TEST: New Honda Civic Tourer

Check out the brand new Honda Civic Tourer – which our staff snapper Neil Denham tested at its UK launch yesterday – available soon in dealerships across Europe from £20,265. It's a practical family car "designed in Europe, for European customers" squaring up directly to the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf & Skoda Octavia etc… tough competition.
The high-tech range includes a 1.6-litre 1-DTEC (manual) and 1.8-litre i-VTEC (both manual and automatic) – offering 120PS/300Nm and 142PS/174Nm respectively, and fuel economy of 74mpg for the more expensive oil burner and 45mpg for the cheaper petrol model, which is on the money. The diesel offers an 800+ mile range!
Styling wise, it's a sharp estate – sorry tourer – with typically futuristic Honda lines, but is a little clumsy from the rear. And the interior is just as swooping, colourful and modern (remember the old Prelude VTEC dash, a la Star Trek? It's like that, only more C21st and less 80s), which confused our staff snapper Neil's eyes. He also said the sat nag was a bit of beat and refused to acknowledge the presence of the A5!
On the plus side, the boot is class leading huge at a massive 624 litters – enough to house 2873 tennis balls, 513 books, 25 pumpkins, 8 cabin luggage bags, Two golf bags & two golf trollies, Four golf bags
or three large suitcases so we're told! – and the Tourer also features very neat secret compartments that are vacuous, as well as 'magic' seating to alter the layout, to suit your load. Very cool stuff.
Neil said the petrol model, whilst characteristically smooth and slick, was a little gutless, even unloaded. But the diesel model really flew along nicely on a strong torque curve. And the manual gearboxes were direct, fast-acting and smooth. Best of all, the ride quality and handling ability were superb – thanks to the adjustable damping, which works a treat.
If you're in the market for a practical, reliable, comfortable, spacious and unusual family estate… it's well, well worth visiting a dealership for a test drive now.
There's plenty to love about the new Honda Civic Tourer… not least it's DNA:

See a load more images from the launch event of the new Tourer and its touring car DNA pal on our Facebook page here.

NEWS: New SKODA Rapid Launched

We've just returned from the UK launch of Skoda's 7th member of its range – the Rapid. It's a 'price sensitive' A-sector, family car which sits between the current Octavia (due to get a re-launch and go more upmarket & techy early in 2013) and the Fabia. It starts at £12,900 for the 1.2 75PS S model, rising to £17,890 for the 1.6 TDi CR 105PS DPF model. There are three specs – S, SE & Elegance. And there are five engines – four petrol (1.2 75PS, 1.2 TSi 86PS, 1.2 TSi 105PS & 1.4 TSi 122PS) and one 1.6 TDi CR 105PS diesel, with either five or six-speed manuals, or seven-speed DSG on the 1.4 TSi 122PS petrol range-topper. Greenline variants will be released in 2013, but, sadly, there will be no vRS version for fast families. That's a real shame, because the chassis is superb.
This is the first Skoda to feature the "new Skoda DNA" design which, according to the designer they brought in from the factory is "elegant, timeless and has sheer, precise lines and plays with light and shadow." It also proudly wears the new Skoda badge, up high on its fresh front end, featuring the 'power dome' V-lines. And at the rear, there's C-shape LED lights and a striking triangular recess for the number plate – all part of the new Skoda look, to be rolled out in forthcoming models.
Inside, there's the usual Skoda/VAG quality, simplicity, headroom and legroom and also a 'best in class' 550-litre storage space with the seats up – as demonstrated by packing an unreal amount of luggage in the boot on the launch – & 1490-litre seats down – enough to rival some estates! It's also loaded with Skoda's "simply clever" design touches, like a groovy green ice scraper fitted in the fuel filler cap for those icy mornings, a reverse-able boot floor with carpet on one side and rubber on the other for messy boot loads, A-pillar ticket holder, boot hooks etc. As they say, it's functional, clever, smart, spacious, accessible and authentic. And it drives really nicely too, especially the petrol models. Ford's Focus, Peugeot's 308, Vauxhall's Astra and Renault's Megane better watch out... Rapid is in showrooms later this week. And Skoda are selling like hot cakes at the moment... you have been warned!
See more Rapid images at our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/roadmagblog and read the full Road Magazine test of the car in a future issue very soon at www.roadmagazine.co.uk

And read our latest Skoda special here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_26_small

NEWS: Glass's Guide Reveal Top Residual Value Motors

Glass's Guide have revealed the cars least likely to lose value – with the funky Fiat 500 topping the petrol car bill (read our review here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_24s), followed rather surprisingly by the brilliant, but niche Focus RS and the enormous Audi Q7. The top diesels were the excellent Toyota Land Cruiser (also the overall winner, read our review here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_14), perfect Skoda Yeti (read our piece here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_26_small) and another Audi, the Q5. Skoda also got the Octavia into the top five, and Toyota a second Land Cruiser, so bravo to them, and to Suzuki for their bargain Jimmy getting in there. Glass's say: "It’s a well-known fact that the minute you drive a new car off the forecourt, it loses a big chunk of its value – and then quite a lot more in subsequent years. But not all cars are equal when it comes to holding their value. So by planning ahead and choosing the right model, prospective buyers can save themselves a fortune." And Adrian Rushmore, Glass’s Managing Editor adds: "Most motorists do all they can to ensure that when they buy a new car, they get the best price possible. However what most don’t think about, and perhaps even realise, is that when they are looking to sell a few years down the line, they could get far more – in some cases thousands of pounds – by picking a model which will retain its value well. It’s not unusual for a car to lose well over half its value in three years, but the top models such as the Land Cruiser can hold on to four-fifths of their value, which really makes a difference. My advice is to do your homework and reap the benefits a few years down the line."

Glass’s Top Ten Residual Value Cars July 2012
Ranking	Manufacturer	Range & derivative	% Residual value (58 plate, 37,000 miles)	Cost when new (list price)	Current Value
Top 5 Petrol models
1	Fiat	500 (1.2 69bhp Sport H/b 3d)	66.7%	£9,410	£6,275
2	Ford	FOCUS RS (2.5 301bhp RS H/b 3d)	66.2%	£24,730	£16,375
3	Audi	Q7 (3.6 FSI V6 276bhp quattro S Line Stn Wag 5d Tiptronic)	65.7%	£42,635	£28,000
4	Fiat	500 Convertible (1.2 69bhp Pop Con 2d)	63.8%	£11,210	£7,150
5	Suzuki	Jimny (1.3 83bhp JLX Est 3d)	63.0%	£9,641	£6,075
Top 5 Diesel models
1	Toyota	Land Cruiser (4.5 D-4D Stn/wag 5d auto)	79.5%	£54,510	£43,325
2	Skoda	Yeti  (2.0TDI CR 4x4 140bhp Elegance Stn Wagon 5d)	76.0%	£21,115	£16,050
3	Audi	Q5 (2.0TDI 141bhp quattro S Line Stn/wag 5d)	74.6%	£30,120	£22,475
4	Skoda	Octavia (2.0 TDi PD 140bhp Scout Est 5d)	70.7%	£20,100	£14,200
5	Toyota	Land Cruiser Amazon (4.2 TD Stn/wag 5d 24v TD Amazon auto)	69.8%	£49,575	£34,625

League table is based on three-year old vehicles (59 plate).