Over the last few weeks, we've been getting to know the 2025 Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid a little better. Here is the fourth – and final – chapter of our long-term test of the model.
See also: 2025 Honda Civic Touring Hybrid Long-Term Test, Part 1: A Best-Seller for Half a Century
See also: 2025 Honda Civic Touring Hybrid Long-Term Test, Part 2: The Metamorphosis
See also: 2025 Honda Civic Touring Hybrid Long-Term Test, Part 3: Focus on Electric Power
I confessed last week that I was hoping to improve my fuel consumption average of 5.7L/100 km, this after another Civic hybrid driver told me they had managed 3.3L. To add insult to injury, my boss at Auto123 said he had recorded 3.9L. I was assailed by terrible self-doubts...
Am I such an impatient driver that I can't extract the economic zen promised by the Civic hybrid? Why do they experience the satisfaction of ecological duty fulfilled while I seem to be driving, relatively speaking, an 18-wheeler?
And so I applied myself, I really did. I endeavoured to drive ultra-green-ly, accelerating veeery slowly, letting regeneration brake for me, driving in Econ mode, limiting the A/C, etc.
I went down to 4.4L/100 km.
Not bad, but no trophy for me. I do plead the excuse of topography. The best ratings are obtained at low speeds and by multiplying gentle braking. When driving in a downtown area or a suburb dotted with school zones, the opportunities to drive in electric mode but especially to recharge the battery while driving are much more numerous than when you're racking up kilometers on the highway.
I spent my last week of driving with an eye glued to the animation on the central screen that showed where the energy powering the front wheels came from, and I noticed that the gasoline engine bullied aside the electric motor when I was driving at 110 km/h. Even more so at 119 km/h with the intelligent cruise control activated.
Anyways, I did the best I could. And demonstrated, let’s not forget, that an average consumption of less than 4.0L/100 km is achievable, since other drivers succeeded.
You just have to live in the right place on the planet.
Visits to the pump
Honda's focus on fuel consumption is abosultely laudable, but it has had the perverse effect of turning an otherwise sensible engineering decision into a slight annoyance. By which I mean: the gasoline tank of the Civic hybrid is smaller than that of its non-hybrid counterpart (by almost 7 litres) because it has to make room for the lithium-ion battery.
No problem, right? Indeed, there's no need for a large tank when you consume less. In fact, even with a smaller gasoline tank, the Civic hybrid enjoys a range at least equivalent to, if not greater than, the regular Civic. What's more, a smaller tank means less weight, which also helps improve fuel economy.
But it’s a (minor) downside for those unable to achieve optimal fuel consumption (I know such an individual...). Those poor devils have no choice but to visit the pump more often, twisting the knife a little further in on their self-esteem...
On-demand regeneration
All electrified vehicles invite on-board regeneration. Whether braking or decelerating, the kinetic energy thus produced converges towards the battery to recharge it while driving. A brilliant idea.
Several manufacturers offer the possibility of managing the degree of regeneration. Drivers can choose weak, moderate or strong regen braking.
There are those – especially those in the passenger seat - who don't like the sudden and artificial slowing effect caused by regeneration. On the contrary, there are those – I am one of them – who want more.
In fact, some regeneration effects are so pronounced that when you release the right pedal, the car brakes on its own until it comes to a complete stop, eliminating the need to use the brake pedal. This philosophy, known as One Pedal driving, was first popularized by the second generation Nissan Leaf and its e-Pedal.
Then follows a fun game: guessing when to lift your foot so that the car stops exactly at the stop sign or red light. If my calculation is correct, I congratulate myself; if I miss my shot, I must finally use the left pedal or accelerate again because the car will stop before the target.
All this to tell you that the Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid offers steering wheel paddles to modulate the degree of regeneration. The idea is also to simulate a manual downshift, although the sedan uses a continuously variable transmission (eCVT).
Of course, as a big fan of One Pedal driving, I repeatedly clicked the paddle to enjoy maximum regeneration as soon as I anticipated a mandatory stop. However, not only do you not get a One Pedal effect, but you have to restart the quick clicks before each stop. Over a long journey, that's a lot of clicks. It gets annoying.
So, dear Honda, here is my suggestion: drop the paddle tapping and give us the ability to set the regeneration level of choice until we decide to change it. And I wouldn’t sneeze at true One Pedal driving either.
Hearing yourself think
Not even the range-topping 2025 Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid has the top acoustic insulation in its cabin. This is especially evident with winter tires on dry pavement. A constant rustling invades the cabin. Thankfully, this annoyance almost completely disappeared when my car received its summer rubber. I would add that the Sport Touring Hybrid offers an excellent antidote to parasitic noises: a 12-speaker Bose system (versus an 8-speaker generic system in other Civics).
In any case, let’s be realistic: you’re not going to get the same level of soundproofing in a Civic as in an Acura or a Lexus.
Which brings us to the question of price.
An investment
The folks at Honda are happy to proclaim that there is a mere “$1,900 difference between the gasoline version and the hybrid version of the Civic.”
That's true, but only when comparing the regular Sport sedan with the Sport hybrid sedan. An LX sedan is $5,800 cheaper. And between the hatchback models, the difference is $3,795.
Maxime Caron, Corporate Communications Manager for the Eastern Zone at Honda, was quick to reply: "The LX doesn't come in a hybrid version, so it's not really comparable in terms of price. And the Sport version is much better equipped!"
Also true. And the Sport Touring Hybrid is even better equipped. But let's stick with the smallest possible gap between the two Sport versions. So, you shell out an additional $1,900 for the hybrid version. Then let's take the average fuel consumption according to Honda: 6.8L/100 km for the regular Sport and 4.8L for the electrified one. At $1.50 per litre of regular gasoline, the hybrid driver thus saves $3 for every 100 km. They will have to travel 633 x 100 km to reach $1,900.
The upshot: When their odometer reads 63,333 km, their Civic Sport hybrid will generate profits. Not to mention the additional luxury accessible from day one. That seems like a more than reasonable proposition to me.
By opting instead for the Sport Touring Hybrid version, you’ll have to drive 179,833 km before breaking even. But remember, you are driving those 179,833 km in a sedan with an engaging look, undeniable comfort and a ride that combines sportiness and sobriety.
I leave you with a quick test, made up of one question: Which 2025 vehicle did the juries of AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) and NACTOY (North American Car of the Year) crown Best Car of the Year? Yes, our travel companion of the past few weeks.
A travel companion assembled, by the way, here at home, in Alliston, Ontario.
