Civic used to have a special status in my mind. I can easily remember each of the 6 generations Civic ever lived, from the ’73 Mk1 with CVCC combustion technology to the ’95 Mk6 with 3-stage VTEC. That said, innovative technology distinguishes it from Western competitors while dynamic image separates it from Japanese rivals such as Corolla. Simultaneously, it has all the user-friendliness, reliability and build quality that characterizes Japanese cars, no wonder it used to be one of the world’s best sellers, among Corolla and Golf. 

5-door hatchback Civic

Let us talk about the 5-door hatchback Civic, which is being sold in Japan, Europe, Australia etc. but not North America. As the previous generation 5-door hatch was just produced in Swindon, UK and supplied solely European market, it is quite a surprise that the new hatch is also being produced in Japan and strongly promoted there. If you visit Honda’s Japanese homepage, you’ll see the Civic 5dr hatchback is being used as background image, proving it is the company’s highlight. 

In fact, the 5-door hatch is easily the best version among all family members. While the 4-door Civic sedan is rather predictable, the 5-door have a body dimensioned like MPV: very tall, long wheelbase and cab-forward. It offers amount of space never heard in this class. At 1.5 meters of height, it is 65 mm taller than Ford Focus, while 2680 mm wheelbase is again 65 longer than the benchmark Ford. High roof enables vast of headroom while extra wheelbase gives rear passengers generous legroom that matches the new Ford Mondeo. No, it is actually more spacious than Mondeo, because the floor is completely flat, without the dummy transmission tunnel thus benefiting especially rear middle passenger. To get rid of the dummy transmission tunnel, Honda had to strengthen the floorpan by adding 6 longitudinal and 1 transverse beams. 

Thanks to large windows and windscreen, the cabin has a strong glass-house feel. The driver and others sit high, in addition to large and light doors, access is convenient. Facing the driver is an ordinary instrument panel and a MPV-inspired center console on which gear shifter is mounted. Placing shifter there allow walk-through capability although the handbrake is quite obstructive. Style and quality-wise, the dashboard is up to Honda’s standard but not class’ best. Any MPV-style flexible seating and cargo loading ? sorry, this Civic is strictly a hatchback in this respect. If you want a real MPV, the Civic-based Stream could be a good choice. 

XL cabin and flat floor result in 50 kg penalty over Focus, not as much as you might think. Therefore a small VTEC engine mating with close-ratio gearbox is enough to provide decent performance. European and Japanese Civics got 1.6-litre (108 hp) and 1.7-litre (127 hp) respectively, both are sohc 16-valve. As before, they are smooth and eager to spin but needs higher rev to achieve performance comparable to rivals’ 1.8-litre. Cruising at speed could be noisy as a result.  

In the handling department, there are more new items to talk about. Biggest news is the change of suspensions - Civic finally said goodbye to the all-double-wishbones philosophy, replacing the front with a pair of MacPherson strut plus toe-control link. The rear seemed remaining loyal to double-wishbones but it is also added with another control link so that the whole unit could be made smaller without compromising geometry. Undoubtedly, the new suspensions were developed primarily to save space. However, this doesn’t mean handling and ride must be compromised. In fact, European road testers actually found the new Civic handles and rides better than its predecessor. Surprising ? not really, because the old Civic used to be the world’s most famous example proving that double-wishbones cars are not necessarily fun to drive. Only American journalists who have never seen a Peugeot praised the handling of old Civics. Of course, that was in pre-Focus era. 

Most crucial to handling is usually fine tuning rather than suspension design. The new European-tuned Civic has a firm setup that eliminates most body roll and quicken chassis response. It never feels as big or as tall as it is, but there is some trade-off in ride comfort when compare with French hatches. The new electric power steering is sharp and well weighted. Compare with S2000 which uses the same electric assistance, the Civic’s has more feedback, though it is just acceptable. At the limit, the rigid chassis is well balanced but understeer quite early. Most controls are tuned to ease driver’s work - such as light clutch and slick gearchange. Versus Focus, however, the Civic is still apparently less fun to drive. The Focus has more steering feel, resists understeer better and is throttle-steerable. 

Here comes our conclusion: the new Civic 5-door hatch is an all-rounder. It combines unrivalled space and comfort with decent performance and handling. Taking into account its reliability record, it could be the smartest buy to most people. To driving enthusiasts like us, Focus is still a better bet. 
 

Civic 3-door hatchback

The 3-door hatchback is being produced in Swindon, UK only but supplied to Europe, Japan and USA. It is derived from the 5-door, with wheelbase shortened by 110 mm and height lowered by 60 mm. USA is only interested in the sport model Si which is powered by a new generation 2.0 i-VTEC engine with 160 hp. i-VTEC incorporates continuous variable cam phasing in addition to the variable lift of VTEC.  

Type R Civic is also derived from the 3dr hatch. 

Civic 4-door sedan

The sedan is being produced and sold in Japan as well as USA. It is powered by 1.5-litre (115 hp) and 1.7-litre (127 hp) sohc VTEC four-pots. As the chassis is 60 mm shorter in wheelbase than the 5-door hatchback and the roof is 55 mm lower, its look is very conventional and offers considerably less cabin space. The gear shifter is repositioned back to driver’s side, but the flat floor remains unchanged for rear passengers. The lack of transmission tunnel enables 3 adults sitting comfortably at the back. Therefore it is still a touch more spacious than arch-rival Toyota Corolla. 

Japanese (and Hong Kong) Civic is equipped with CVT incorporating second generation software to quicken acceleration response and eliminate "rubber band effect". USA version drives through 4-speed auto instead. 

Civic coupe

The 2dr coupe is being produced in USA only and supplied to all over the world. It is derived from the 4dr sedan and powered by the same engines. 

Civic Si

Sometimes the world is quite fair: while American motorists enjoy lowest car and fuel prices, they cannot get some of the best cars in the world, for example, Honda Civic Type R. Undoubtedly, this car is the King of hot hatches at the moment, but Honda USA decided to import a cheaper, tailor-made-for-US version called Civic Si. The car is based on the 3dr Civic thus is produced at Honda's Swindon plant in UK. It shares the same stiffer suspension setup with the Type R, but smaller 15-inch wheels wearing higher profile tyres should bring more ride comfort in the price of handling sharpness.  

Performance-wise, Si is in the same league of Ford Focus SVT (ST170) and - if you are more familiar with European cars - Seat Leon Cupra. The power plant is a regular 2.0 i-VTEC engine similar to the base Integra (Acura RSX), delivering the same 160 horsepower. However, the lack of variable intake manifolds means its maximum 132 lbft of torque is considerably less than the Integra and most of its rivals, although Honda USA emphasis that it is already 20% improved from the previous 1.6-litre Si. They did not, however, mention that the car has become very heavy, tipping the scale at 1245kg. As a result, expect 0-60 in around 8.0 seconds. In comparison, the Type R is 45kg lighter, 40hp more powerful and most importantly, has a 6-speed gearbox instead of the Si's 5-speed. The latter is similar to the base Integra but with shorter ratios to overcome the extra weight. 

Perhaps because of higher profile tyres, steering feel is even more lifeless than the Type R. Narrower tyres and the lack of LSD also lower its cornering limit, although body control is still good. In short, Civic Si is disappointing when you can have a Type R at marginally higher price. It is neither fast nor fun to drive enough. Even in the States where Type R is not available, Focus SVT is a better choice. 
 

Civic Type R

Undoubtedly, the second generation Civic Type R intends to beat the opposition to become the world's best hot hatch, a thing the first generation not quite achieved. In fact, the domestic bounded first generation was even unheard to many foreigners - car journalists included. Autocar, Car, Top Gear, Auto Express .... none of them mentioned the old car in their reviews of the new Type R. So let me start from the old car first. 

Technical view 

The old car was a racy conversion from the Civic 3-door, powered by a small-but-high-revving 1.6-litre VTEC delivering 185ps. That was achieved by thorough tuning such as human forged and polished pistons and lightweight components. The chassis was beefed up by suspension tower struts front and rear, providing the rigidity that the stiffened suspensions needed. At 1080kg, it was very light by any standard, thanks to the absence of most equipment and the use of Recaro racing buckets. 

Now comes the new Civic Type R. Like the new Civic 3-door, you can find a label "Made in Great Britain" as it is produced exclusively in Honda's Swindon plant rather than in Japan. This implies 3 things - firstly, sales of Honda Europe dropped sharply in recent years so that the Swindon plant has so much excess capacity to take on any projects; secondly, the new Type R will be produced in more standardized way rather than human-intensive method. Otherwise its production will be left in Japan; lastly, the chassis and suspensions were thoroughly tested and tuned in Europe, guaranteeing a world-class handling and ride. 

The regular Civic 3-door is already 50mm shorter and 60mm lower than the jumbo 5-door version, and has a wheelbase a massive 110 mm shorter. The Type R shares the same bodyshell but with the suspension dropping 15mm to lower center of gravity. Of course, the monocoque is also strengthened - including tower struts - to keep suspension geometry unchanged on twisty roads. Still, you can feel the car much bigger than the first generation Civic Type R, mostly because of its excessive height which has grown 60mm to accommodate the high-floor design. What you might not notice is that it is shorter in overall length as well as wheelbase than its predecessor. But that means little to the scale, as it weighs 1200kg, that's 120kg heavier than the old car. Even with the additional equipment taken into account, the new Type R still feels not very R (which originally stands for Racing). 

I did not expect the fat, monospace profile looks good in Type R spec., but this time Honda make it just right. Big air dam, side skirts, rear spoiler and 17-inch wheels succeed to change how we feel - instead of plain and bulky, now the car is subtle. Oh yes, the red R logo at the grille also plays an important role. It reminds me this is not just a GTI, but a Type R !  

The previous 1.6-litre VTEC was highlight of the car but also the biggest weakness, blame to its peaky manner and lack of real torque. New Type R shares engine and gearbox with sister car Integra Type R, gaining 400 c.c. and new i-VTEC valve mechanism. The i-VTEC still incorporates cam-changing VTEC, which switch to high-lift, fast-timing lobes once the engine rev pass 6,000rpm, now it also gets a cam-phasing variable valve-timing adjusted continuously across the whole rev band. As a result, low to mid-range torque, hence tractability, is greatly improved. The torque curve now peaks at 6,500rpm, with a useful, if not 2-litre-class-leading, 144lbft available. This is far stronger than the old 1.6's 118lbft at 7,300rpm. 

Rev to 7,400 rpm, the 2-litre four squeezes out its maximum 200 horsepower, that's European DIN horsepower. While it may not match Integra Type R's 220hp (JIS), its lower, 11.0:1 compression allows the engine to drink regular RON95 fuel instead of 98. In other words, that's the same engine as Acura RSX Type S.  

On the road 

A hot hatch having 200 horsepower is no longer a dream now. Yes, I know Volkswagen group has at least 3 hatches boosting more power (yet even more torque) and 4-wheel drive, but they are so heavy and pricey that should be classified as sports sedans rather than hot hatches. A hot hatch should be reasonably priced and fairly lightweight to have fun on twisty roads. The Type R Civic is undoubtedly a hot hatch, just hotter than any other hatches we have ever seen.  

There is no question about its claimed 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 146mph. The only hot hatch that could rival and possibly beat the Type R is Renault Sport's Clio RS (172), which does 0-60 in 6.6 seconds but it is no where near the Type R at high speed, blame to inferior aerodynamics and less top end grunt due to the lack of VTEC (the Clio has VVT only but not variable lift). Once the needle pass 6,000rpm, the Honda engine goes mad and it really enters a league of its own - no matter aurally or objectively. No other 4-cylinder engines could be so thrilling. However, what makes the i-VTEC a double-edge sword is that it pulls cleanly right from 1,500rpm and goes really strong from 3,000rpm where 90% torque is available. The continuous VVT also smoothens power delivery thus it is refined to use in daily basis, a thing the old VTEC can hardly claim. 

Integra's 6-speed manual is another joy. Although the shifter is mounted on center console like many MPVs, it actually shortens the distance travelling from steering wheel to shifter. Moreover, shift quality remains unchanged at the best tradition of Honda - slick, precise and short-throw. 6 close ratios keep the engine boiling at VTEC zone.  

Now enter twisty roads to test its handling. Also enter the scene is the mighty Peugeot 306 GTi-6, our long-time beloved, and the new Integra Type R, the Civic's sister car. First to be noticed is that the Civic rides much more complaint than the Integra as its suspensions are tuned softer. It deals happily with bumps while providing superb body control. The chassis is well balanced up to a limit, then it understeer gently. Try to provoke it to oversteer, its rear end steps out a bit - but just a bit - then refuse to go further. Honda might call it a safe approach necessary for the powerful Type R, but what separate a superb hot hatch from a good one is agility and driving fun, not speed or g-force. The French car makers know this trick very well, thus have already built lift-off oversteer into the chassis of Clio RS and 306 GTi-6. The latter is especially inspiring to use oversteer because its steering feel tells you so much information. In contrast, Civic's electric-assisted steering - like many of its kind - has certain degree of deadness. It fails to deliver the message from the front tyres to tell you how much adhesion left. The weighting is adequate, the response is sharp and accuracy is high, but it just feels numb, what a pity. Nevertheless, at least it steers better than the nervous Integra Type R, probably because the suspensions are more effective to soak up bumps that would have induced bump steer. 

While the Civic Type R is neither as agile nor as fun to handle as Peugeot 306, it has superior brakes and more grip. Its cabin is also roomier than most hot hatches (despite of being 110mm shorter in wheelbase than the 5-door Civic), and you won't find another one with a flat floor to free up rear passenger foot room. So this is a fast hatch having no compromises to cope with. 

Being priced at the same level as the smaller Clio RS, everybody is amazed how Honda manage to sell it so cheap. See it this way: the new Type R is no longer as racy as the old one. Its production also involves less human hands. The Recaro seats have gone. Production is up. Engine shares with Integra and to lesser extent Civic Si and Stream. Exclusivity will no longer be what Type R's owner proud of. But all these just do good to the majority of car lovers. This is unquestionably the best hot hatch now, because of its wonderful engine, gearbox, performance, comfort .... but sadly, also because the King 306 GTi has died. 
 

Civic Hybrid

With Civic Hybrid, Honda finally takes the lead of hybrid vehicle from Toyota. The battle started in late 1997 when Toyota launched the world’s first production hybrid car Prius in Japan. Prius is a practical 4-seater but Toyota produced it either at a loss or with government incentives to prevent from a loss. 2 years later, Honda responded with a 2-seater coupe, Insight. Although Insight breaks fuel economy records, it is more like an experiment rather than a serious attempt to mass production market. However, it is this experiment finally leads to the birth of the world’s first practical and cost effective hybrid car - Civic Hybrid. 

Unlike Toyota Prius, Civic Hybrid is - as indicated by its name - based on the mainstream Civic to save cost. Apart from the hybrid power unit, it just differs from the ordinary Civic 4-door by aerodynamic kits. Deep front spoiler and flat underbody panel reduce drag from 0.30 to 0.28 in order to boost fuel efficiency at speed. To preserve all-round practicality, Honda even sacrifices low-rolling-resistance tyres (which were used in Insight, Prius and a few Volkswagen super-frugal cars) for ordinary 185/70SR14.  

The Civic Hybrid is just 20% dearer than regular Civic. Those additional cost mainly comes from the IMA power system and Ni-MH battery packs. The theory is similar to Insight’s, just that the Civic employs a more powerful electric motor and a larger 4-cylinder petrol engine to cope with the 1225kg kerb weight. This i-DSI engine is derived from Fit (Jazz), with 2 valves and 2 spark plugs per cylinder. It is added with a version of VTEC, but instead of enhancing power it is designed to lift fuel efficiency. When the car is decelerating, this VTEC system will shut down 3 of the 4 cylinders by closing their valves. This result in 50% reduction in pumping loss. The petrol engine generates a maximum 85 horsepower. 

The DC motor is thin yet more powerful than the Insight's, now delivers 13hp and 36lbft of torque. Both the power control unit and battery pack are made smaller to save space. As before, the IMA works like this: during acceleration both engine and motor operate to provide maximum push; at cruising, only the engine is working; when decelerating, the motor regenerates electricity and recharges the battery; Besides, the engine will shut down automatically after stopping a while (for instance, at traffic light) and then restart immediately when throttle pedal is pressed.  

The IMA powertrain drives through a CVT to save further energy. According to JIS standard (the Japanese standard), Civic Hybrid achieves an excellent fuel consumption of 83mpg or 3.4L per 100km while meeting ULEV emission requirements. However, like Toyota Prius, in real world driving it falls far short of the claimed figures. That’s why American EPA rates it at 48mpg only for both highway and city cycle. Ridiculously, you can achieve higher fuel efficiency with most new diesel cars on sale in Europe. 

Strangely, Honda exports it only to the USA, where petrol is cheaper than bottle water. No matter how many miles you drive, there is no chance to recover the premium price over regular Civic. Therefore its sales target is likely to be limited to those anti-Bush environmentalists. So sad, because the Civic Hybrid drives so well that it has little to compromise with. The powertrain is smooth. The handling runs very close to regular Civic. The car is reasonably quick no matter with full or empty battery. With full battery, it accelerates from 0 to 60mph in 10.9 seconds, leagues ahead of the 14.1 seconds of Prius. 
 

Stream

Stream is the MPV version of Civic. Wheelbase is stretched to 2720 mm to accommodate the third row of seat, so it offers a total of 7 seats like Opel Zafira. However, passengers in the third row will find headroom limited by the streamline roof while the rear suspension protrudes into the cabin and limited foot room.  

Pretty appearance and 10 cup holders aside, the Stream seems less practical and flexible than European rivals like Fiat Multipla, Citroen Xsara Picasso and Opel Zafira. There is not much storage space, no fold tables, no parcel shelf etc. Rear seats can be folded flat but the floor level is too high, limiting cargo volume and making it difficult to load bikes. Compare with Multipla and Picasso, the dashboard looks dull while plastic quality is poor. This is far from Honda’s standard. 

The same 1668 c.c. sohc VTEC engine as Civic must work hard (hence noisy) to cope with the extra weight of about 200 kg. In contrast, the new i-VTEC 2.0 dohc unit with 154 hp works best with the car to provide spirited acceleration. Sport-biased suspension favour handling but sacrifice ride comfort.