The public may have to wait until next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show to catch a glimpse of the new Honda Civic Tourer, but we were lucky enough to get a sneak preview this week and it didn’t disappoint.
With a sleek, sweeping, streamlined profile the Tourer may be very much based on the five-door Civic, but it boasts some distinctive new styling features too, including all-new rear lights, roof rails, an aerodynamic spoiler, a connecting bar between the tail-lights, snazzy wheels, piano black detailing inside and some rather smart stitching on the seats.
Customers can choose from two engines – the exceptionally economical 1.6 i-DTEC diesel which will be available with a manual gearbox and a 1.8 i-VTEC petrol model with either manual or automatic transmission.
But there are two major selling points that Honda believes are stand-out features. They are the car’s incredible load capacity and the highly advanced rear axle Adaptive Damper System (ADS) – a world first for a production car which maximises stability and comfort no matter what loads are being transported.
Adrian Killham, Large Project Leader at Honda, said: “The Civic Tourer will boast low running costs, will be flexible with an easy-to-use load space, comfortable and feature advanced technology.”
The massive boot can hold a class-leading 624 litres which can be increased to 1,668 litres with the rear seats folded flat. There is also an under-floor compartment that can accommodate two carry-on travel cases, there are adjustable cargo nets, a one-touch tonneau cover (which has its own storage compartment) and Honda’s impressive Magic Seats format which enables the rear trio of seats to be arranged in numerous configurations including flat to the car’s floor. This is only possible because the fuel tank on the Civic is located at the centre of the car rather than under the rear seats like on other models.
And even the loading area has been lowered by 137mm to make it easier to pack heavy or awkward-shaped items.
The other factor that should impress is the world’s first rear axle ADS.
With three settings – comfort, normal and dynamic – the automatic system helps to ensure comfort and stability in all driving conditions. It may sound simple, but Civic Tourer buyers are likely to tow caravans, be laden down with bikes or carry other odd-shaped items that could otherwise effect performance and handling.
Further details regarding pricing, specifications, performance stats and sales projections for the new Civic Tourer are likely to be released in the next few of weeks.