It'Â’s probably the most eagerly anticipated new entry this year, and Honda'Â’s latest Civic hasn'Â’t disappointed. Our road test team was hugely impressed by the British-built model's daring new look and great everyday usability, and youÂ’'ve backed up our findings with a glowing first report. Your only real complaint was that the Civic would benefit from a smoother ride.

The firm set-up does, however, help the car to out-handle many of its rivals. The agile dynamics are backed up by strong performance from both petrol and diesel models, to match its superb practicality.

Early production line niggles are likely to be partly to blame for its positions in the reliability and build quality rankings, but overall the Civic has proved itself a worthy class winner.