THE CIVIC looks good from this angle, thanks to the sculpted bumper and rear skirt.
Men of a certain age—let’s call them fathers for simplicity’s sake—would remember a car from their younger days that was a joy to drive: the Honda Civic. Whether it was the fuel-injected LX, the bug-eyed VTEC, or, if one were lucky, the high-revving SiR, the Civic was the stuff of practical motoring pleasure.
These very dads may well be missing that spirit of sportiness, as the Civic has moved on be more civil. With refinement and efficiency utmost on the design template, the emphasis is on comfort and a bit of luxury mixed in with the mechanical solidity of the car.
Honda has recently launched the new Civic, a refresh of the ninth-generation model launched in 2012. This version is thus more like the iPhone 5S or 4S, a bump up in specs and features without a major change in appearance.
To make the car more distinctive, Honda has launched the new Civic with Mugen and Modulo external styling kits. Mugen is the
DARTH CIVIC The Civic Mugen is the new Dark Lord of the Honda fleet.
high-performance tuning company specializing in Hondas, appropriate since it was started by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Soichiro Honda. The original-equipment Mugen aero parts give a darker, mildly more sinister look to the Civic’s clean-cut lines. Darth Vader would feel at home.
The Mugen kit starts with a body-colored sports grille up front that melds well with the familiar Civic headlamps. The front bumper features pronounced angular bulges around the foglamp section. The side skirts lead to the similarly sculpted rear bumper. The entire appearance package is topped with the prominent trunklid spoiler, which reaches nearly halfway to the car’s roof level. The Mugen kit is well integrated with the Civic’s overall shape, making the car look much more compact and sporty. It takes the car’s styling up a notch, without going overboard.
Settling into the driver’s seat of the Civic is still one of the great pleasures of the practical automobile world. Everything fits just right, from the supportive driver’s seat to the telescopic, thick-rimmed steering wheel. The split-level instrument panel may look odd if you haven’t driven a Civic, but it’s quite effective in practice. The large digital speedometer is flanked by bars that indicate fuel-efficient driving. Starting off in blue, the bars turn green during more-efficient driving. Bar graphs for fuel level and instantaneous fuel economy are on either side. Below where traditional gauges would be is a large analog tachometer.
THE CIVIC’S cockpit is properly done, in different shades of black. Instruments and controls are pointed squarely at the driver.
The center cluster of the driver-oriented cockpit is canted distinctly towards the driver. The Civic gets a touchscreen panel similar to the new City’s. Controls for the audio system are accessed via the screen. It also doubles as the display for the backup camera. Connectivity options are aplenty. There’s Bluetooth for audio streaming and phone functions, two USB ports with a separate power outlet beside them. New is an HDMI port that allows the screen to mirror a smartphone’s display. In a concession to old-tech, there’s even a CD slot. The automatic climate control buttons are mounted below the entertainment touchscreen. The side-mirrors with integrated signal lights are power-folding.
Mechanical refinement
As before, the Civic’s trademark is mechanical refinement. The engine is all but silent, and is quite subdued even when revved hard. As befits the VTEC variable valve timing system, the engine spins willingly from low revs all to way to redline.
The 2-liter generates 153 HP and 190 Nm, enough to give the 1272-kilogram sedan lively acceleration. The Civic is one of the few sedans in its class to feature independent rear suspension, and reputedly grippier double wishbones at that. The result is a satisfying balance of comfortable ride and responsive handling. The suspension filters out most road irregularities and potholes.
ORIGINAL-equipment spoiler by Honda tuner Mugen lends a touch of menace to the otherwise friendly Civic rear.
Meanwhile, the Civic may be several levels higher on the quietness and refinement scale, but the handling is also superior to earlier generations’.
A full complement of safety features is on board. On the active side are ABS with electronic brake-force distribution and stability assist. Dual front airbags, side and curtain airbags are standard on the 2-liter.
Fathers who are looking for that raw performance from earlier versions of the Civic will be pleasantly surprised with this new version.
The sportiness and performance is still present, disguised by a generous level of refinement and civility.
Photos by Jason K. Ang
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