HONDA has been involved in Civic duty since the 1970s and the past 30-plus years has witnessed seven generations of these practical pieces of Japanese family transport gracing driveways worldwide.
These days, Honda is very much a British carmaker, with all of the Civic range except the four-door petrol/ electric IMA being built at the Swindon HUM car plant.
In the autumn of last year, all three and five door Civics received a makeover, updates all designed to add further to the quality of Civic driving life and reinforce their often understated fun-to-drive nature.
Attention has also been paid to reducing noise levels and increasing luggage bay capacity, while changes to the inside story have provided a lighter and more elegant ambience, the new-design seating having gained new fabrics.
The outward and visible signs have also received much attention. All Civic models getting a facelift to give sharper frontal styling with an enhanced, more positive-looking trademark "H" badging set in the mesh grille, flanked by new-style two or three-light wider beaming headlights set in sweeping chromework.
Tail light clusters have also been restyled and the Civic's broader shoulders, plus a front bumper with wider air intake and lines sweeping up into the wheel arches, all add to a more assertive stance.
This new-look Civic comes in three or five-door form powered by a trio of tried and tested aluminium four-cylinder petrol engines - a 90bhp 1.4-litre SOHC, 1.6-litre VTEC II and a two litre iVTEC, plus a 100bhp commonrail 1.7-litre direct injection diesel.
Extensive fine tuning of the suspension set-up in tandem with the EPS power steering system has benefitted all three and five-door Civics with differing values for the Sport, Type-S and Type-R variants, all aimed at improved steering response and handling while also improving ride quality.
A recent test drive found me sampling the qualities of the Civic 1.6 Sport, a derivative which comes bestowed with a number of adornments designed to capture some of the visual excitement of its more powerful sibling, the Honda Civic Type-R.
The Civic Sport model gets the Type-R's front spoiler design, together with a unique-colour front grille, three-light projector headlamps, side sill garnish and Sport badging.
The inside story of the Sport derivative also has hints of the Civic flagship motor in a steering wheel similar to that of the Type-R, while the Sport grade is also distinguishable by red seat inserts and red door panels matching with the black.
As in all Civic three-door models, in the Sport derivative you sit facing white-backed dashboard dials which add that touch of sporting life to an ergonomically excellent cabin area, as do the silver centre console and aluminiumesque effects on the doors.
The controls and their use combined well with a driving seat and steering wheel adjustment that will suit most drivers, while the seating holds its incumbents in a supportively comfortable manner.
Thanks to the Civic's flat floor set-up, head and legroom are generous in front, but, with a slightly lower roofline than the five-door model, access to the rear seating may not be quite so easy for some, while others may find the car's high waistline and the resultant smaller rear windows not to their liking.
On the road the Civic Sport, mounted on newly-designed five-stud 16-inch alloys shod with 205/55 R16 tyres is a joy, all aspects responding in assured fashion to the urge of the 110bhp 1.6-litre VTEC engine, while the dash-mounted gearstick slots smoothly and swiftly through the ratios.
Ride refinement benefits from Honda's noise level reduction exercise, while the Sports handling capabilities proved hugely agreeable thanks to the recalibrated spring and damper settings, resulting in the body remaining well controlled when linking together a series of bends.
In addition, ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist are on hand across the Civic range to assist the unwise and the unwary.
Elsewhere on the car, you now get 55-litres more cargo space thanks to the introduction of a spacesaver spare wheel and, while standard kit is generous, with air con, front and side airbags, trip computer and radio/ CD system leading the way, there are also a number of storage spaces in which to "lose" things.
Overall, the enhancements have added to an already well thought through Civic renowned for its extremely capable performance and well put together presentation and, as Honda are looking to spread their appeal to an even wider audience, the Civic Sport should find itself gracing many more driveways in the future.
FAST FASTS
Honda Civic 1.6 3-dr Sport
Price: £13,513
Mechanical: 110bhp 1590cc SOHC VTEC petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual transmission
Max speed: 116mph
0-62mph: 10.3 secs
Combined mpg: 42.8
Insurance group: 6
CO2 emissions: 157g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 90,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust; 3 yrs paint