Honda Civic 2017 Review | Driver's Seat

We've been testing the all-new tenth-generation Honda Civic five-door family hatchback.

It's 130mm longer, 30mm wider and 20mm lower with shorter overhangs, giving it a more aggressive and sporting stance.

The Civic gets a "sharp and aggressive ‘face’, pronounced wheel-arches and sculpted front and rear intakes hint at the Civic’s sporting character.”

It has been engineered from the ground up and the new Civic has a lightweight (16kg lighter than before) structure and more rigid body shell (a 55% improvement), while the car’s centre of gravity has been lowered by 10mm. Aerodynamically it’s also improved and includes complete underbody panelling – hang on a minute, they might be serious about this sports thing.

There’s a new suspension system with MacPherson struts at the front to provide high lateral rigidity for enhanced handling and an all-new multi-link suspension at the rear. Its engineers have set out to make the new Civic the best handling car in its class, with matching ride comfort.

Under the bonnet are two all-new VTEC turbo petrol engines, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo developing 127bhp and 148lb ft of torque as well as a 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 180bhp and 177lb ft of torque. Both are available with a newly-designed six-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic.

Inside, there’s more room on offer as front shoulder room has increased by 10mm and there’s 30mm more space between the front seats while the seats have also been lowered to give the driver “a greater connection with the car.”

In the back, you get an extra 20mm of shoulder room and an impressive 95mm additional leg and 45mm knee room, while the boot has 478 litres of storage capacity.

The dashboard is all-new and redesigned, putting technology first. There’s a 7.0in digital screen between the instruments and Honda’s second-generation infotainment system will feature Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto.

Safety features are extensive and include autonomous collision avoidance braking, land departure warning, road departure mitigation, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition.