You might have thought that our first review of a Honda Civic in 2012 would have been of the latest, ninth-generation car, but any regular reader of CARkeys will be aware that we rarely compromise eccentricity in favour of relevance.We have already dealt with the latest Civic in this launch report, and in any case the one tested here is still the current model (though admittedly not for much longer) and will remain available in Honda dealers until stocks run out.In range-topping EX GT trim, this is the most expensive Civic 8.0 fitted with the 1.8-litre petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox, but at £21,750 it's getting on for £2000 cheaper than its successor. It's also slightly quicker, more economical and, thanks to 10g/km lower CO2 emissions, £35 per year cheaper to tax, though the newer car offers more luggage space.Although it's been on the market for several years, this Civic's styling - astoundingly different to that of any previous model using the same name - still looks quite radical, perhaps because nobody else has come up with anything quite like it. To me, it has the effect of making the car look smaller than it actually is, but you realise the trickery as soon as you climb inside, where there is (in one of Honda's better traditions) a remarkable amount of legroom for rear passengers.I'm less impressed by the front doorhandles, which feel like they should have been developed a lot further from the prototype stage than they were, and by the way the car feels twitchy if you start applying large amounts of steering lock. But there are no complaints about the generally smooth ride and the lack of mechanical noise.Although it's quiet, the engine is a bit of a screamer in the sense that you have to rev it hard to get the best out of it. Maximum torque and maximum power occur at 4300rpm and 6300rpm respectively, and I can't imagine many owners bothering to venture that far up the rev range.Still, thanks to the variable engine characteristics (a subject Honda was already taking very seriously years before most other mainstream manufacturers took it up), the engine also provides decent power at much lower speeds. Its willingness to do so is illustrated by the gearchange indicator on the instrument panel, which I have seen urging me to change into top gear while the car was travelling at just 26mph.Honda is not offering any special deals on the outgoing model, but the fact that it's not a bad machine, and cheaper both to buy and run than its exact equivalent in the new generation, probably means that the remaining stocks won't last for long. Engine 1799cc, 4 cylinders Power 138bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 42.2mpg / 155g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.9 seconds Top speed 127mph Price £21,750 Details correct at publication date
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