This hot Honda hatch can be a mixed blessing

This review first appeared in the June 2020 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – Driving around in a 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring sedan creates good news and bad news.

The good news is that this is a sported-up version of the venerable Honda Civic, with looks that broadcast performance and open-road pleasure.

This particularly salty Civic is dressed up to look comparatively racy, especially on the back end, with a sculpted wing, centered dual exhausts, 18-inch alloy wheels and a wide-stance design that resembles the back end of a contemporary sports car purpose-built for racing.

The looks are backed up with substantial power delivered via a 1.5-liter turbo-4 rated at 180 horsepower.  This scoots the Civic hatch around with neck-snapping authority, and it's a genuine blast darting the machine around in dicey freeway traffic.

All good, right?  So, what's not to like?

Well, perhaps you've heard that souped-up Honda Civics are a favorite on the highly illegal street-racing circuit.  (They're also popular at equally illegal "sideshows," motor vehicle burnout/stunt shows that got their start in Oakland a generation ago.)

So what?, you might be asking.

When you're test driving a 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring sedan with its race-me-now appearance, that means you get a lot of young folks in similarly hot Honda Civics pulling up next to you and inquiring as to whether you might be interested in a competitive dash over, say, the next quarter mile.

Never mind that the driver behind the wheel of the hatch is receiving Social Security and Medicare.  This sort of thing happens.

Fortunately, given my mature age and advanced wisdom, I resisted the temptation to accept these random challenges. But maybe some folks will like the idea of being chosen, a throwback to those wild days of youth.  Could be.

Otherwise, the sporty Civic Hatch is an enjoyable daily driver, and well-equipped.  Standard interior features on the tester included leather surfaces, a strong 12-speaker audio system, heated front/rear seats, dual-zone climate control and a power moonroof.

Fuel mileage is excellent at 29 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.  A full boat of max five-star federal government safety ratings -- including the overall vehicle store -- is part of the package.

And the price on the tester was fair at $29,780.

Looking for affordable, sporty, safe and reliable?  This hatch has all that.  Just don't be surprised if you're invited to street race.