New Honda Civic: small changes, big difference

1.852583-1569866686 — Clearly, the designers focused on aerodynamic efficiency rather than style. Image Credit: Christopher List/ANM

Once long ago, in a land far, far away, there was a magical car company. It could build a compact the size of a suitcase that seated four, get 5.0 litres-per-100km on the highway, sprint to 100kph in less than eight seconds, and tuck into turns like a prairie rabbit.

It could build a supercar at a fraction of the cost of the established brands, that was more reliable, more economical, more practical and even, with a wave of its magic wand of ingenuity and pure engineering, simply better at being a supercar.

It could give the greatest racing drivers in the world the greatest racing engines in the world, and win every single Grand Prix on the F1 calendar bar none.

This enchanted company, across seven seas and seven hills, never let you down.

Until now.

Honda, the company that used to build cars for people who love cars, seems to have wandered off Soichiro's path.

What in the world went wrong?

You look at the line-up today, and there's no S2000, no NSX, no industry breakthroughs like the CVCC engine of the Seventies. The eighth generation Accord is a boat compared to, say, the third generation model which could chase rear-drive Europeans all day long. Even a 1.5-litre Civic would stick to the back of a hot-hatch in the mountains. And eventually pass it when the European over-heated. They all had character. Now they have about as much character as Keanu Reeves.

This is a problem and Honda needs to rectify it. The first attempt was the hybrid CR-Z, which is meant to replace the legendary little CR-X pocket-rocket (coincidentally quicker and more economical than the new car). It didn't work, and now all eyes have turned to Honda's bread-winner for the last eight generations, the Civic.

There is hope

This ninth generation Civic starts off on the wrong foot. Yes, Honda designers have changed everything including the front and rear ends and shortened the wheelbase, but it's all a bit like going to the spa for a makeover and only trimming your nose hairs. It just doesn't show, and the new Civic ends up looking uninspiring. Like it's given up on life. Don't jump little Civic, someone out there loves you…

And that someone is me, and certainly

millions of other people out there who will experience this car. Once you step inside the effort shows, with a great interior sparkled with some kind of glitter on the instrument binnacle surround, textured and patterned door cards, and a tremendous three-dimensional display.

The only cheap plastic found in the cabin covers the handbrake lever, which counters with perfect positioning on the inside of the gear stick. If this was a manual, it would make for an awesome drive with the shifter and the e-brake so close together, if you ever wanted to get a bit carried away. Or enter an autocross…

However, the dash is so deep to accommodate the now familiar two-tiered design that the front passenger basically gets a personal desk ahead of them.

Yet everything is cleverly laid out with large buttons you wouldn't miss wearing boxing gloves, and the three-dimensional instruments and economical-driving motivator are sweet touches. They glow from green to blue to tell you how frugal you are, and it becomes a fun game as you chase mileage records. And you'll manage 8.0 litres-per-100km without irritating anyone else on the road, and easily dip into the sevens in Eco mode, which cuts throttle response.

Then there's the engine, and it's another let down. It's linear for a Honda lump, and you won't long for the missing sixth gear ratio, but I can't help thinking that Honda can do so much more with 1.8-litres and variable valve timing.

The problem is that this is still the old single overhead camshaft engine, whereas the Si in America gets a double-cam head on a 2.4-litre block. Why can't we have a twin cam, with VTEC on the exhaust and the intake, shooting 150-160 horses to the front? And maybe if they went with a 2.0-litre, the strain would be lower so economy wouldn't suffer, and maximum torque would gush in from around three or four thou' instead of somewhere off the rev needle's reach.

In any case, we have 139bhp at our disposal in the GCC, which is actually adequate for the class. I'm only moaning because I know Honda can do better than 77bhp-per-litre. Something like 90bhp-per-litre for the old Honda company could be squeezed out of a plastic bucket.

But the Civic then counters with the best braking of just about anything, because the pedal has a beautiful firmness to it that's consistent all the way down. It's springy and offers the perfect amount of resistance, and the car's stability under hard braking is also second to none. Whether you're braking and turning or emergency stopping, the new Civic is composed and in control.

The steering too has absolutely no play in the centre, with the tiniest twitch springing the front wheels into action. Even though it's artificial in its mechanism with some electronic help, it conveys all the right messages keeping you informed of what the vehicle is up to.

And when you start running out of grip, you'll have no excuse because the steering wheel's already told you everything you need to know.

Verdict

The new Civic still displays some clever Honda ingenuity, like the packaging that offers huge amounts of interior room, especially for rear passengers, despite the shorter wheelbase. The aerodynamic focus on this generation has also paid off with very little wind noise apparent inside the cabin (the engine din will overpower anything else). Then there are the little levers in the boot, which drop the rear 60/40 seats and the full-size spare wheel (a proper alloy, not a nasty black steelie).

So despite the disappointment of the lacklustre design and the fact that the Civic's dynamic abilities keep dropping with every new model, it's an overall winner and still the leader of its segment.

Until, of course, the moment you hear the price and punch the salesman in the mouth.

Specs & ratings