Honda Civic 2006 Review

What we liked
>> Fit and finish
>> Comfortable, unique interior
>> Neutral handling

Not so much
>> Steering wheel can obscure speedo
>> Could do with more oomph

OVERVIEW
Honda's Civic is one of the great automotive institutions. When first launched in 1972 ('73 in Australia), Civic shook the landscape like few before it, spawning a shiny new world of affordable, but more importantly, desirable and truly competent small-car motoring.

Civics sales numbers speak for themselves. Sold in over 160 countries and accounting for over a third of Honda's worldwide sales, over 300,000 Civics have been sold in Oz since 1973, with a world-wide tally of a staggering 16 million. Big numbers, big expectations.

Fast forward to 2006: For now, Australia misses out on the outrageously futuristic Brit-built, five-door European hatch, although Honda Oz claims it would love to see the hatch here, and is currently "looking into it". It's just as well, then, Honda has delivered a thoroughly-engineered, sophisticated small-sedan package. One with all the hallmarks of a car capable of mixing it with the front-runners in what is an intensely fought segment.

FEATURES
The eight-generation Civic is available in four variants with predictably sharp pricing: base model VTi ($20,990) kicks off the new range, then there's the mid-spec VTi-L ($24,490), followed by the Sport ($29,990) and topped off with the new Hybrid petrol-electric ($31,990).

All petrol variants are available in five-speed manual and five-speed auto (with wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Sport). The self-shifter adds a near-industry-standard (for this level of motoring, anyway) $2K to the showroom sticker prices. The Hybrid features a revised CVT as its sole transmission option.

The entry level, 1.8-litre four-cylinder VTi is well-equipped: air-con, remote cental locking, power windows, cruise control and a single in-dash CD player are all standard. (See Safety below for airbag info, etc) The car rolls on 15-inch steel wheels.

The VTi-L shares the 1.8-litre four, but adds a six-disc MP3-compatable audio system, split-fold rear-seats 15-inch alloys and climate control air-con. Both the VTi and VTi-L have cloth trim.

Step up to the Sport and along with an engine (up to 2.0-litres) and airbag upgrades (see Mechanical and Safety below), you get leather trim, electric power steering, sunroof, front fog lamps and extra colour and trim options.

The Hybrid's spec is similar to the Sport, but loses items like the split fold rear seat (the car's battery pack is located behind the rear seat). Narrower low-rolling-resistance tyres and a subtle rear spoiler are unique to the Hybrid.

Even in standard trim, the Civic is an attractive car, especially in profile. Apart from the slightly droopy front three-quarter angle, the sleek, wedge-like shape looks even better in the metal than in photos. This is undoubtedly a more substantial car than the outgoing model. Inside and out it's larger (70mm longer, 35mm wider and 80mm more wheelbase) but lower (5mm).

Honda says it's more aerodynamic than the last model.

COMFORT
Honda knows as well as any marque that the Civic enters a segment so intensely fought that to be boring or staid means sales death. A substantial point of difference is the Civic's interior - you could almost be at the controls of the Starship Enterprise! From the space-ship-like, and ultra-cool, tiller to the brilliant white-on-blue dials it's an absorbing cabin, and one belying Civics price point(s).

Interior space is good and you never feel claustrophobic. Up front the seats are wide and comfortable and the driver seat is height adjustable, as is the steering wheel, for both height and reach. One small complaint is that the height and position of the transmission tunnel means you'll occasionally bang your knee against it.

There's plenty of leg and headroom in the back, even behind a lanky 190cm driver.

All seats are nicely supportive and there's a real feel of quality everywhere. The HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-con) controls all switch or rotate with satisfying tactility and as noted above standard kit isn't lacking, even on the base model.

But here's the rub. Civic's speedo is situated at the upper level of the two-tier dash directly ahead of the driver - almost where the windscreen meets the dash. This supposedly eliminates the need to look away from the road to glance at the speedo. In theory. In practise it often means that with the wheel and seat set to your preferred position, the speedo can totally disappear behind the upper edge of the rim. Hmmm...

The new car features what Honda terms a rear 'flat floor.' The fuel tank has been relocated from under the boot (it's under the front seats) and the result is greater boot space. Using the folding rear seats (standard across the petrol range, split-fold on VTi-L and Sport) there's up to 485 litres of space. Honda claims the new Civic can accommodate four golf bags!

SAFETY
Safety is a Civic strong suit, with all models sporting four-wheel disc brakes, ABS with EBD and driver and passenger airbags on the base VTi. The VTi-L gets driver and passenger side-airbags and the Sport and Hybrid up the ante with front and rear curtain airbags.

Honda also stresses the structure of the Civic is all-new, incorporating, GCON (G-Force Control Technology) to enhance "frontal collision energy management". Pedestrian safety also featured in the Civics design criteria, the front upper-structure, bonnet, wiper mounts, are all 'friendlier' to people you run down.

All Civic petrol models have full-size spare tyres.

MECHANICAL
The all-new, 103kW/174Nm SOHC i-VTEC 1.8-litre four-cylinder bound for the VTi and VTi-L models is a willing, rev-happy little unit -- you'd expect nothing less from Honda. It spins eagerly to the 6800rpm redline (500rpm above peak power) and teams well with the five-speed manual. Just as well, too, as there is a noticeable deficit of low-to-mid-range torque. You really need to row through the gears and keep the engine spinning to extract the best performance.

Claimed ADR 81/01 fuel economy for the manual-teamed 1.8 is 6.9L/100km, while the auto's just a touch thirstier at 7.2L/100km.

The Sport's 2.0-litre DOHC mill is a more tractable powerplant that, nonetheless, still loves to rev. Peak power and torque of 114kW (at 6200rpm) and 188Nm (at 4200) may not seem a great jump over the 1.8-litre on paper, but on the road the increase in low-to-mid-range torque, and more importantly the torque spread and delivery, creates a more elastic nature that simply works better.

The 2.0-litre is essentially a detuned version of the engine found in Honda's manic Integra Type S, and the close family ties surface in a noticeable surge of pace and noise as the variable-valve-timing trickery kicks in above 4000rpm and stays on strong right through to the 7000rpm cut-out.

You'll also notice the extra performance at the pump, although it's still more than respectable with 7.9L/100km quoted for the manual DOHC. The auto rates at 8.0L/100km.

Both the transmissions are a joy to use. Ratios are well-matched to both engine variants and the manual slots home with a lovely, fluent precision.

The five-speed auto possesses a rare refinement at cruising pace for this class of motoring, while delivering a tangibly sporting edge and quick-to-react shifts when it's go time.

To maximize interior space, the strut-front, double-wishbone rear suspension of Civics predecessor has been retained, albeit with substantial tweaks to improve both ride and handling.

The Hybrid features an evolution of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system which teams a 1.3-litre SOHC four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor to boost power and cut fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. A Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack is used to capture and store electricity for the electric motor -- this is charged both by the petrol engine, and regenerative braking.

The engine features cylinder deactivation to decrease pumping loses and boost regeneration on overrun.

The latest Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system allows the Civic Hybrid to drive on electric power alone (a la Toyota Prius) provided the vehicle is travelling at less than 40km/h.

The combined output of the Hybrid's powerplants is 85kW with torque topping out at 170Nm, at a CVT-friendly 2500rpm. An increase over the previous generation and, according to Honda, now king of the hybrid power tree (until the Lexus RX400H arrives), the Civic Hybrid's claimed combined fuel consumption nonetheless drops to a miserly 4.6lt/100km.

COMPETITORS
With the small car market Australia's hottest, there's no shortage of competitors for Civic:
Mazda 3 ($20,690 - $31,120),
Ford Focus ($20,990 - $30,990),
Toyota Corolla ($19,750 - $29,990),
Nissan Tiida ($19,990 - $26,490)
and Holden Astra ($21,990 - $29,990) are the obvious ones.

ON THE ROAD
Our preview drive trio consisted of a VTi-L manual, a Sport auto and a Hybrid.

Performance wise, the Civic isn't class leading, but nor is it a slug. The manual VTi-L ran the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.8sec, even beating the bigger-engined Sport auto, which hit the ton in 9.9sec. This may seem incongruous (although the rolling, in-gear response times heavily favoured the 2.0-litre, highlighting the superior torque spread) but we'll guarantee the manual Sport will post quicker times. The Hybrid surprised us with its pace, considering its eco-crusader personality with a 13.1sec 0-100km/h run.

The Civic has never purported to be a sportscar. It's neither its purpose nor intent. But fundamentally impressive engineering from Honda, and a knowledge that to succeed Civic must by dynamically competitive, mean Civic is a satisfying car to when the road gets twisty.

Slicing from bend-to-bend on Victoria's Great Ocean Road, the Civics inspired confidence. No, they are not razor-sharp, but they are reactive, neutral and always up to the challenge.

Ride is, for the most part, pleasingly compliant, absorbing most bumps and shallow undulations with a well-disciplined stroke of the springs and dampers. There's rarely any jarring through the cabin and you're left to enjoy the drive. Larger undulations and dips do induce some wallow - a slight floating sensation the only indicator things aren't 100 per cent tied down.

The petrol Civics sit flat and grip fairly well, and while understeer is a natural tendency, a quick lift of the throttle and the nose comes back in line with no nasty surprises. This car is user-friendly and inherently well balanced, reacting faithfully to driver inputs.

But the Hybrid was perhaps the most impressive. Not because it out-drove its petrol counterparts -- its low-resistance tyres reduced grip levels and its softer suspension-tune blunted dynamics -- but because it drove so well considering it's a Hybrid; cars that aren't usually renowned for dynamic process. This new car seems to ignore that rule, zipping from apex to apex and keeping within sniffing distance of its petrol brothers.

Steering is quick and accurate, and lacking Honda's traditional rack-rattle, but this is at the expense of road-feel. The steering is just a little sterile, your hands just a little to isolated from what's going on underneath you on the road.

The four-wheel disc brakes of the petrol Civics (the Hybrid gets rear drums because of the complex regenerative braking system employed on the front discs to recharge the electric motor, which also gives the Hybrid a strangely wooden feel during braking, although it consistently pulled up) also inspired confidence. Although we never gave the brakes anything approaching true punishment, in two-days of spirited driving they felt strong and reliable, much like the rest of Civic.

Traditionally, refinement has never been a Honda strong suit and although new Civic is far from uncouth, road noise is still constantly audible, especially tyre rumble over coarse surfaces. The peaky, noisy nature of the engines means they're a constant companion too. Some wind-noise from the chunky A-pillars at freeway speeds was also evident. But, overall, the chassis does a competent job of keeping the outside world outside.