Overall rating:

Honda makes its first foray into the C-segment estate scene since the short-lived Civic Aerodeck of the late 1990s, but this market is a tougher place now than it ever has been. Designed and built in the UK, will the rakish new Civic Tourer prove to be a hit?

Key Facts

Model tested: Honda Civic Tourer
Pricing: from £20,265
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder i-DTEC turbodiesel/1.8-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC petrol
Transmission: front-wheel drive, six-speed manual
Body style: five-door estate
Rivals: Ford Focus Estate, Renault Mégane Tourer, SEAT Leon ST
CO₂ emissions: 99g/km (i-DTEC), 146g/km (i-VTEC)
Combined economy: 74.3mpg (i-DTEC), 45.6mpg (i-VTEC)
Top speed: 121mph (i-DTEC), 130mph (i-VTEC)
0-62mph: 10.1 seconds (i-DTEC), 9.2 seconds (i-VTEC)
Power: 120hp at 4,000rpm (i-DTEC), 142hp at 6,500rpm (i-VTEC)
Torque: 300Nm at 2,000rpm (i-DTEC), 174Nm at 4,300rpm (i-VTEC)

In the Metal:

There are both good and bad points to the design, but overall the Civic Tourer is pleasing to behold. The sweeping roof and sculpted window lines do make for a handsome profile, even if it appears to be a bit under-wheeled from the rear three-quarters and the vertical crease at the back of the rear wheelarches looks out of place. The Tourer takes the mildly revised face of the five-door variant, featuring an updated front bumper with black trim, and the whole car is compact in size, which makes it hang together as a cohesive design.

Inside is much the same story - the quality of the materials used is perfectly acceptable and it's all well laid-out, with the twin-tiered Civic dash still looking fresh. The seats are particularly comfortable and the three main dials in the instrument cluster behind the chunky steering wheel are crisp and attractive. But the digital speed display is looking dated now, as is the satnav unit. It looks vaguely aftermarket and both it and the higher central dash screen feature primitive graphics that lag behind those of competitors. However, it wins marks in terms of rear leg space and much improved headroom over the hatch, and a huge, class-leading 624-litre boot (seats up, up to the luggage cover; it's 1,668 litres with the 'Magic Rear Seats' folded) with additional, impressive underfloor storage of 117 litres.

Driving it:

There will be two engine choices for British Civic Tourer customers, and as it ever is with cars in this class, the one to pick is the diesel. The 1.8 i-VTEC petrol engine is smooth enough but it doesn't offer any significant performance advantage over the 1.6 diesel, which in turn doesn't feel quite as quick as even its modest acceleration stats suggest. Yet it is super-refined, economical and clean enough to ensure zero road tax, and with its 300Nm of torque much more flexible to drive than the 1.8. Honda recognises this, as the predicted UK sales figures are 80:20 split in favour of the diesel.

Both petrol and diesel variants feature a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the petrol having a five-speed auto option, and the manual transmission is as slick as you would expect from Honda. Refinement overall is excellent, with minimal wind noise and tyre roar, plus a decent ride. We drove top-spec cars fitted with the rear adaptive damper system (ADS), which adjusts the firmness of the back shocks through three settings: Dynamic, the sportiest; Normal, a balance of body control and pliancy; and Comfort, for the softest ride. There was noticeable difference between the three but the Normal setting was fine, and is presumably what non-ADS cars will feature.

The Civic Tourer seemed to possess a good chassis but unfortunately it was let down by one of the least feelsome steering set-ups we've encountered in a while. The steering is direct enough but totally devoid of any weight, synthetic or not, meaning you have next to no idea what the front wheels are doing. Sadly, Honda's team claimed this has been set-up for keener driving - something most Civic Tourer buyers probably won't be partaking in - but in our opinion it was well wide of the mark and let the rest of the car's dynamics down.

What you get for your Money:

There will be four trim levels to choose from - S, SE, SR and range-topping EX. S models get Bluetooth, DAB radio, USB connectivity and 16-inch alloys. SE adds rear parking sensors and 17-inch wheels, while heated seats, HDD Navi and privacy glass are features of the SR. EX customers can luxuriate in keyless entry and go, headlight washers, blue interior ambient lighting and bi-HID headlights with auto levelling. The rear ADS is only for the upper end of Civic Tourer ownership, coming as standard on SR and EX models.

It promises to be a safe car, with a suite of active systems based on cameras available as options. For example, the Driver Assistance Safety pack is £780 and available on SE models upwards; it features the city-brake active system, forward collision warning, high beam support, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, blind spot information and a cross-traffic monitor.

In terms of its space, economy, CO₂ emissions and general Honda reputation for reliability, the Civic Tourer looks to be a competitive package on the face of it, but you'll pay £20,265 just to get in an i-VTEC S model, going all the way to £27,460 for an i-DTEC EX Plus. This is considerably more than the entry level versions of any of the rivals we list at the top of this page, as well as a host of other cars such as the new Auris Touring Sports - and even the Golf Mk7 wagon. And we're not sure what the Honda offers above any of them, boot space aside, to merit that lofty price tag.

Worth Noting

Honda claims the diesel can go 817 miles on one 50-litre tank of fuel, meaning you could reach Munich (795 miles) from the Swindon factory where the Tourer is made without filling up, or do practically all of the 837-mile Land's End-John O'Groats haul.

Summary

Honda's new Civic Tourer looks pretty snazzy, is capacious within and has a super-clean, willing diesel engine that would be very easy to live with. Its refinement is good and you can option it up with a host of safety features too. The steering will quickly get on the nerves of anyone who is a remotely enthusiastic driver, which might not be the hammer blow to the Tourer's chances in the UK given the target market the car is aimed at, but the high cost of buying one is of much more concern. Honda looks to be heading out of the doldrums in 2014 and beyond, what with a 300hp Civic Type R, new NSX and a return to F1 all on the way, but we fear the Civic Tourer won't be the model to kick-start the revolution - as capable as it is, it is just a little bit too pricey.