Honda Civic 2001 Review

What we liked
>> Excellent build quality
>> Space in hatchback versions
>> Hybrid's fuel economy and price

Not so much
>> Where's the fun factor?
>> Jiggly ride, staid styling
>> Uninspiring engines

OVERVIEW
Until the cute and tiny Jazz arrived on the scene, the Civic has traditionally been Honda's volume selling small car in Australia. Not that the Civic has been a traditional small car in any sense; the first version was hailed as a Japanese Mini and subsequent models have variously featured perky engines, stylish three-door bodies and sophisticated suspension set-ups.

The current Civic has been with us more than three years and when launched in 2000, introduced a more conservative face. There is spunky looking three-door version, and the five-door is as much a wagon as a hatchback. The three-box sedan is anonymous enough to get lost in any car park.

Interestingly, it is the four-door that became Honda's environmental flag-waver in February 2004, with an improved version of the Insight's petrol-electric drivetrain slotted under the bonnet. The Civic Hybrid is virtually indistinguishable from other sedan versions, but with power coming from both a conventional engine and a rechargeable battery pack, it is easily the most technically advanced Honda on the market.

FEATURES
You get the feeling that because the Civic is sold in markets as diverse as Japan, the USA, South East Asia and Australia, it has been styled to offend nobody. The bad news is it's not particularly stylish either, with the five-door in particular looking more like a mini people-mover. Compared with the previous model, which included a potent VTi three-door hot hatch, the Civic has definitely grown more mature, and more flabby in the process.

As mentioned, the Hybrid version is virtually identical to the conventionally powered sedan. It gets a different badge on the boot, and a tiny deck-lid spoiler that lowers the drag coefficient to 0.28 (a measure of the vehicle shape's 'slipperiness' through the air) in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption.

Pricing is significantly higher than most small-car rivals, some of which still hover around the $20,000 mark. The Civic GLi sedan costs $22,950 as a five-speed manual, while the Vi hatch with its more powerful engine is a $25,950 proposition. Those who want to save the planet and opt for the Hybrid will be paying $29,990 for the privilege. It sounds expensive, but is quite a bit cheaper than Australia's only other hybrid, the Toyota Prius. (All prices correct at February 2004)

COMFORT
Small cars are no longer the wastelands of vinyl and tin they once were and on the whole, the only difference between the biggies and the tiddlers is size. Given the Civic range is pricier than its competitors you'd expect it to deliver on comfort and it largely does.

Even the GLi sedan manages power windows, air conditioning, a CD player and twin cup holders, while the Hybrid adds to that a six-stacker disc player, climate control and a leather wrapped steering wheel. So equipment levels are good without being outstanding given cruise control and leather trim aren't even on the radar.

The Civic's suspension uses a combination of front struts and rear double wishbones, which sounds impressive, but doesn't deliver an especially good ride quality. Perhaps it is because the suspension has been packaged to liberate the maximum amount of interior room, but it lacks travel and compliance, and tends to pick up and transmit small frequency imperfections on the road surface. It certainly isn't up there with the long-travel suppleness of a good French small car.

Similarly, the seats are a bit flat and a bit firm, and the height adjustment tends to tilt rather than raise or lower. Like most Japanese cars, the steering column doesn't adjust for reach, so finding the perfect driving position isn't guaranteed.

SAFETY
Like any manufacturer, Honda claims its Civic is engineered for the best crash protection. It's good to hope so, without finding out. As far as active and passive safety features go, it scores a pass but little more.

All models get dual front airbags, but only the more expensive Hybrid has side airbags. There's no electronic traction or stability control, but the front seat belts have pre-tensioners.

While all three models come with anti-lock brakes as standard, the Hybrid has rear drums instead of the GLi and Vi's discs. Honda claims it's a weight saving measure, but almost every other manufacturer has gone for the more efficient and less fade-prone discs.

MECHANICAL
No prizes for guessing the Civic conforms to the usual small car layout of a transverse four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox.

But there's much more of a story to tell on the mechanical front. Each has its own distinctly different power plant. The GLi has a 1.7-litre engine that develops a fairly average 88kW of power and 150Nm of torque. Add Honda's VTEC valve timing system in the Vi model, and those outputs rise to a much more respectable 96kW and 155Nm -- though it still trails Corolla and Mazda 3, for example.

The Hybrid is a different beast again. It has an electric motor slotted between engine and a CVT transmission, and a battery in the boot. It uses electric power to aid the 69kW, 1.3 litre petrol engine when accelerating, but reverts to fossil fuels on a steady cruise. The petrol engine helps charge the battery, and energy is also generated when decelerating and is stored in the battery.

COMPETITORS
Where do you start? If you're looking for a slightly more upmarket small car than usual there are the Ford Focus, Holden Astra, Mazda3 or Subaru Impreza to choose from, all with models starting in the low $20,000 bracket.

But there are also worthy small cars that are cheaper, such as the Toyota Corolla and Nissan Pulsar, or $26,000 will also get you a 1.6-litre VW Golf. As far as the Civic Hybrid goes, only the Prius matches it on similar technology, but the larger Toyota hatchback costs about $7000 more.

ON THE ROAD
If you enjoy driving, the pick of the Civic range is the manual Vi hatch, mainly because the engine is a perky unit that likes to rev, produces power while doing so and has a nice and flexible spread of torque. The GLi's engine is a bit weaker and needs to be pushed harder to deliver its best.

The Hybrid gets the job done, but not in a manner that's particularly entertaining. It moves away smartly from rest, but floor the throttle and there's not much more than a groaning noise as the CVT keeps revs constant and speed increases -- slowly. The most interesting thing about driving it is watching the fuel consumption meter give very low readings. Hit the economy switch on the aircon, and the engine even cuts out when the car stops at lights.

The Civic is all about painless motoring with light controls, pleasant gearshifts in the manual and plenty of beige in the interior colour scheme. But all is far from perfect: there's road and wind noise to match the engine's not altogether pleasant note. The ride is far from comfortable, and even the rear-end doesn't cope well with bumps on corners.

Features such as a flat floor, lots of room in the back seat and impeccable build quality don't hide the fact that something seems to be missing. It's the fun factor that used to be built into Civics and has been engineered out of existence. The Civic is reliable, easy to live with and practical, and the Hybrid is a well priced example of technology, but there are other small cars more likely to put a smile on the driver's dial.

7 DAY TEST

BOTTOM LINE: Competent, reliable, quality transport with a green tinge and a hybrid drivetrain that is as anonymous as the car in which it resides.

The mid-2004 hike in petrol prices and forecasts that oil is set to remain over US$30 a barrel for many years to come have simply served to highlight the fact that we need to find an alternative fuel if the car as we know it is to survive into the next century.

Although in Australia we still enjoy among the cheapest petrol in the world, there is no doubt that it will get more expensive and depending on who you listen to, is set to run out altogether in the next 50-100 years.

Fuel cells are the current flavour for the future but affordable commercialisation is still at least 20 years away so in the meantime, a number of carmakers are heading down the hybrid route.

Hybrids are essentially a traditional car powered by a small petrol engine with an additional electric motor run off rechargeable batteries to provide added get up and go when you need it.

There are presently only two on offer locally, the Honda Civic Hybrid sedan and Toyota Prius hatch.

Visually, the Honda Civic doesn't appear any different to more conventional engined cars and it is only when sitting in the driver's seat looking at the dial that points out the level of battery charge next to the fuel gauge that you become aware that this is something different.

In the driving, there is not a lot to distinguish the car from other Civics either. Pull away from the lights and the car sets off at an adequate pace with the revs constant -- courtesy of the continuously variable automatic transmission -- until you lift off the throttle. It's hardly exhilarating but there is enough urge to keep up with suburban traffic.

Under brakes, the batteries get recharged and if you pull to a stop, the engine cuts out altogether. It restarts the instant you touch accelerator pedal again and there is only the very slightest pause before you are on your way again.

If you are happy to drive in a relatively sedate manner -- which most buyers of this sort of car are -- then the powertrain is as smooth and refined as you would find on any Honda and it only gets loud under full throttle with the CVT keeping it at peak revs as long as you need it.

Apart from the almost invisible nature of the hybrid drivetrain, the Civic drives pretty much like any other - the steering is light and the suspension softish - although that doesn't translate into particularly good ride comfort that is made worse by the hard flat seats.

The Civic Hybrid is pretty well equipped but the interior trim certainly won't win any fashion awards and the only real concession to the hybrid powertrain is a slightly smaller boot and the $3000 premium over the standard Civic sedan.

The big benefits of the drivetrain are clearly environmental -- lower fuel consumption and significantly fewer emissions -- but don't expect to recoup the premium in fuel savings. Honda claim a fuel consumption on the government mandated test of 5.2L/100km while on our test over the course of a week and just over 300km, we averaged 6.5L/100km.

That is probably about 2L/100km less than you might expect to use in a standard Civic sedan and worked out over a year with petrol at $1 a litre, you could expect to save maybe $200.

The Toyota Prius is a bit more frugal on the fuel but comes at a whopping $7000 over the Civic but for both, buyers are not purchasing hybrids to save money -- it's cash for conscience.

Doing your bit for the environment is a laudable and worthwhile cause and can make you feel a bit better inside but just don't expect it to provide exciting or entertaining motoring.

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