New Civic will keep fans happy

Honda Civic

27 May 2006
Gordon Lomas

The Honda Civic is one of those models — and just about every car maker has them — that has delivered bread and butter to the boardroom table for generations.



Honda relies heavily on the name and many owners hang off the badge's coat tails such is the integrity of the Civic.

It has arrived new for the eighth time since the first one, a much smaller and more modest version, put a new spin on the local small car landscape in the early 1970s.

There are four versions of the newest Civic (including the hybrid petrol/electric) which have joined the heavyweight small car fight led by the Toyota Corolla, Holden Astra and Mazda 3, among others.

Sales have never been hotter in this segment so any contender needs to cut it against some heavy hitters or risk being floored by an uppercut.

There are a few weaknesses in the new eighth generation range but none which threaten to expose the Civic to a knockout blow.

For the most part the Civic remains an extremely well-oiled civil servant to its many thousands of loyal fans.

And what's more there's a Civic for every taste.


So how do the different trim choices measure up?
VTi, $20,990 (add $2000 for automatic)

This is the entree to the range and the base banger has a good dose of standard kit including power windows, single CD player and airconditioning.

It is quite cosy and inviting in this guise and probably the biggest let-down is the low-rent cloth seat trim.

Still, there is a lot of comfort here, good vision and it is easy to find the optimum seating position.

Braking safety hasn't been skimped on either with ABS aided by electric brakeforce distribution helping the four-disc package.

There is a bit more space than the previous model, 70mm longer and 35mm wider.

The 1.8 litre four-cylinder engine, which is claimed to produce 103kW of power, seemed a little dozy on this test although it probably frees up a bit with a few more clicks on the clock.

It is by no means as sprightly as a Mazda 3 or Corolla, biased more toward being neutral in handling.

The VTi offers a good, honest calm ride and there are airbags for the driver and front passenger.

For the main, the interior is neat, tidy and uncluttered. But what is going on with the spacecraft dash layout?

Right smack bang in the middle of where the conventional odo and speedos are is the rev-counter.

Then go up another level, closer to the bottom of the windscreen, and there is a digital speedo which, depending on a driver's height, seating and steering wheel positions, runs the risk of being obscured by the top of the tiller.

It's a little disconcerting and maybe a little distracting initially but there is no doubt that if you get the position just right it is much easier and safer to monitor your speed because you don't have to adjust your line of sight as much as with a conventional dash.

The design of the dash is the one thing that that stands to divide opinion on the latest Civic.

VTi-L, $24,490 (add $2000 for automatic)

This is the luxury-spec and it, along with the Sport and Hybrid, gain front and rear curtain airbags.

And other gains are 15-inch alloy wheels, climate control aircon and a six-disc CD player.

That is the thrust of the difference but don't expect hide-covered seats - there is still the rather drab cloth found in the entry model.

Sport, $29,990 (add $2000 for automatic)

You move from the 1.8 to the 2 litre engine and a rise in power to 114kW but it still doesn't go as hard as it should or could.

But to be fair, the Sport Civic is not meant to be a Type R or Type S, even though the powerplant is a hobbled version from the S.

Where it does gain kudos is the leather seats and sunroof.

There's also a bit more to choose from in the colour and trim department over and above the VTi and VTi-L underlings.

What it does like is to be driven hard, the motor kept on the boil and that's where it does its best work.