FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2019 Honda Civic Sedan

How big is the boot of the Honda Civic Sedan?

The Honda Civic Sedan has a surprisingly large size boot. From empty, I could fit fourteen shopping bags in there, which is one less than the Kia Cerato Sedan which holds fifteen, and two less than the Toyota Corolla Sedan which holds sixteen shopping bags.

You do have the consideration of bending down into the boot and posting things in through the shaped boot opening but I didn't really find it a problem.

The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with five shopping bags around it.

The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with seven shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with eight shopping bags beside it.

The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with twelve shopping bags beside it.

You can't transport a dog in the boot because there is a fixed parcel shelf. The boot floor is nice and flat which is good for an emergency nappy change!

How good is storage inside the Honda Civic Sedan?

Storage in the cabin of the Honda Civic Sedan is pretty good. There are two cup holders inside the central console box, they are large and not very practically shaped to hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle rattles around in them too. The central console box is large and lined at the bottom which protected my sunglasses which I have to store in there as there is no glasses case in the ceiling.

There is a phone well in front of the gear lever and a storage shelf underneath too which has a 12V and USB sockets.

The glove box is generous and it would hold my wallet with the manual and my iPad which is great.

The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and there are little storage wells inthe handles too.

There are little storage wells in the door handles of the Vitara which I find really handy for keys or little things my daughter has in her hands when I'm putting her in and out of the car.

There is no glasses case in the ceiling which is disappointing and there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.

In the back, the door bins will hold a 600ml water bottle and there is a single map pocket on the back of the psseneger seat.

There are two cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the back of the central seatback. They are different sizes…

…which meant I could fit a reusable Luxey Cup in one and a disposable coffee cup or large refillable water bottle in the other.

How noisy is the Honda Civic Sedan?

When you first get in and start the Honda Civic Sedan a seatbelt display comes up to tell you who in the back has their seatbelts on or not which is a great BabyDrive feature.

The media system in the Honda Civic Sedan is quite basic which makes it easy to navigate.

It does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was great and I found it easy to connect my phone to.

When I first got in, the screen made a beeping sound every time I touched it which is of course annoying and baby waking. I could turn it off within the screen settings thankfully! I could check the fuel ecconomy through the media screen which was a good feature.

The reversing camera image is a bit pixelated but a nice big image.

You can turn the parking sensors off with the button down by your right knee but you can't just mute the sensors.

There is also a warning on the media screen for near objects although, this does make a beeping noise.

The lane departure warning beeps and flashes up a warning on the driver display screen. This can be turned on and off with the button on the right on the steeringwheel.

The cruise control buttons are also there and are simple to use.

The indicators would not disturbing a sleeping baby in the Civic Sedan and the left indicator does have a very cool camera. The image comes up in the media screen.

You can also turn this on and off without having to indicate with a button on the end of the indicator. This is one of my ultimate family friendly features in the Civic Sedan, as with child seats installed in most cars you can not see out of the left hand windows clearly so this camera really helps. I found we kept it on for a lot of the journey as a bit like in the Tesla Model S, it is good to be able to see what is around you and my daughter loved to watch it on motorways because she thought we were racing the cars next to us!

Road noise is quite loud on the motorway in the Civic Sedan and there is a slight element of feeling the road surface through the floor of the car too but not too badly.

There is no inbuilt satnav in the Honda Civic Sedan I tested, but it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so was easy to use Google Maps through my phone.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The doors and windows can both be locked from the driver's door control panel and I found both the doors and windows would not disturb small sleeping passengers when opening and closing them. You can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms.

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!

So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

How many child seats fit in the Honda Civic Sedan?

There are three top tether anchorages in the fixed parcel shelf of the Honda Civic Sedan. They are all within plastic guides but are quite difficut to accss as with all sedans because of the tight space behind the headrests and sloping back window.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are in between the the seat back nd seat base and not too tricky to connect to.

I could fit two child seats in the back of the Honda Civic Sedan, the sides of the car taper in as you get up towards the ceiling which prevented me from being able to fit three child seats.

We found a passenger could not fit between the two child seats but the legroom is very good and a 182cm driver could sit infront of a rear-facing child seat.

Posting bub into their child seat from outside the car is always trickier in sedans because of the low rooflines compared to SUVs but the roof of the Honda Civic Sedan is not as low as it looks or get in the way as much as a lot of other sedans I have tested. There are handles in the back to hang a child's toy.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the Honda Civic Sedan? And How good is the Honda Civic Sedan to drive?

In the front of the Civic Sedan, the seat backs feel like they have a lump in the lower lumbar which makes them uncomfortable and the tops of the seatbacks drop away from you from the waist upwards  so they do not support you in any way.  This does mean you can have poytail though because the headrests are quite far away!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are comfortable at the sides and legroom is good. I could feel the hardness of the drop-down armrest in the central seat back.

There is a hump in the central footwell, although it is not too bad to rest your feet on or straddle.

For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The front seats are upholstered with a dark woven fabric and have a chequered panel that runs through the middle of them. where are the rear seats do not have these contrast panels. The woven upholstery would make them a bit harder to keep clean with child spills and crumbs!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Cruise control is nice and easy to use and the controls are on the left on the steering wheel.

The air conditioning is controlled through the media screen or using the controls below it on the dash.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and anotherone at either end.

There are no air conditioning vents in the back of the Honda Civic Sedan.

The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling between the front seat headrests so you can easily reach them from the driver's seat while driving.

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility in the Honda Civic Sedan is good and I like the additional left side camera and having that on really helps, especially with child seats installed in the back. I also didn't feel I sat too low down in the Civic so that did help wih visibility too.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Honda Civic Sedan  was easy to park.

There are branded floor mats throughout the Honda Civic Sedan.

Aesthetically the Honda Civic Sedan is very basic inside, but this is the joy of it. The surfaces are clear and basic like a modern electric car only all the features are not within the media screen because that is basic too! It's like everything you need in a car with all the unnesecary stripped away and that actually makes it more enjoyable to drive!

How safe is the Honda Civic Sedan?

The Honda Civic Sedan scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017 so it has not been through the child occupancy protection testing.

Scoring a total of 34.68 out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 14.75 out of 16 for the frontal offset test, 14.93 out of 16 for the side impact test and full marks for the pole test and rated “Good” for whiplash and pedestrian protection.

Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and the rear side passengers.

As standard, all models of the Honda Civic Sedan come with seat belt pre-tensioners the front seats only, anti-lock braking system (ABS), daytime running lights (DRL), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), hill launch assist, reversing collision avoidance, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and speed assistance – manual speed limiting.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!