Quick Take: 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring
The Goldilocks car that does just about everything right is very, very hard to find. And when you can find it, it usually won't be cheap.
That's usually the case, anyway. But the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring shows that's possible to get just about everything right without commanding a (relatively, see below) high MSRP.
I was expecting to be properly whelmed by this Civic when I took it around some east-central Wisconsin roads during the Midwest Automotive Media Association Spring Rally. I expected it to be a pleasant, agreeable commuter car with an extra helping of sportiness -- Civics with the Sport designation aren't true performers like the Si or Type R, but they can still be fun.
Or in this case, heaps of fun -- this Civic handled shockingly well with nicely weighted, though a tad too artificial in feel, steering. I was surprised at how engaging to drive it was.
Those who want pure power from their Civic will need to shop for a Si or Type R. That said, the total system output of 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque from the hybrid powertrain (combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors, one of which functions as a generator) is adequate to get the job done. The car felt quicker than those numbers would indicate.
Honda tuned this chassis so that while the handling is sharp, the ride requires very little sacrifice. It is stiff, for sure, but never punishing.
I still mostly dig the Civic's cabin, though I am still dismayed by the tacked-on infotainment system that seems ancient in terms of UX. Bringing back some physical buttons has helped, but Honda could stand to really put some more effort in here.
Head- and legroom were a bit tight for my taller frame, but not so much that I couldn't use this car as a daily driver.
And that, I think, is where this car shines. It's a daily driver for those who want fantastic fuel economy -- 50 mpg city/45 highway/48 combined -- and can't or won't make the sacrifices required by the Si or Type R. It's not nearly as stiff-riding as either of those, and you won't have to learn how to drive a manual. It's the well-rounded commuter car I wish more automakers produced.
If I had a teenager and was buying a brand-new car from them, I'd pick this one -- it's enough fun that it will generate good times, but not so much that your offspring will be the subject of a viral video.
True, an Si is cheaper -- the nearly $35K price tag is a bit eye-popping. Even with today's inflated cost of living and the extra expense of a hybrid powertrain, that does seem like a lot of money for a Civic. Indeed, you're sniffing around Accord territory.
Still, you do get what you pay for, and in this case you get one of the most well-rounded, jack-of-all-trades cars on the market.
[Images: Honda]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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No. That's a common criticism. I think Honda ditched it on several models. I'm working on some downloadable app workarounds for next time, and podcasts. I had Sirius on my prior car and I negotiated them to about $6 a month, but I wouldn't pay more than that. The sound quality is not good, and the "channels" now are essentially "playlists" that repeat fairly quickly.
There is no reason to be polite about it. I did plenty of swearing. Three off the four crashes were ruled not their fault, but I still believe inexperience was a factor in all but one. The combination of living in traffic choked northern Virginia and then moving to snow and ice filled upstate NY are mainly to blame. Accident #1 was when the youngest rear ended a school bus, #2 was same kid getting T-boned in an intersection, #3 was older kid driving both of them home from grandparents ending up on a guiderail after doing a 360 spin on black ice, and # 4 was kid driving over a 12 inch tall parking lot bollard that was buried in snow. She'd turned into the parking lot to get out of a snow covered blizzard. Took the bottom right off a 4wd Suzuki SX4. What a mess.