Review: 10th Gen Honda Civic FC

The Honda Civic was always a well loved and very popular car among us Malaysians. When the 9th generation Civic FB was launched in 2012 it was really disappointing to many Civic enthusiasts as it was considered to be worse than its predecessor, the Civic FB. It looked boring, it had a very cheap feeling interior, and the build quality and driving experience was mediocre. Civic sales plunged and in the USA, it was quickly given a hefty, much needed refresh.

The 10th Generation Honda Civic FC 1.8S (Dark Ruby Red Pearl)

In 2016, Honda unveiled the new Civic and it was real head turner. It was given a proper refresh, completely redesigned from the ground up. It featured a "coupe like" body styling with short overhangs, and aggressive styling. Curves, line, creases all at the right places - did I mention it yet? Honda nailed it with the Civic in terms of styling. But is the Civic just a pretty face? How is it like to live with it? Should I get one? Read on to found out in this long term review of the 10th generation Honda Civic FC.

The Civic FC's Rear End - Perhaps its most striking angle

The Civic FC is available in Malaysia in 3 variants. The base 1.8S featuring a 1.8 litre naturally aspirated engine; the 1.5 TC featuring a 1.5 litre turbo charged EarthDreams engine; and the 1.5 TC-Premium which has the same engine as the 1.5 TC but adds some kit and accessories. The Civic is availiable in 5 colors, namely Lunar Silver, White Orchid Pearl, Modern Steal Metallic, Obsidian Black, and Dark Ruby Red Pearl. Standard on all variants in Malaysia are 6-airbags, keyless entry and start, remote engine start, 7-inch touchscreen head unit, fully digital instrument gauge cluster, walk-away lock, LED combination tail lamps, multi-angle reverse camera with guidance lines, rear parking sensors, electronic parking brake with brake hold, auto lights, ABS, EBD, ESS, hill start assist and BA. The 1.8 features halogen projector headlamps with DRL, fabric seats, body colored door handles, and 16 inch dual tone alloy wheels. The 1.5 TC adds leather upholstery, 17 inch dual tone alloy wheels, and paddle shifters. The top of the range 1.5 TC-Premium adds full LED reflector headlamps with DRL, LED fog lights, chrome door handles, built-in GPS navigation, interior chrome trims by the air-con vents, auto-dim rearview mirror, and dual zone climate control. The unit we will be reviewing today is the 1.8S.

The Civic FC's Front Quarters (White Orchid Pearl)

Stepping into the Civic FC, the first thing we noticed was the low ride height, and very impressive build quality. The cabin is filled with soft touch materials, and very well put together.  Leg room and head room is fine, despite its sloping roof design, and the high center console gives a very sporty and premium impression of the car. The 7-inch head unit is very user friendly, and best of all, it's Android Auto and Apple Carplay compatible. The sound system although lacking some bass is very clear, and of good quality. The electronic parking brake, and small gear stick feels opulent, and the brake hold feature is proven helpful in traffic jams. 

The Civic FC's Head Unit

Living with the car was great. It was practical, reliable, and fun to drive. Fuel efficiency is decent, we averaged around 500 km of range on a full tank. Although the car isn't powerful, it does have enough power to haul you and you family on long trips. The steering wheel is well weighted, and definitely feels connected to the road. Handling is sharp, accurate, and really fun around the turns. Its spacious 519-liter boot is always ready to accommodate to your needs, but unfortunately the rear seats can't be folded down for extra cargo capacity. The seats are comfortable, but even though they are made of fabric, they are of high quality material. Unique to Civic FC against its rivals, is a new feature called "remote engine start", with this feature, it allows you to start the engine of the car to cool down your cabin remotely from the key fob, without unlocking and getting into the car. It is a real treat to have, especially when parking outside in our hot weather. The auto lights work like a charm, and the reverse camera with active guidance lines is really useful for squeezing into tight spaces.

The Civic FC's Interior

The dashboard is no longer 2 tiered, but is well laid out with all the controls and buttons laid out in logical places. The head unit has this cool floating effect, the climate controls are well thought out, and there are storage compartments everywhere. The touch sensitive volume slider on the steering is cool to have although sometimes you can accidentally turn the volume very loud or soft when turning the steering wheel. Thankfully this can be turned off via the head unit. The fully digital gauge cluster looks very futuristic and has good legibility. 

The Civic FC's Rear Quarters

The 10th generation Civic FC is great car, but everything does has its flaws. As a c-segment family sedan, the ride height is too low. Yes, it does give it a lower center of gravity - which can give better confidence, and that aggressive stance and sporty look, but it does make it difficult for the elderly to get in and out of. To make things worse the low sloping roof design does make it a real hassle for the elder to enter the rear quarters. The lack of actual buttons and a volume knob on the head unit does force you as the driver to take your eyes off the road for a split second for any adjustment, but at least steering wheel controls are standard on all variants, and are placed in familiar places. The lack of front parking sensors does make parallel parking a tad more challenging, especially because of the long flat hood of the car. There are no front parking sensors available across the range regardless of variant.

The Key Fob

In 2019 Honda Malaysia released an updated version of the Civic FC featuring a minimally updated front bumper, new head unit with physical controls and volume knob, new interior trim pieces, and 60:40 split folding rear seats. Honda Sensing was introduced as well, but is reserved for the top of the line TC-Premium only

The Civic FC's Sloping Roof Design

So is the 10th generation Civic FC for you? If you want something that looks good, has good fuel efficiency, and is fun to drive then yes. However if you want something that stands out on the road, something less common, and have older folks living you then the answer would probably be a no. Let us know what you think of the 10th generation Honda Civic FC down in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.