Honda Civic Hatchback (2012 - 2017) 2.2 i-DTEC ES 5d Owner Review

I love the boot space which is huge and the way the rear seat bases fold upwards which enables additional load carrying, handy if you've got a boot full of shopping, it also makes it easy to hoover. The cloth seats on the ES are very comfortable, with plenty of adjustment for height and rake plus the material has a quality feel to them. The carpets are also decent, easy to hoover and the overall look and feel of the cabin is quality. Decent specification on the ES although I do miss the built in Sat Nav which is standard on my other car costing a similar price (Kia Cee'd 3 - 63 plate). Very well thought out dashboard display, easy to read and I love the digital speed odometer, but i do miss not being able to read average MPG which i reckon is around 50 mpg. The stereo is nice and clear and the speakers pump out a decent volume and audio frequency for lots of different genre. My only grumble is the USB/AUX connector is inside the lidded center console. Lots of power from the 2.2 i-DTEC diesel engine and at £20 a year road tax, this was a big draw for me. Engine noise is reasonable at idle and almost inaudible once you get going. Gear change is smooth, tight plus Honda mount the gearstick higher up into the center console than most other car manufacturers, which makes it easy to change gear. I find it also adds to the overall driving experience and comfort which is fantastic. Can't comment on long term reliability as i haven't had it that long, but so far it has been trouble free. The brake discs were a little scored when i bought it so i changed the front and rear pads and discs which was pretty easy to do and reasonably priced from my local Honda dealer (£320 all in). Overall i'd say the Honda Civic 2.2 i-DTEC is a great car, with a well thought out cabin. It's roomy, powerful, economical, original wear and tear parts are reasonably priced and if the reliability turns out to be as good as what everybody seems to state, it'll probably turn out to be my best car purchase to date. Tom