America's favorite small car gets completely
restyled
Since Honda introduced the compact-sized Civic
32 years ago, some 7 million owners in the
U.S. alone have fallen in love with its reputation
for reliability, durability and exceptional
resale value. Civic has been the consistent
benchmark and leader in the economy car class.
For 2006, the eighth Civic iteration has strayed
from its traditional "econobox" heritage,
growing into a stylish vehicle that looks more
like an Acura. Immediately noticeable is the
exterior styling. In fact, so new is this Civic
that not a single body panel is carried over
from 2005.
From the front, its new grille features a
chrome horizontal bar with the Honda "H" logo
floating on a matte-black inset. New headlamps
are jewel-like multi elemental. The windshield
is steeply raked and gives way to a curving
roofline, which, when combined with the short
rear deck, lend a coupe-like appearance to
the sedan.
The side is more slab-like with a slight blister
effect above the tightly arching wheel openings.
The rear body style differs significantly from
sedan to coupe. The coupe features a sloping
trunk lid where the sedan's trunk lid
appears chopped off. Large taillamps are teardrop
in appearance. I thought the look made the
Civic seem sad with a frowning look.
The rear styling of the coupe is completely
different than that of the sedan and, to me,
appeared BMW-like, with horizontal tail lamps
cut off at the trunk lid opening. The trunk
lid, with its razor thin spoiler, is deeper
set and appears to be carved out of the rear
bumper. Goose-necked trunk hinges intrude into
the cargo area, causing difficulty with a trunk
full of luggage.
Honda increased the wheelbase three inches,
widened the front just over an inch and the
rear by 2.2 inches. The wider stance improves
ride and handling.
To my surprise, the additional inches added
outside doesn't show up inside. Front
seat legroom remains the same as in the '05
Civic, and the rear seat legroom is actually
reduced by more than an inch. Americans are
growing wider, and it seems Honda has been
paying attention, adding more hip room to both
the front and rear seats.
The biggest change of all is the Civic's
new dash, whose layout can be summed up as
unusual at best. While atypical and requiring
some getting used to, it is nonetheless highly
functional.
From the drivers seat, it seems the instrument
panel is several feet deep, putting you a long
way from the front of the car. All that space
lends a sense of security - there's
a large crumple zone in the event of a front-end
collision.
There are actually two dash openings in front
of the driver - oversize digital readout
speedometer, fuel gauge and coolant temperature
are in the upper circle and the analog tachometer
is in the lower cluster. It's sort of
like the heads-up display feature in the Corvette;
I found myself more than occasionally mistaking
the tachometer for the speedometer.
The Civic doesn't use a traditional "center
stack" where audio and climate controls
are built into the console. Rather they're
built into the dash with a small storage bin
separating the two. White-on-blue gauges with
red accents are illuminated night and day.
There's too much hard plastic here but
Honda textures it well and high quality fit
and finish keep it from looking cheap.
The Civic is offered in eight distinct versions,
with two or four doors. Three coupes and three
sedans are available in three trim levels:
DX, LX and top of the line EX. The hatchback
version has been discontinued for 2006. All
share a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder
engine with a five-speed manual transmission
standard. A five-speed automatic transmission
($800) is optional.
Two additional Civic models are also available.
The four-door Hybrid ($21,850) features Honda's
Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, using
an electric motor to boost gas mileage to achieve
a rating of 50 miles per gallon. The only transmission
in the Hybrid is a continuously variable transmission
(CVT) with no shift points.
The Civic Si model ($19,990), features a 197-horsepower
four-cylinder engine mated to a close-ratio
six-speed manual gearbox. This is the performance
Civic yet still manages 22/31 city/highway
miles per gallon. The Si is only available
as a two-door coupe.
I tested a well-equipped top of the line Civic
EX Sedan with an automatic transmission and
no options. Base price is $19,610 including
$550 for shipping and handling. The only available
factory option is a navigation system for an
additional $1500.
Build quality on the EX was, as expected,
exceptional. Civic is built in East Liberty,
Ohio, which proves Americans can and do build
high quality products. Civics are extremely
easy to drive and deliver a smooth quiet ride
with compliant handling. Sure, you'll
notice increased road and engine noise at highway
speeds, and the Civic won't handle corners
like a sports car, but you never feel like
you're not in control. Steering is precise,
brakes are superb, emergency handling is predictable
and forgiving. The new Civic is noticeably
quieter than the previous model.
All Civics come standard with antilock brakes
with electronic brakeforce distribution, front-seat
side airbags, full-length side-curtain airbags
and LATCH child seat anchors. The new Civic
received the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety Gold Award, one of only five vehicles
to earn that distinction. It is the highest
a vehicle can receive. One drawback is the
unavailability of stability control.
The redesigned Civic is a major improvement
over the previous generation and a AAA top
pick for vehicles priced $15,000 and below.
The Civic remains the standard by which other
economy cars should be measured.
