Is Honda Civic Good for Long Drives?
If you want to have a good time on a long drive, you need to make sure you choose the right car.
So, if you have a Honda Civic on hand, you may wonder if it will be a suitable pick.
Overall, Honda Civics are good for long drives. Civics make excellent road trip vehicles because they are reliable, get good gas mileage, and have plenty of leg room. However, most Civics do not come with quality sound systems and possess relatively small gas tanks.
In this article, I will describe the pros and cons of using a Honda Civic for long drives.
Then, I will explain how many people can fit in a Civic and how many miles you can expect your Civic to last.
5 Pros of Taking a Honda Civic on Long Drives
In the following sections, I will discuss some of the main pros of taking a Honda Civic on long drives.
Pro One: Good Gas Mileage
One of the biggest pros of the Honda Civic is that it gets good gas mileage.
In general, the 2021 Honda Civic gets 32 mpg (51 k/pg) in the city and 42 mpg (68 k/pg) on the highway.
And even the older models get similar gas mileage, with the 2000 Honda Civic managing 35 mpg (56 k/pg) in the city and 43 mpg (69 k/pg) on the highway.
For comparison, the 2022 Toyota Corolla only gets 31 mpg (50 k/pg) in the city and 40 mpg (64 k/pg) on the highway.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Nissan Sentra gets 29 mpg (47 k/pg) in the city and 39 mpg (63 k/pg) on the highway.
Thus, on a long road trip, you can end up saving plenty of money on gas when you choose a Honda Civic.
Pro Two: Plenty of Leg Room
When it comes to the front seat, the 2022 Honda Civic has a similar amount of leg room as its opponents, with about 42 inches (107 cm) of space.
Yet, the real plus of the Honda Civic is the roomy back seat, which will give taller passengers a much comfier ride.
The new Honda Civic has about 37 inches (94 cm) of leg room in the back seats, or about 3 inches (8 cm) more than similar vehicles.
Pro Three: Excellent Reliability
One of the most frustrating problems people can face on long road trips is issues with their cars, which leave them stranded on the side of the road.
But what about the Honda Civic?
Does it have a good chance of making it from point A to point B, or are you better off driving something else?
When it comes to reliability, the Honda Civic is one of the best cars in its class.
Overall, Honda Civics do not break down often compared to similar vehicles.
Additionally, Civics are less likely than most cars to require extensive repairs.
Pro Four: Lots of Headroom
The Honda Civic has slightly more headroom than similar vehicles, with 39.3 inches (99.8 cm) of headroom in the 2022 Civic’s front seats.
Meanwhile, in the front seats of the 2021 Nissan Sentra, you’ll only have 38.9 inches (98.8 cm) of head space, and in the 2022 Toyota Corolla, you get a measly 38.3 inches (97.3 cm).
However, when it comes to the back seats, the amount of headroom is pretty average at 37.1 inches (94.2 cm).
These dimensions are similar to the 2021 Sentra, where you get 36.7 inches (93.2 cm), and the 2022 Corolla, which has 37.1 inches (94.2 cm).
Pro Five: Adequate Trunk Space
If you’re going on a long drive, there’s a good chance you have a lot of bags you need to bring with you.
So, that begs the question: how does the Honda Civic’s trunk space add up to its competitors?
The 2022 Honda Civic sedan has more trunk space when compared to most similar vehicles, as it allows you 14.8 cubic feet (0.42 m3) of room.
For comparison, let’s look at the trunk space of its competitors:
- 2021 Mazda 3 – 13.2 cubic feet (0.37 m3)
- 2019 Hyundai Elantra – 14.4 cubic feet (0.41 m3)
- 2019 Kia Forte – 15.3 cubic feet (0.43 m3)
- 2021 Toyota Camry – 15.1 cubic feet (0.43 m3)
- 2022 Nissan Sentra – 14.3 cubic feet (0.4 m3)
As for the 2022 Civic hatchback, you also get quite a bit of room as it gives you 24.5 cubic feet (0.69 m3) of trunk space.
To compare, here is how much room you get in some of the Civic hatchback’s competitors:
- 2021 Toyota Corolla – 17.8 cubic feet (0.5 m3)
- 2019 Hyundai Elantra – 24.9 cubic feet (0.71 m3)
- 2018 Ford Focus – 23.3 cubic feet (0.7 m3)
- 2019 Subaru Impreza – 20.8 cubic feet (0.59 m3)
- 2019 Chevrolet Cruze – 22.7 cubic feet (0.64 m3)
2 Cons of Taking a Honda Civic on Long Drives
Of course, not everything in the Honda Civic can be perfect.
So, I’ve listed out some of the biggest cons of taking a Honda Civic on long road trips.
Con One: Poor Sound System
A quick search of audio systems in the Honda Civic will give you plenty of articles of people raving about the new system in the 2022 model.
And all this talk may make you think the Civic has great speakers.
However, the reason that the new system in the 2022 Civic is so exciting is that the speakers in earlier Civics were pretty below average.
Most Honda Civics on the road today were built with cheap speakers, so if you have never changed the speakers in your Civic, the sound quality will be pretty lousy.
And, of course, for some people, a bad sound system is an absolute deal breaker for long rides.
Con Two: Small Gas Tank
Another issue you will run into with the Honda Civic on long drives is its small gas tank.
The 2022 Honda Civic’s gas tank can only hold up to 12.4 gallons (46.9 L) of gas.
For comparison, the 2021 Toyota Corolla and the 2022 Mazda3 can take up to 13.2 gallons (50 L).
Thus, you will have to stop for gas a bit often during your trip if you take a Civic.
How Many People Can Fit in the Honda Civic?
The Honda Civic seats five people, two in the front and three in the back.
However, as with most sedans, the passengers in the back would be rather cramped if there was a person in every seat.
So, if you are going on a long drive, it would be best to seat just two people in the back.
How Many Miles Will the Honda Civic Last?
If you often take your Civic on long drives, it’s important to know how many miles you can expect it to last.
Overall, Honda Civics hold up much better than other cars as they typically last for at least 200,000 miles (321,869 km).
There are even a decent number of Civics that travel for 300,000 miles (482,803 km) or further.
Conclusion
If you are going on a long drive, the Honda Civic is definitely a great vehicle to use.
With its excellent fuel economy, reliability, and space, you can’t go wrong with a Civic.
