2024 Honda Civic V: More than we’ll ever need

Whether we like it or not, modern capitalism thrives not only on fulfilling wants and needs, but also the stratification of these wants and needs.

There’s an old saying in business: “Create the need/want.” If you read between the lines, you can argue that certain wants and needs are simply manufactured by companies as a result of superb marketing strategies or truly innovative features (remember how the iPhone dragged us and the entire smartphone industry away from devices with “outdated” physical keys).

Things like food, clothing and shelter are unquestionably basic human needs. Yet some people are willing to splash out five figures for a high-end dinner or designer clothing because they want higher quality or greater satisfaction.

Mobility, some argue, is also a basic human need, but there are some times when certain forms of mobility seem to have an excess of entitlement. As a kid, I remember reading magazines about how base-model cars were “poverty-spec” because these lacked the fancy toys of the more expensive models.

Hyperbole this may be – but in a country where 12.9 million families rated themselves poor in a March 2024 Social Weather Stations survey, the “destitution” you would feel from a brand-new, “entry-level” car that only a selected number of Filipinos can buy is utterly petulant.

Indeed, the 2024 Honda Civic V is what some from the olden days would call the “cheapo” model. But I think this is one of the finest automobiles on sale today and will likely remain so for a long time.

Restraint and elegance

The previous-generation Civic, which I tested shortly after it had launched locally in 2016, restarted the trend of sleek styling for Honda Cars’ long-running sedan.

But I feel that the latest model is even nicer to look at – the long hood and gently flared fenders lead the eye to the large LED headlights that flank a simple front grill. This car may have a prominent snout, but it isn’t overly styled like the old Civic.

The side profile is carried over from the larger Accord – the low roofline and high beltline emphasize not only the Civic’s length, but also the sweeping fastback styling. The two-tone, 17-inch alloy wheels look just right, too.

At the back, the wraparound LED taillight clusters accentuate the Civic’s tall rear deck and steeply raked rear windscreen. The lack of any wild paint schemes or badges signifies a form of restraint that makes the car rather elegant.

Capacious and cossetting

Inside, there’s high-quality cloth abound.

While many would moan about the lack of leather, the Civic V is much more bearable after a few hours parked under the sun. And if you want the feel of scalding hide on your hiney, you can always get leather seat covers (just make it’s synthetic leather or my colleague Tessa Salazar will come looking for you).

Piano-black trim and geometric silver accents across the entire dashboard add a splash of elegance to the cabin, balancing out the hard and scratchy plastics on the door cards. There’s also an easy-to-use touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although it is rather small and hard to see when the sun is up and about.

What isn’t small is the passenger accommodation – the Civic’s generous dimensions mean more than enough room for five people, along with a truly commodious trunk with 60:40 split-folding rear seats.

Combine all these with the powerful climate-control system with rear vents and numerous cubby holes and you have a sedan that will make you wonder why you would want a more top-heavy crossover.

Quick but composed

And you would want a crossover even less when you actually drive the Civic.

That big snout hides a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine pumping out 176 horsepower and 240 Newton-meters of torque. It may not be as ferocious as its Type R sibling, but this little powerplant never disappointed.

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The boost comes in at a low 1,500 rpm, allowing you to pootle around town and get 7 to 10 km/l in the city. Pin the throttle to the carpet and you get a generous helping of power distributed evenly to the 6,500 rpm redline.

Drive it gently on the expressway and you can get up to 20 km/l, although the stock tires are quite noisy at speed. And with the standard Honda SENSING active-safety suite, long drives are not just easier, but also safer thanks to Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist and Collision Mitigation Braking System.

The steering is a bit numb, but the quick ratio means you don’t need to do so much arm-twirling. And cornering does expose that the Civic’s chassis isn’t quite as taut as the Toyota Corolla Altis or the Mazda3, but compensates with a more composed ride.

However, the Civic does match the Mazda with its superb brakes. Modulation is easy because of a firm pedal that allows to move the car’s weight around just enough for a more fun drive.

Splendid

The 2024 Honda Civic V is one of the very few cars that I would buy brand-new, with my own money.

My daily driver is a third-hand, 28-year-old BMW 3 Series, which combines sportiness and refinement that very few cars today could match. This entry-level Civic is one such car – and not once did I want for more gadgets or doodads.

At P1,583,000, it’s definitely worth the premium over rivals like the Toyota Corolla Altis GR-S and the GAC Empow, both of which don’t quite match the Civic’s performance or refinement. And up against the truly stellar Mazda3, the Honda may appeal to those who want a more conventional sedan.

But the fact that we can even consider buying any of these cars is a privilege we should carry tactfully.