Honda Civic 1.4 S

The Civic has undergone a dramatic transformation in its latest guise. Gone is the rather conservative, functional style of the old car to be replaced by a far more dramatic and futuristic look. The bold Perspex and chrome grille, triangular detailing on the exhausts and front driving lights allied to strong feature lines and a hidden rear door handle gives the Civic coupe-esque looks. The interior is similarly individual, the spacey instrumentation and cockpit feel is certainly different compared to its rivals. Despite this the Civic remains as useful as ever, Honda's engineers placing the fuel tank under the passenger seat to allow a hugely versatile rear seating system for real practicality.

All feature a start button, the three engines offered from launch being 1.4 and 1.8-litre petrol units and a 2.2-litre common rail turbodiesel. Both the 1.8 and 2.2 diesel offer 140bhp and give the Civic reasonable performance, but the diesel's additional torque does make it the less frenetic everyday driver. The petrol is rather vocal when pushed, too. Honda may have binned the independent all-round suspension of its predecessor, but the rear torsion beam does allow for a more spacious boot and the ride and handling isn't compromised either. Indeed, the Civic is rather an enjoyable drive, the steering particularly well weighted and direct. Honda reckons the Civic is good enough to take on hatchback rivals at the premium end of the market. While it's a good all rounder they may be being a touch ambitious. Still, as an interesting alternative to the mainstream norm it represents an attractive proposition.