I Drove the 2026 Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid, and It Rocked My World
Posted by EducationDense3750@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 31 comments
Posted by EducationDense3750@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 31 comments
Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit
We recently bought the same car in sedan form as a daily, and it really is excellent; especially compared with what my expectations were going in. I wouldn't call it an enthusiast car at all, though. The driving experience far outclasses a Corolla Hybrid, but that's the lowest possible bar. In typical non-R Honda fashion, I would characterize it as "more fun than the competition, but not exceptionally fun". Which is fair, since it's a gas sipping Civic.
The drivetrain is pretty great, decent mileage (although I am yet to achieve anywhere close to advertised highway mileage, it does very well in the city), tons of torque thanks to electric assist, adjustable regen braking that outdoes traditional engine braking, etc. The CVT doesn't feel like a sloppy rubber band, which is all it takes to outdo most of the competitors. The steering is not amazing when compared with my GR86 (I am using this as a reference only because it is a similar model year and similar MSRP), but way better than most "normal" sedans I have driven recently. I rent cars frequently and always ask for a sedan if one is available, so that includes a decent swath of contemporary sedans.
The interior is decent as the article mentions. The one major disappointment is the ridiculous amount of door card flex when rolling the windows up or down. It's so, so damn noticeable.
On everything else, I agree with the article. Great car for the price, imo.
ifeelsopretty@reddit
We have a 2025 Civic sport touring hybrid hatchback. It’s a great car for the money. I keep thinking about a GR86 as something fun for myself. Since you have both, if you have any thoughts to share on the comparison, I’d love to hear it!
Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit
They are very different cars, other than both being small and low and getting 10/10 ratings from C&D lol. I would recommend just test driving the GR86 to see if you like it. I love it. In short, it is basically a 90s Japanese car, but not rusty and unreliable with non-existent parts, and you probably won’t die in an accident. (It is actually quite safe).
The 86 is significantly more fun to drive and significantly less practical. To name just a few differences: electric torque down low and no tachometer vs. rev to 7500rpm; auto vs. manual; useful vs. useless back seats; FWD vs limited slip rear that likes to go sideways easily; short gearing and close ratio gears vs. super smooth CVT. The Civic wants to cruise and the 86 feels eager to rip around and blast through gears. It is exceedingly easy to get the 86 sideways at legal speeds, even on a dry road.
My 86 is a 2022 so it doesn’t have EyeSight and the only nannies outside of traction control are RCTA and blind spot monitoring. Newer model years would be more similar to the Civic in that regard.
The Civic has an objectively nicer interior (leather, sunroof, wireless phone charger, etc) although I generally prefer the 86’s interior over the Civic’s as it feels very reminiscent of a 90s Japanese car. Manual e-brake, low seating position, heavily bolstered seats, more classic gauge format (although it is electronic and changes in track mode), and so on.
The GR86 is definitely less practical. Smaller trunk opening, smaller trunk, but at least the seats fold down. Longer doors are sometimes annoying when parking.
Also. They both make weird noises, in the Civic’s case it’s the hybrid stuff and in the 86’s case it’s the fuel pump and DI (“happy tractor noises” as Subaru enthusiasts sometimes say when people post asking if their car is broken). You will eventually just get used to that.
ifeelsopretty@reddit
Thank you for that comparison. It helps a lot. I don’t have a sports car right now and I’m debating between the usual suspects in the $30,000 & below, new or used, category. Really appreciate the contrast you’re drawing between these two cars. Thanks again.
RiftHunter4@reddit
The internet believes that the Civic Hybrid is a suitable alternative to the Prelude. Do you think an enthusiast would like the Civic Hybrid over the Prelude?
Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit
As someone who sometimes defends the new Prelude here, I don't think a traditional enthusiast is likely to buy either of them outside of the "car for pure daily duty" scenario. To answer your question, though, the Prelude is much prettier, so probably not. I do think they cover different markets, and the Prelude market is basically just "I would have bought the Civic Hybrid if it was a coupe and I am willing to pay more for a better looking version of it".
The problem is that you only buy the Prelude over the CTR or the Hybrid if for some reason you can only have one car, want an automatic, care about handling but want or will tolerate FWD, do not want a Civic Type R because it is manual, and do not care at all about practicality or price but really care a lot about gas mileage and exterior aesthetics.
RiftHunter4@reddit
Well that demographic is pretty close to where I am at the moment lol.
Fit_Equivalent3610@reddit
It’s a gorgeous car, it wouldn’t work for my current situation (it would be silly to have 3 coupes when I need at least 1 sedan), but I wouldn’t let the internet negativity put you off it if you’re one of the people it might actually work for.
Alive_Internet@reddit
I had a similar experience test driving the Civic hybrid and Prius back to back. Was originally leaning towards the Prius because of the style and AWD, but left with the Civic. I couldn’t get over how loud and coarse the powertrain in the Prius was in comparison, or how the Prius’ steering was pinky finger light. The Civic hybrid has the least CVT-feeling CVT I’ve ever felt in any car (and I normally hate CVTs), which really helped seal the deal.
Astramael@reddit
Honda’s hybrid system doesn’t have a transmission at all. There’s no CVT.
kagemusha35@reddit
Ive seen multiple outlets and people say they can’t achieve the mileage numbers advertised. But I’ve always averaged 45+ mpg just daily driving both highway and city
LocalLuck2083@reddit
The Honda hybrid tech does worse mpgs with higher freeways speeds compared to Toyotas hybrid
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=868490727978487&id=100044527030149&http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc3NTM0MTk4OTAwMCwiciI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbVwvIn0%3D
Windows-XP-Home-NEW@reddit
Which it makes up for with better handling and NVH.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
I hope so. Honda giving much discounts on these? Free USB cable or something?
SwiftCEO@reddit
They’re not going to be giving away those $50 Honda branded phone chargers. That’d be wild.
_galaga_@reddit
Drove a Civic this past week and agree with just about everything you said. I like how it steers and handles for what it is and the CVT is reasonable. The paddles allow some engine braking if you want, too.
Egg_Tart_Eater@reddit
Faster 0-60 than the Si too 🤣🤣🤣
hi_im_bored13@reddit
Agree w/ all but for the money I'd give a little more credit to the corolla hybrid. Compared to a few years ago, & compared to Honda's 1.5t, the competitions turbo 4s, the eCVT system is very refined. Not as refined as the series-ish hybrid in the Hondas, but those start much higher & return less efficiency
Re: CVT feel, The CVT isn't a real CVT, all the drive is done by electric motors, short of highway speeds where the engine directly drives the wheels. It has simulated shifts but they're fake/arbitrary
Kirihuna@reddit
The worst part about the car is the backup camera.
spadedracer@reddit
It's a tiny car, why do you need a backup camera?
Kirihuna@reddit
You know since 2018 it’s required by law to have one?
My wife’s Kia K5 backup camera is night and day better. Honda is being cheap.
Mountain-Union2347@reddit
Yeah backup cameras have been around for a long time, and now that they’re standard, there’s no excuse for having a shitty one. You can find good inexpensive backup cams online.
Astramael@reddit
The current Civic is huge. Not that you should necessarily need a backup camera, but saying it’s a tiny car is super incorrect.
xselimbradleyx@reddit
I love the focus on driving dynamics and interior styling but I have a hard time choosing it over the new Camry… I feel like the Camry offers more for the money.
HowardSternsWig@reddit
Camry doesnt compete with the Civic.. the Camry competes with the Accord
zoom-3-zoom@reddit
On paper yes but in reality the cheapest civic hybrid sedan is the same price as the cheapest Camry.
I’m personally trying to decide between the two.
Camry is larger and feels a bit more substantial. The civic gives you a bit more features and looks better.
The civic surprisingly gets less mpg but is quicker. They are really neck and neck.
The civic hybrid slaps the Corolla hybrid and is not even worth comparing the two.
xselimbradleyx@reddit
Personally, the lack of rear AC vents in the Civic is the one of the deciding factors for me.
GTB_Fioranno@reddit
I had an 2026. Couldn’t stand it at all, it’s a decent car, but I just couldn’t live with it. Bought it Nov of 2025, traded it in March of 2026. Admittedly I may have come into the Honda Ownership with a bias towards European Cars (family currently has extensive history with Volvo and recently got a Range Rover).
I’ll give it credit for being incredibly efficient. I was averaging 350 miles with the 10 gallon fuel tank.
Now I have my 2026 EX30 and it’s definitely a better suited vehicle for me… even when it threw a Service Error Message within a week of buying it lol.
virak_john@reddit
Bought one of these for my wife to drive. If it was just a little faster — like +25 hp — I’d consider it as a replacement for my beloved mk7.5 GTI.
Dionegro__@reddit
How well do they sell in the US and Canada?
AndreLeGeant88@reddit
It's a fantastic car. We took it on a road trip this weekend. Plenty of room for a family of 3 plus a medium size dog, some luggage, etc. Over 40+ mpg and regular fuel. Handling that still feels good even coming from my BMW M240.