Honda
As a Japanese car maker, Honda has a deserved and enviable reputation for reliability, but it has been doing its best in recent years to reach above that image and be aligned with established premium marques. It’s a company devoted to cutting edge engineering and that shines through every one of its cars.
OUR PICK OF THE RANGE CR-V 1.6i-DTEC ES
RChoiceecommended Editor’s Honda CR-V
The CR-V is a useful, sub-premium SUV contender. Honda’s excellence in interior packaging as apparent here as it is in the rest of its line-up, so the boot is vast, the rear seats are easily folded and there’s a light and airy interior. Shame there’s no seven- seat option. It drives decently, even if a Ford Kuga or Mazda CX-5 will extract a bigger grin while driving. That’s unlikely to bother
most buyers, who will instead be happy with the high driving position, good view out and decent refi nement. Adding AWD adds to the emissions, likewise specifying an automatic transmission, so it’s best to keep it simple with front-wheel drive and the manual gearbox, though we might push the boat out for ES trim to gain the parking camera and sensors front and rear.
OUR PICK OF THE RANGE Civic 1.6 i-DTEC Comfort
Honda Jazz
OUR PICK OF THE RANGE Jazz 1.3 SE
The Jazz supermini exemplifi es Honda’s attention to detail and engineering prowess, squeezing loads of space into a tiny footprint. The cabin off ers lots of room for heads, shoulders and elbows, while the boot is bigger than those in most cars in the class above. Add a very novel rear folding bench seat and the Jazz is as practical and accommodating as many compact MPVs. To drive it’s a bit unremarkable and the suspension a bit fi rm on rougher roads, but the 1.3-litre petrol engine is eager, though best sampled with the manual gearbox rather than the noisy CVT. That’s the only option you can have, as Honda only off ers its smallest car with one engine and a pick of two transmissions. There are three trims available, but you won’t fi nd the SE entry-level model lacking. Typically a bit more expensive than its rivals, it’s arguably worth it, as the Jazz is a very sensible ‘small, big’ car.
42 Auto Ireland Guide to New Cars 2017 AUTO IRELAND AND HARMONIA ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY VARIATIONS.
Honda Civic
From earnest to madcap, Honda’s Civic range off ers a broad sweep. That’s thanks to the sensational Type-R range topper, a 2.0-litre turbocharged track refugee with 310hp and looks to match its wild performance. Elsewhere the Civic is a little bit more pedestrian, with a choice of 1.4- and 1.8-litre petrol engines (the latter an auto only) or a 1.6-litre turbodiesel. That diesel makes the most sense, as its emissions and fuel consumption are signifi cantly less than any of its petrol alternatives, keeping running costs to a minimum. It’s also smooth and responsive, being more petrol-like in character to drive than most diesels, plus the gearshift is crisp. The Civic adds further interest by being a bit odd inside, the unconventional instrumentation and digital dashboard something of an acquired taste. There’s a Tourer estate if you need more practicality and in either we’d opt for the base Comfort spec as few need anything more. A new Civic arrives later in 2017.
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Honda
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