It’s surprising that Honda don’t market the Civic more aggressively, as it’s a very credible if rather left-field choice in the medium hatchback sector. No doubt the Golf, Focus and Astra deserve to be market leaders but to me they look a bit dull and predictable, as do most of their C-segment competitors. The Civic’s low-slung, rather aggressive appearance may not be to everyone’s taste but at least it’s different. I bought mine nearly-new just over a year ago, mainly because my wife liked the colour. With only 2300 miles on the clock It was virtually a new car, and so far I’ve done about 9000 absolutely trouble-free miles.

WHAT I LIKE:

It looks good - although I admit the rear end is a bit messy. Mine is finished in a nice metallic ‘Brilliant Sporty Blue’, but it looks good in all the available colours, even battleship grey (which I think Honda call ‘Sonic Grey’, for unknown reasons).

The little 1 litre turbo engine is a marvel – perhaps not the liveliest in its class from a standing start, but it’s smooth, flexible through the gears, and surprisingly torquey if you find yourself in too high a ratio. It’s quiet too unless you push it hard, when it emits a not unpleasant throaty rumble. I disagree with some of the negative reviews about its open-road performance – I’ve found it civilised, responsive and surprisingly nippy at motorway speeds, though I haven’t yet tried it out fully loaded with four passengers and luggage.

Excellent gearshift – positive, with well-defined positions, though for some reason I sometimes make a hash of the up-change from third to fourth.

Smooth but responsive ride over all but the bumpiest surfaces. Handles well, with excellent road-holding and cornering.

Reassuringly firm but smooth brakes (you’ll see what I mean by ‘firm’ if you ever trigger the Forward Collision Mitigation System), so firm it’s difficult to come to a complete standstill without a slight jolt.

Good build quality – everything seems very solid, well screwed together and rattle-free.

The SR version comes with stacks of gizmos and safety features, a few of which you may find annoying, but most of which are easily turned off. As far as I can make out, the ECON button achieves precisely nothing, but it does brings on a pretty little green leaf symbol on the driver’s information system, which is nice.

The driver’s information system (used to be called a speedo) is excellent, with clear info and loads of easy-to-find options for what you want displayed.

Comfortable, but quite firm seats. Initially I found the driver’s seat a tad lumpy but it seems to have adapted itself to my anatomy, or maybe my anatomy has adapted itself to the seat.

Seems roomy for a C-segment car (though I realise they’re all gradually getting bigger) – probably about the same size as the 2001 Honda Accord I used to have. It has a very generous boot (best in class?) with even more space under the floor if you can live without a spare wheel. The tonneau cover is a great idea if you need more vertical space – much handier than the usual removeable but bulky parcel shelf.

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD:

Very little, and most of it trivial.

Tyre/road noise from the 235/45/17 tyres is my only major criticism – it’s particularly noticeable on the rough road surfaces which are so common in the UK, and it’s a pity, as otherwise the Civic is quiet and civilised. A change of tyres might help marginally – mine came with Michelin Primacy 3s, which are excellent but don’t have a particularly low noise rating. It would also be interesting to hear if Civic SE owners have the same problem, as the SE has skinnier and deeper 215/55/16 tyres.

Mine also makes a very slight whining noise at low speeds – accurately described in one review as like someone running their finger round the rim of a wine glass. My local Honda dealer blames the air conditioning but hasn’t offered a solution. I haven’t argued the toss as it’s more or less drowned out by the tyre noise and disappears altogether above about 20/25 mph.

The multi-layered infotainment/satnav system can be frustrating, and I find the touch screen itself a bit hit or miss. But it’s probably not as bad as some reviewers would have you believe, and it’s a lovely big, bright screen.

Rearward vision isn’t great through the cluttered rear window, and isn’t helped by the privacy glass which comes as standard on the SR, but you get used to it. The rear-view camera is excellent however – pity you can’t turn it on when not actually reversing!

Fuel consumption isn’t terrific and falls far short of the published figures – but I don’t think the Civic is unique on that score.

TO SUM UP:

Dare to be different! Seems a strange thing to say about a car with such dull DNA as some earlier Civics (up to the 8th generation at least, and despite those outrageous Type-Rs). My experience is that it’s an excellent car. Its looks may be marmite but I think it’s the only car for which I’ve had unsolicited compliments from complete strangers. Admittedly one of its admirers was an elderly gent (probably about my age, to be honest) who thought it was some kind of hot hatch and couldn’t believe it only has three cylinders inside a 1 litre engine. Maybe, like my wife, he just liked the colour.