2024 Honda Civic Sedan Touring Review: Still a Benchmark

When the latest generation Honda Civic hit our roads, we were impressed. In fact, we were so thoroughly taken by the compact car’s ability to do everything quite well, it ended up winning the AutoGuide Car of the Year Award for 2022.

Fast forward two years and we are revisiting our slightly older friend, to see if the Civic still has what it takes. The auto industry never stands still and in the span of just 24 months, a lot can change.

When the 2022 Honda Civic debuted, it ditched some of the funkier, trendy styling elements the previous generations featured. The car was now more restrained, more sophisticated. This doesn’t mean it has a poor design, as we quite like it. It’s just a shapely proportion fitting the sedan’s increased size. At a total length of 184.0-inches (4,673 mm) long, the 2024 Honda Civic is bigger than a 2002 Accord.

For our evaluation, we have a top-of-the-line Civic Touring that gets a few exclusive exterior items such as heated mirrors with integrated turn signals and LED fog lights.

The 1.5-liter unit is not a sports engine, at least in this configuration. But with 180 hp, it’s so well matched for the Civic. It never lacks the needed power, no matter the load or situation. The engine is so smooth to build rpms quickly - like a good Honda should. Would we like the extra oomph from the Acura Integra’s engine? Sure, but we can’t complain with what we have here.

Like most modern cars, the Civic has drive modes, including Econ, Normal, Sport. On regular grade fuel, the little turbo is quite frugal, achieving an officially rated 31 mpg (7.6 L/100 km) city and 38 mpg (6.1 L/100 km) highway.

This Civic uses a suspension set-up that includes struts up front and a multi-link design at the back. On the Touring, larger 18-inch wheels are included wearing 235/40R18 all season tires. Another important figure to mention is the Civic Sedan’s curb weight. At 3,077 pounds (1,371 kg) as tested, it's positively svelte compared to some competitors – especially considering the car’s size. Opt for a lower trim model, and weight dips well below 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg).

Another strong Honda trait that’s not lost with the latest Civic is steering feel. It has good weight, feel, and a relatively low turning ratio. Even though our tester was on winter tires, there is still abundant mechanical grip when tackling corners at speed. The steering and chassis let the driver know how close to the edge of grip they are.

On the road, the Civic Sedan still feels more refined than most anything in this class. It even feels more planted and well-crafted than some mid-size sedans, which makes sense considering the Civic’s size. There’s a great balance of handling capabilities and ride comfort, as the car doesn’t stray too far onto either category.

During our week with the car a rear tire inhaled a large nail and slowly went flat. The suspension is so well designed to absorb bumps, I couldn’t feel just how dangerously low the tire pressure was. It was the horrendous noise emitting from the right rear, as the tire belts wailed in agony, that alerted me to the issue.

Inside, passengers front and rear are treated with ample space. Those in the front seats receive 39.3 inches (998 mm) of headroom and 42.3 inches (1,074 mm) of legroom. Rear seat occupants have a more squared off living space, with 37.1 inches (942 mm) of headroom and 37.4 inches (950 mm) of legroom.

Regardless of where one sits, there’s as much real-world space as found in the specifications chart. With the power driver's seat all the way to its lowest setting, the driver is sunk down quite a bit in the cabin. This allows taller drivers to fit behind the wheel, but some shorter drivers might feel low in relation to the dashboard and side windowsills.

As the Touring trim, it includes some comfort goodies like a rear seat center armrest, a power driver’s seat, leather seats, a power passenger seat, and heated front seats. In Canada, there are also a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. Sorry America, those items are completely absent from the Civic Sedan.

After three model years on the market, the interior shine has not dulled. We still like the design and look of the interior, even if it’s showing up in more and more Honda products. The honeycomb grille is still great way to break up the dash and add functionality with the vents.

That stated, the interior isn’t the most stylish, nor technologically advance. But everything inside is logically placed, works, and is easy to operate. For example, the digital driver’s information center has fewer layouts and screen customizations than some competitors, but all the information that is needed is there and I found it easy to adjust to my liking.

That driver’s information center resides within a 10.2-inch screen, while a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen sits to the right. Since we have the Touring trim, audio is emitted through a Bose 12 speaker sound system.

Being the top-of-the-line trim, our tester also includes niceties like a moonroof, rain sensing wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, HomeLink remote system, automatic dimming rear-view mirror, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

All Honda Civic Sedans come standard with safety features like collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, driver attention monitor, and more. Our tester includes the blind spot monitor, which is available on the top two trims in USA, as well as the top 3 trims in Canada. Exclusive to Touring in both countries though, are rear cross traffic alert and parking sensors.

In the dwindling class of compact cars, the Civic Sedan is one of the pricier options. The least expensive model retails for $25,045 (all prices include destination) in the United States, while our test car came in at $32,100. That's about $2,000-$3,000 more than equivalent competitors. But it is the benchmark, so you get what you pay for.

Other than the charge for the upgraded paint, no options are available on the Touring trim level. In Canada, the Civic Sedan starts at $28,620, with a Touring model featuring the upgraded paint coming in at $36,630.

Even after 3 years on the road, the Civic Sedan is still towards, if not at, the head of the compact car class. In fact, with how well-crafted and spacious the new Civic is, it’s hard to rationalize stepping up to the Accord. Even the argument for getting a hybrid drivetrain in the Accord will soon disappear as the Civic Hybrid is coming next year.

That brings us to the next point. With how much we like the current Civic, next year it should be even better. If you can wait a year, it’s probably worth the delay to get the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic. For those that can’t wait, the current model is still a great, albeit pricey purchase.

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