone for 2019 is the 6 speed transmission, turbocharged engine pair option, * available in the 2.0 L normally aspirated engine only. 

However, on first drive, we discover a more conventional transmission-like segmented CVT (constant variable transmission) little to no front-wheel-drive torque steer, a quieter cabin, very decent fit and finish, with driver and front passenger seating now power adjusted — although limited on the passenger side. 

A welcome change for those challenged by touchscreen command and volume control is the addition of analog nobs where you need them. Ride quality remains stunningly good for a compact, assuring very descent handling while pacing through a high speed country two-lane.

During our week long road trial we experienced a combined 31 MPG — better on the highway of course. Read more about Honda Civic here. I find very little to no fault in Honda Civic and recommend a test drive to anyone considering the purchase of a new or used compact sedan. 

For comparison test drives, look to Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla. 

And, go here for full specifications and stated MSRP.

2019 Honda Civic Touring leads the compact car segment in 3 categories: 1. Turbocharged power. 2. Refined road handling. 3, Combined fuel economy rating.

Photo attributions: American Honda Motors 2019.

Chevy Cruze presents fun, economical driving basics

 

 

Getting my drive-on, Chevy style.

 

It’s that ‘crap-shoot’ that is the online pick of an “intermediate” rental car. Much like a stripper jumping out of a birthday cake, Chevy Cruze proves to be a bit surprising for this unabashed Honda fan.

True enough, I was raised in and behind the wheel of Detroit iron.

My first project car was a 1949 Chevrolet sedan, rusted, derelict, and not running. But that didn’t stop me and my younger brother Pat from cutting our auto-loving teeth on it. I, like many Americans, fell away from the Chevrolet brand during the T.A.R.P. funded transition years of the great recession. It’s not so much that I disliked the mark, I no longer trusted its assumed life-time longevity in the auto market.

Much like a long forgotten lover, Chevrolet came to mind from time to time, but I kept my distance, perhaps missing an affordable opportunity to renew my past life Chevy love fest.

Sure, I’ve caught the new Corvette or occasional Malibu SS blowing down the hardtop out of the corner of my eye, or, in the rear-view mirror of my transportation of choice. But truthfully, I lost track of the evolution of the brand, while dedicating my auto-writer intent on mostly import brands — although mostly “Made in America” at this stage of the game. The compact Chevy Cruz would prove to be noteworthy. “

In-fact, the more I drove Cruze on a recent 8 hour, 375 road trip to Eureka, California, more value I found in it.

Let’s get back to the headline

Last week while my import daily driver resided in a transmission shop, I jumped online and reserved a rental car. Par for the course, Enterprise didn’t disclose the make and model of the car waiting for me at the airport. All I knew was that it would be a rather bare-bones, fuel efficient compact, and afford care-free relatively new car, unlimited mileage driving. That night I’d take delivery of a 2016 black on gray Chevrolet Cruze LT, nothing too fancy, yet eye catching just the same.

Nothing fancy here, but I appreciated the no-nonsense layout of this compact Chevy

Dropping into the cloth covered manual adjusted driver’s seat, I noted the relative comfort of driver to wheel positioning, instrumentation, and center stack convenience feature placement. No, this Cruze did not feature a key-less entrance or ignition fob, self dimming convenience lighting, or a warm welcoming verbal recognition from that electronic girl in the dash. But, what it did present was impressive acceleration, responsive steering wheel to road feel, and reasonable road handling.  The suspension is tuned for the highway long haul – a  mid-firm controlled float. I like it!

I was caught by surprise as to how quiet and user friendly Chevy’s entry level compact sedan is. While one doesn’t find a plethora of active safety features in the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze LT Sedan, the stereo is decent, climate control and seating  more than adequate, with combined fuel efficiency and on tap torque approaching the best in class.

Sure, I’d change a detail or two.

Our 2016 Cruze LT came off the lot for $21,700, a bargain in the sub-premium compact sedan segment. However, the dash mounted back-up cam resolution is sub standard, as is the cloth covered seat construction.  Unfortunately Chevy found this price point at the expense of substantial, near premium trim components, and standard feature safety, as demonstrated by Honda Civic Touring and other contenders in the near premium compact sedan segment.

There are few if any active safety features available at this trim level. But for those drivers wishing to up the accident avoidance level, while enjoying power adjusted, heated seats, You’ll find those options available in Cruze for under $25,000. Chevy’s 1.4 Liter turbocharged gasoline 4 cylinder engine produced impressive, on demand torque, while sipping regular gasoline. On this 800 mile run, we averaged 42 MPG combined, outstanding fuel efficiency in any segment.

I found the no-nonsense 6-speed automatic to perform flawlessly in this front-wheel-drive compact, brake pressure and resulting stopping power was dead on, yet not jarring. Cruze, while exhibiting mild torque steer when launched off of the light, proved to be manageable, and down right civilized when driven at lawful speeds, under mixed weather conditions.

In closing, while Chevy Cruze may not be the end all be all…

Cruze LT is a good value as priced. I recommend a test drive to anyone considering the purchase of an economy compact 4 door sedan. Chevy Cruze presents fun, economical driving basics, housed in a class act of a compact sedan. It’s a no ensconce daily commuter, that can be dressed up and taken out on the town. I like that.