First Drive: 2016 Honda Civic coupe
Occasionally in the auto industry we see what's called a staggered launch, where different versions of a vehicle are rolled out gradually as opposed to all at once.
Sometimes this is done to drum up hype for a particular model, while for others it's to buy additional development time.
- Also: 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback: Declaring all-out supremacy
- Also: Honda unveiled its new 2017 Civic Si
A perfect example of this is the 2016 Honda Civic, with the sedan hitting the market long before the coupe and hatchback variants, not to mention the Si and much-ballyhooed Type R performance models.
Why Honda went this route we'll probably never know, but if it was done to build a buzz, well, it worked.
After a ninth-generation car that was described as "bland" by Motoring TV's own Graeme Fletcher, the redesigned sedan was a hit right out of the gate, touching off a firestorm of praise that earned the Civic numerous awards around the globe.
Half a year later Honda has launched that car's hotly-anticipated coupe compatriot, the second in a Civic lineup the automaker hopes will keep it firmly entrenched atop the ever-popular small car segment.
The good news for coupe fans is that all the ingredients that made the sedan an award-winner have been carried over to this all-new two-door Civic.
The 2016 Civic coupe shares the same sporty and aggressive look of the sedan while measuring 140 millimetres shorter and 20 millimetres lower overall.
Those slightly smaller dimension go a long way in making the car feel sportier than the sedan, particularly with the turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder under the hood.
With a healthy 174 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, the turbocharged engine is the way to go, proving peppy on the highway and around town.
The bad news is that, just like in the sedan, the coupe's turbocharged engine is, at least for the time being, only available with a continuously-variable transmission.
No, this isn't the Si, and yes, Honda has done a reasonable job of making the CVT feel like an automatic thanks to "staged" shift points, but I'm still not sold.
One way the combination of the turbo engine and CVT pays dividends is at the pumps, with my week behind the wheel besting the advertised combined average of 6.7 L/100 km by a slight third of a litre.
The Energy Green colour of our tester may make the Civic coupe look like pea soup on wheels, but thankfully it doesn't handle that way, with taut suspension and 17-inch wheels wrapped in Continental tires keeping the car planted through corners.
Steering feel is lost a bit at low speeds, feeling almost disconnected from the rest of the car, but it tightens up the way a coupe should when the needle climbs.
Honda decided to skip over the Civic sedan's base DX trim in coupe form, which means just about all the amenities you could ask for come standard across the range.
Power windows and locks, cruise control, heated seats, automatic climate control, a backup camera and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are all included from the $19,000 LX all the way up to our $27,000 Touring tester.
The automaker's suite of Honda Sensing active safety features is also available across the trim range, and standard on the Touring, and includes collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and forward collision warning.
While a touch on the pricey side, the Touring model also gets leather seats, two extra speakers in the audio system for a total of 10, and satellite navigation should you opt not to use your phone.
It took six months after the award-winning sedan for Honda to launch the 2016 Civic coupe, but if you're in the market for a two-door compact it may have been worth the wait.
Base price: $19,455
As tested: $29,324 (freight included)