Lordy! After four days in the saddle with the Honda Civic Sport I’ve just realised the ECON button is on.

Obviously the delivery man was on an economy drive because I had no idea. It’s hidden behind the steering wheel and there’s no indication that it is active, once it’s been activated.

This might explain why the Sport is so flat-footed. The system reduces the throttle response and limits the time the air conditioning runs for.

So, without ECON on, the Civic does feel like a lukewarm hatch! No wonder I couldn’t get any satisfaction from the 1.8 petrol engine for the last few days…