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By Samuel Ee
OVER eight generations and four decades, the Honda Civic has blended distinctive styling and sporty driving so well that it has become one of the most interesting Japanese compact models on the market. When it comes to the ninth-generation Civic, however, both of these hallmark characteristics seem to have been abandoned.
All is not lost though. In the case of the former, the new Civic sedan gets an exterior design that is somewhat uninspiring, with the nicest thing that can be said of it is that it looks best in black.
But in the case of the latter, there is no criticism but a compliment instead. While the Civic's usual sportiness has been toned down, it has been replaced by something more grown-up - refinement.
The new Honda Civic gets a platform that is largely carried over from the previous generation except for one striking difference - its wheelbase is now 30mm shorter at 2,670mm. The overall length is retained at 4,525mm and there is no change to its 1,430mm height either. And despite the revised wheelbase, the interior packaging has improved so much that rear passengers get more room in the form of a longer seat squab.
This captures the essence of the new Civic. For this car, Honda engineers subscribed to the philosophy of improving rather than re-creating. So the engine variants remain familiar - 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0 litres to power the front wheels - plus a hybrid version with an electrified drivetrain featuring a 1.5-litre petrol engine and Honda's trademark Integrated Motor Assist technology.
New Honda Civic & hybrid launched here
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(Photos: Adrian Lim/AsiaOne) |
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