Honda to launch Civic Tourer next week

Honda will expand their Civic range with the launch of the new Civic Tourer estate due in dealerships from February 17, writes Trish Whelan.

It comes with class-leading load space, emissions, equipment and economy, all wrapped in a sleek and sporty package.

The interior load space is not just the biggest in the C- segment, but one of the biggest of any estate car on the Irish market, with the exception of the Skoda Superb and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

With seats up, the boot volume is 624 litres; with Honda's 'Magic Seats' folded, the load space increases to a massive 1,668 litres.

Three specification levels are offered, Comfort, Sport and Executive.

The car is available with Honda's 1.6 lightweight diesel engine with 120hp, emissions of 99g/km for annual road tax from €190 (A2), and a fuel return of 3.8 litres per 100km (74.3mpg). Powertrains also include 1.8 i-VTEC petrol units in both manual and automatic transmissions. Petrols are in Band C for annual road tax.

Honda say that standard equipment levels are the highest in the class. The list includes Bluetooth, Climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, Magic Seats, Premium audio system with 8 speakers, Electric front and rear windows, Remote audio controls, USB Connectivity and Daytime running lights. While there is no spare as standard under the boot floor, space has been left for one. There is a sealant for a quick fix.

In a first for Honda, the Civic Tourer is also the first model to be offered with Honda's Dynamic Safety Pack as an optional extra on Sport and Executive models. It consists of a suite of advanced active safety features which monitor around the car to help avoid all sorts of possible accidents using features such as City-brake active system, Forward collision warning, Cross traffic monitor and Blind spot information. A new Adaptive damper system is standard on the Executive model only.

The Sport trim adds front and rear parking sensors, reversing cameras, Cruise Control with speed limiter, front fog lights, automatic lights and wipers, dual-zone Climate control; while the top Executive level adds leather upholstery, DVD Satellite navigation, 17-inch Alloy wheels, heated front seats, a 6.5-inch full colour touchscreen, privacy glass, Roof rails, and a DVD with video input socket.

The Civic Tourer was designed in Europe for European drivers. Prices are from €25,695-€32,795. Key rivals include the Hyundai i40 and Skoda Octavia.

We look forward to driving the 1.6 i-DTEC Sport version which will be on the press fleet in the very near future. It will be equipped with Honda's Dynamic Safety Pack option.