New Civic launched
Honda has launched an all-new Civic range Down Under...Honda Australia has launched an all-new Civic -- the eighth generation of the widely-sold small car icon.
Available in four variants – including a petrol-electric hybrid – in both five-speed manual and automoatic configurations, the 2006 Civic sedan range is spearheaded by the Civic Sport. Powered by a 114kW, 2.0-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine, Honda claims the Sport is the “gruntiest” Civic ever, boasting 188Nm of torque at 4200rpm.
Two other conventional petrol-engined models are offered, the entry-level Civic VTi and the 'upper-crust' Civic VTi-L. Both variants get a newly-developed 1.8-litre powerplant rated at 103kW/174Nm. According to the maker, compared with the superseded 1.7-litre Civic GLi sedan, power has increased by 15kW.
The Civic Hybrid returns with a 1.3-litre VTEC (with i-DSI) petrol engine paired with a revised Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) electric hybrid system to produce 85kW/170Nm. Honda claims fuel economy figure of 4.6lt/100km for the hybrid.
The 1.8-litre powered Civic VTi and VTi-L quote fuel consumption figures of 6.9lt/100km (manual) and 7.3 litres per 100km (automatic) -- better than the outgoing 1.7-litre Civic GLi sedan, says the maker.
The Civic Sport returns 7.9lt/100km (manual), with the auto version 0.1lt/100km thirstier.
Honda claims the new larger Civic is more aerodynamic than its predecessor. There's extra passenger room and thanks the positioning of the fuel tank underneath the floor, the rear seats have a "one-motion, dive-down" feature that creates a flat loading space.
The new Civic range has front airbags standard on each model with side airbags standard on all models except VTi. Curtain airbags are also standard on the Sport and Hybrid.
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) and cruise control are included across the range.
Meantime, the Civic Hybrid receives a number of mechanical upgrades for 2006, including an improved Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system for more power and better battery recharge. Aircon has been uprated and Honda states the car is now capable of running on purely electric power at low speeds.
Priced from $20,990 for the manual Civic VTi, the new Civic range will be reviewed at CarPoint this week.
2006 Civic RRPs Civic VTi manual $20,990
Civic VTi auto $22,990
Civic VTi-L manual $24,490
Civic VTi-L auto $26,490
Civic Sport manual $29,990
Civic Sport auto $31,990
Civic Hybrid auto-only $31,990
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