With this review, I feel like I should be in Alcoholics Anonymous - “My name is Maarten Hoffmann, and I have found a Japanese car I quite like!”

But seriously, it might actually be true. Never a fan of Japanese cars, as I find them dull, boring and unexciting - incredibly reliable and great value for money, for sure, but is that really all you look for in a car? If you’re one of those ‘I only need a car to go from A to B’ types, then you likely think I have finally lost my mind, but for those of you out there who like your cars to offer more than an Uber, you might understand my view.

The last Honda I reviewed was the Type R, which has now been retired, and it went like a scalded cat, but I still tended to drop off on the motorway. Now they have deposited a new Civic on my drive, and it looks pretty good. The last model was full of issues from the awful switchgear, errors all over the displays and a body that looked like a three-year-old had got busy with Lego blocks.

This new one is smooth, streamlined and nicely designed, and it looks a tad like a small version of the Audi A7 - so far so good, but I now actually have to drive it. So where to go to give it a really good test? One of my daughters then pipes up to remind me that I agreed to take her to Leeds Uni to start her Master’s degree, and well, that seems a decent trip.

So loaded up with all her crap, we head off, and it drives really well, smooth and quite rapid. For the first time, the Civic has only one powertrain: the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder with full-time hybrid assist. It makes 188bhp and 232lb ft, hits 62mph in 8.1 seconds, and reaches 112mph, while delivering 56.5mpg.

When it’s called into action, the 2.0-litre petrol engine is mostly used for powering the electric generator, but at motorway speeds it will power the wheels directly, because it’s apparently more efficient that way. 

The interior is good, well laid out and efficient, although I am not a fan of the shiny plastic seats and dash, and the persistent, annoying bong whenever you go 1mph over the speed limit would have me tearing my hair out. You can turn it off, but it defaults on every time you turn the car off.

Honda took an interesting route with this Civic, honing the drivetrain for impatient European tastes first, then adapting it for lazy American driving afterwards. It shows this is a well-sorted, mature and very complete family hatchback, well kitted out and impressively refined.

“My name is Maarten Hoffmann, and I like a Honda.”