We review the Honda Civic from price to economy and all its features

A STAGGERING 43 years have passed since first the Japanese marque has shifted more than 20million models worldwide.

Easy to see why. The Civic badge has always stood for reliability, comfort and value for money.

1

But one thing that has changed is the styling. At some point in the early 2000s, Honda decided to go bonkers and concoct one of the most futuristic shapes on the road since the Sinclair C5.

The latest iteration has moved that UFO-esque design on somewhat, but it remains one of the most striking hatchbacks.

I drove Honda's latest 1.6-litre range EX Plus trim and first impressions were good. It features neat new exterior styling tricks, such as  piano black touches to the tailgate, lower bumper and around the licence plate. It's nothing major, but the little flourishes give the car an upmarket feel.

That theme continues inside, with this top-spec model treated to full leather in the front door linings, blue ambient lighting sunroof and an infotainment system. The seats are lovely and comfortable, although the driving position is too high, and the cabin looks classy. It also has that feeling of indestructibility that comes with modern Hondas.

My only quibble is with the dated interior displays - the speedometer looks like a giant blue calculator. It all works brilliantly, but a tweak of the menu designs would bring it all up to date.

Enough moaning because the Civic drives brilliantly. It's quiet, refined and extremely comfortable over long journeys.

The engine is impressive, too. The 1.6-litre i-DTEC unit may only pack 118bhp but it has a mighty 300Nm of torque, which makes overtaking an doddle with the revs up. It also officially returns 76.3mpg and even with my heavy right foot, I still hit the high 60s on the longer runs.

There's loads of room in the back, plus the boot can swallow 477 litres with the rear seats up, or 1,210 litres with them folded down.

Honda also offers two optional driver assistance safety packs on new Civic models, with this one including lane departure warning and blind spot information.

But all of this comes at a price. The model I drove arrived at £27,085 - £4,000 more than the top-spec Focus in Titanium X trim.

That's a lot of money to pay to stand out from the crowd.