My first ever drive in a Civic was as a passenger some 30 years ago.  I was skiing at Mt Hotham in Victoria's high country and met up with a team of Honda factory drivers one evening by the fire.  They were in Australia to test the Civic in 'Australian conditions'. Having, I suspect, consumed one too many Harvey Wallbangers, I willingly accepted the offer by one of the drivers to accompany him on a test run at dawn the next day.  I spent half that next morning crammed in the passenger seat of a new Civic along with an array of monitoring equipment while we hurtled sideways around the snow covered roads of the Victorian Alps in what was, by today's standards a very basic car. I survived thanks to the driver's skill rather than the built in safety features.
Fast forward 30 years and our latest test car is the Honda Civic VTi.  The VTi is the basic model in the current Civic range but boy, has it come a long way in 3 decades!
Lacking in the Civic 30 years ago, but now built in to all three models today as standard equipment are:
 • 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS & EBD
 • Stability Control & Traction Control
 • Front and side airbags for driver and passenger plus full length curtain airbags
 • 'G-Force Control' to absorb impact energy in a crash
Extremely practical, the new Civic has enough room to carry the kids and just about anything else you may need.  With a surprisingly large 376L of boot space and a single folding rear seat arrangement (60:40 split in the VTi-L and Sport) you can carry everything from bikes to golf bags with ease.
For environmentally conscious drivers the 1.8L Civic is a low emission vehicle producing 171g/km of CO2 from the automatic version.  Combined fuel economy is quoted at 7.2L/100kms and our zippy little 1.8L SOHC i-VTEC engine with 103kW of power and 174Nm of torque provided smooth, responsive, effortless acceleration.  The more luxurious VTi-L shares the same engine (the top of the range Sport is powered by a 2.0L DOHC version).  All models have a "drive by wire" throttle and are available with 5 speed manual or automatic transmissions.  We tested the VTi Auto.
We like the (typically Honda) simple, user friendly attitude of the Civic - you simply get in and drive off, there's none of the usual wrestling round with seat, wheel and mirror positions to get comfortable.  Nor did we have to undergo a post-grad course in technology to understand how to run the car.  The steering wheel is fully adjustable (in/out and up/down) and the driver's seat is height adjustable.
Creature comforts include cruise control, air conditioning (climate control in VTi-L & Sport), storage for everything in front and rear including cup holders, a deep centre console plus passenger seat back and rear door pockets. For entertainment there's an MP3 and WMA compatible CD system.  Also the clever 2 tiered multiplex dash has an easy to read crystal clear display at the top (just below your line of sight) for speed, fuel level and temperature.
We can really only fault Civic on one item - Bluetooth® is still only offered as an optional extra, not unlike airbags were not so long ago.  We believe providing a hands free phone system in all cars now should be obligatory.  It's time for all manufacturers to take Bluetooth® out of the Options list and move it into the Safety Features list.
That said, Civic VTi is a car for all seasons, doubling as a quiet comfortable tourer for long distance travelling and a smart city commuter – and I wouldn’t mind betting it'd be lots of fun sideways in the snow!
The VTi is currently priced to sell (including on-roads) at $22,990 for the 5 speed manual or $25,290 for the 5 speed automatic. Our Pearlescent paint added $475.

Test Conducted March 2010
Vehicle supplied by Honda Australia Pty Ltd