Words by: Adam Allen
We love the notion of accidental heroes.
There are well documented examples of people who may lack heroism on the surface, but somehow find a way to rise to the occasion on many occasions. There are two notably famous crime fighters in the Naked Gun’s Frank Drebin and the Pink Panther’s familiar protagonist in Inspector Clouseau who are hapless at best and incompetent at worst; and yet, they always manage to come out on top and capture the Bad Guys. Of course, who can forget the charming story of Forrest Gump, who despite a huge lack of seafaring experience managed to survive a vicious storm and emerge as the last boat standing across a large fleet. This secured their position as the only remaining game in town where the lucrative shrimp industry was concerned. They did so well that they managed to invest some of their windfall into a new ‘fruit company’ (Apple Computers) that turned out to be a pretty shrewd gamble.
We see a similar theme taking place with the new Civic Hybrid, minus the bungle factor.
We concede that it doesn’t have the meekly inept character traits as our heroes above- quite the opposite, actually. The Civic platform has been a paragon of excellence since Honda unveiled the 11th generation a couple of short years ago. But in creating the new 2025 Hybrid model, Honda has created an accidental hero (well, for the enthusiast community and Honda fans alike at the very least) that inherits the crown as the zestiest Civic model after the mighty Type R and medium spicy Si.
How exactly did that happen? Well, by furnishing the Civic platform with Honda’s lauded hybrid drivetrain meant that the output rose to 200 horsepower- the very same as the manual only, more focused on sport Civic Si- and torque swells to 232 pounds feet which eclipses the Si’s yield by a healthy 40. Those numbers net a 6.2 0-100km/h sprint, which pips the Si by a full half second. Maybe it’s not an accidental hero, but it sure is an accidental hot rod. Even more impressive than that is that this car is still a champion fuel sipper and will be among the stingiest examples in its segment.
There are few subtle clues that can be found in the crisply styled silhouette that will differentiate the Hybrid from its stablemates, but you’ll have to look hard to notice the revised lighting elements and the more aggressive front facia. Shout out to the dazzling Solar Silver Metallic paint job which is the most captivating version of the hue we’ve laid eyes on this side of Porsche’s lovely GT Silver. There is of course the requisite badges out back, but Honda wisely chose to make the hybrid model almost indistinguishable from other Civics. That includes the way it drives, which is a huge asset to how the car feels going down the road. There are no hybrid stutters and lurches as the gas engine and electric motors feed off each other during their choreographed interactions and the brake pedal feel is just as good as any non-hybrid Civic. Basically, if you don’t know it was packing a hybrid drivetrain you might never guess. That is a huge plus and virtually eliminates any reluctance to accept a hybrid into your family fleet.
Our tester came with an off-menu hack that we discovered by accident. There are paddle shifters behind the steering wheel that don’t swap gear ratios like you might expect, but since this car has a CVT transmission, they don’t allow you to go up and down through any gear ratios because there aren’t any. Rather, they provide access to levels of regeneration with the most aggressive one not quite approaching one pedal driving, but it comes close. The best part is that when you select the Sport drive mode and ask for maximum deceleration it ‘remembers’ your choice and will abide until you tell it otherwise. Hyper milers will be in love and there was no noted negative effect on fuel consumption when driven in Sport mode.
If your commute finds you on roads that have curves- lucky you!- the Civic rises to the occasion and shows its driver that it comes from good genetics in the ride and handling department. Steering is light and accurate and body motions are clipped without ever feeling harsh. When it’s time to throw out the anchors, it stops obediently and without drama, providing good pedal feel no matter the amount of braking force the driver summons- short stopping distances aren’t the headline grabber when juxtaposed with the incredibly natural feeling brake pedal that mixes stopping and energy recouperation seamlessly. Even before our week spent driving the Civic had concluded over all manner of roads and highways, we were exposed to a quiet sense of brilliance that eventually reveals itself constantly imparting the feeling Honda built us a car that is much better than it needs to be. The fundamentals and balance are solid and remind us that Soichiro’s disciples can still tune a chassis to perfection when the chips are down.
It’s the same story when you settle into the Civic’s cockpit. If you have spent time in Civics over the years you will surely agree this is easily the most luxurious version of the car ever built. Everything is perfectly laid out- Honda’s engineers aren’t keen on messing around. We particularly liked the mesh lattice work that spans the dashboard, and the simplicity of the climate controls. Why can’t all cars follow this simple, uncluttered approach? If you need proof that Honda listens to its customers, look no further than the decision to eschew an overly complicated interface and along with the continued reinstatement of the volume knob that went missing a few years ago only to resurface to the shouts of joy coming from every Civic owner around. Another win for Civic drivers: the infotainment system, long a weak spot for Hondas, is now truly excellent. It responds quickly to commands and is easy to navigate.
While we would vastly prefer analogue gauges to digital- hey, there’s a reason they’ve been employed for one hundred years because they work perfectly well- the digital instrument panel in the Civic is pretty darn good. It seems small compared the acres of screen proliferating the industry, but it lays out all required information cleanly and legibly and it doesn’t wash out in direct sunlight. Comfort is also highly prioritized with Honda’s typical packaging brilliance on full display. There’s ample room for all passengers so the little Civic feels much bigger than it is, and there are a glut of nooks and crannies to stow all kinds of stuff.
By now it’s clear that our accidental hero has become the accidental sweet spot of the Civic lineup and yes, we are just as shocked as you that we typed that sentence concerning a hybrid. Don’t get us wrong- if we had our druthers, we’d hands down pick the Type R as our favorite and will always hold a soft spot for than manual only Si in our hearts. Yet even we couldn’t ignore the multipronged attack the hybrid mounts towards sheer brilliance. That it sips fuel at a miserly rate is icing on the cake.
Could the Civic Hybrid be made even better, we wondered? A manual transmission isn’t in the cards which would be our first go-to suggestion, but we wondered what the Si’s summer tire option could do to the hybrid’s already impressive handling chops. The men and women toiling away in Alliston, Ontario factory have been entrusted with building a car that will carry on the Civic legacy, even improving on it- making them adjacent accidental heroes for bringing us the best Civic lineup ever.
2025 Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid - Specifications
- Price as tested: $39,061.50
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/front-wheel drive
- Engine: 2.0L Atkinson-Cycle inline-four with AC motor
- Total System Horsepower: 200 @ 5,500 rpm
- Total System Torque (lbs-ft.): 232 @ 2,200 rpm
- Transmission: Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT)
- Curb weight: 1,480 kg (3,263 lbs)
- Observed Fuel consumption: 6.6L/100km (37 mpg)