2017 Honda Civic Hatchback 1.5T Manual

We were intrigued to find a Sport badge on this 2017 Civic because for more than a decade now, Honda has been one of the few automakers using the word as if it means something. The ’05 Fit Sport brought marked improvement—and a rear anti-roll bar—to the wee commuter, and today’s Accord Sport, the best version of that 10Best Cars–winning sedan according to most C/D staffers, keeps the torch burning.

We’ve previously tested the Civic in coupe and hatchback forms with the optional turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four (a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter is standard in sedans and coupes) coupled to a continuously variable automatic transmission. Anyone expecting the combination of CVT and turbo to be a one-two punch to the gut of fun would be wrong, but Honda’s winningest combination comes when you opt for a six-speed manual transmission available in the Civic hatchback Sport, in which the 180-hp turbo 1.5-liter is standard equipment.

Sport trimmings for the hatch include bigger wheels (18 inchers versus standard 16s and optional 17s elsewhere in the range) but also a healthy dollop of unnecessarily blacked-out body parts, which are particularly unflattering with bright paint colors like the red of the car tested here. We prefer the Sport in darker hues, where the black accents seem subtler, although it must be said that there’s nothing subtle about the design: Whether or not our editors like the styling, we all agree there’s lots of it.

From behind the wheel, however, looks don’t matter much. Little on the spec sheet has changed from our previous tests, which means Honda chassis tuners paid careful attention to the details of bushing and damper tuning. The steering is light, both in terms of feel and feedback. This is common for the class, but where the Civic steering leaves others behind is in responsiveness. Even little off-center wobbles initiate directional changes—yet without feeling nervous—and with a feathery light wheel, chucking the diminutive front-driver into corners is an absolute blast. And grip! How does 0.93 g on the skidpad and a 160-foot stop from 70 mph sound? That’s the same stopping distance and just 0.01 g shy of a BMW 340i xDrive riding on Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

Surely Civic modders will swap the all-season Continental ContiProContacts, size 235/40R-18, for summer rubber in search of a few more tenths of a g. But be warned, changing the OE tire could have an undesired effect on overall balance and ride; this car isn’t short on grip, so don’t go mucking up something that’s already good.

No VTEC?

Unlike the old naturally aspirated Honda mills, this turbocharged and direct-injected 1.5-liter inline-four lacks the multiple cam profiles that made VTEC famous in the ’90s. It does have variable camshaft phasing—today’s industry norm—and it is a fun engine to rev, proving burly low in the rev range and eager to spin to its 6500-rpm redline. It just isn’t quite as much fun as an old VTEC engine.

Making just 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, increases of six ponies and 10 lb-ft over the standard hatch’s engine (thank you, premium fuel, which Honda recommends for the Sport), the 1.5-liter is by no means a powerhouse. Then again, the class-leading Mazda 3 makes only 184 horses. Compared with a CVT-equipped Sport hatchback, this manual edition hit 60 mph 0.1 second later. Wait. Huh? We couldn’t believe it, either. It takes two shifts, though, to do the job with the manual, the second of those coming just before the 60-mph mark. The manual Sport does outperform the CVT in many other acceleration measures, however, cracking off a quarter-mile 0.2 second sooner, in 15.2 seconds at 94 mph, and reaching 100 mph 1.5 seconds earlier than the automatic version. But the pleasure derived from shifting the Civic far outweighs the 0.1-second zero-to-60 penalty. Brilliantly placed pedals and a charmingly light shifter allow for the kind of heel-and-toe shifts that make your co-pilot jealous.

There is no lack of goodness in the low-$20K-hatch segment. Both the Volkswagen Golf and the Mazda 3 are fantastic all-around packages that appear on our current 10Best Cars list. But, in Sport trim, the Civic upset the stalwarts of the segment in our recent comparison test and brought home the gold medal. The Golf might feel more planted and refined than the ultralively 3, but the Civic Sport splits the difference, delivering a smooth highway ride, as much fun as this price allows, and the practicality that makes hatchbacks popular. A wide hatch opening reveals 23 cubic feet of space with the second row upright, or 46 cubes when folded. Both volumes are a few squares short of class leaders, though.

Driven very hard—with us redlining the engine on almost every shift—the Sport hatch returned 31 mpg. This is a bit short of the EPA’s 33-mpg combined rating. Driven with more restraint, the Sport sips fuel, as is proved by the 43 mpg we measured in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test. This real-world result is nearly 10 percent better than the EPA’s highway rating of 39 mpg.

In basic Sport trim, this $22,175 Civic is rather spartan. To the base LX ($20,575), the Sport adds fog lights, a center-exit exhaust, and the aforementioned body mods and 18-inch wheels, illuminated vanity mirrors, a rear center armrest, aluminum pedals, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. But there’s no satellite radio, Android Auto, or Apple CarPlay for the 5.0-inch LCD display. Unfortunately, to get any of those techy things on a Sport-trimmed hatchback, you have to go for the Sport Touring model ($29,175), which unfortunately can’t be had with the stick shift.

We wish there were a Civic hatchback that was the perfect porridge, blending the sublime chassis of the Sport with a few more upscale features and a manual transmission. Mazda offers a manual gearbox throughout the 3 lineup, and the Golf Wolfsburg, only about $300 more than this Civic, has some of the missing tech elements we’d love to see in this car. For now, the Sport hits the spot in this cutthroat segment, but it’ll need more substance to fend off the competition in years to come.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $22,175 (base price: $22,175)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 91 cu in, 1497 cc
Power: 180 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 177 lb-ft @ 1900 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 177.9 in
Width: 70.8 in Height: 56.3 in
Passenger volume: 97 cu ft
Cargo volume: 23 cu ft
Curb weight: 2868 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.0 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 27.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 11.7 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 8.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.2 sec @ 94 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 160 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.93 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway: 33/30/39 mpg
C/D observed: 31 mpg
C/D observed 75-mph highway driving: 43 mpg
C/D observed highway range: 530 mi

*stability-control-inhibited