IT’S been six months and 4300 miles since I first took delivery of Business Car Manager’s Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC but the British-built hatch has well and truly won me over.

Still the most impressive thing about the Honda is how efficient it is.

I’d say that 65 per cent of its use has been in a city environment but that hasn’t stopped it achieving 53mpg. Drive out into the country or onto the motorway and that easily goes up by 10mpg.

Still a long way off the 78mpg figure Honda claims but I long ago stopped trying to achieve that. Compared with every other car I’ve run the Honda Civic is certainly the most frugal, the most kind to my bank balance, and the most fitting for the needs of a small business.

When it does come to the longer motorway journeys, the Civic is really happy stretching its legs. There’s 300Nm of torque available, which is more than a Porsche Cayman, and helps explain why I’ve never thought the Civic to be underpowered.

I’ve always thought the ride was a little on the firm side but that doesn’t actually stop it being a very comfortable car. The seats are nice and soft, and the suspension never jolts or thuds – it just rounds off those sharp bumps with a gentle cushioning. I like the feeling of stability and solidity you get from the firm springs, too; there’s no bouncing around in the cabin.