2006 Honda Civic Arrives Down Under

Motoring Channel Staff - 3/Feb/2006

Fighting back against half a decade of mediocrity for its once-brilliant small car, Honda hopes its new Civic sedan - launched in Australia today -  will be a big seller, predicting sales of 12,000 units per year. That's more than 200 cars per week.

The hatchback model, built in Japan and currently sold in Europe, appears to have been overlooked in favour of the America-style sedan you see here.

Honda says that its eighth-generation Civic is the best yet, with new levels of power, fuel economy, refinement and comfort. 

"The Civic has the classic Honda values of reliability, practicality, safety, power, fuel efficiency and is fun to drive," said Honda Australia Senior Director Lindsay Smalley.

"The eighth-generation Civic will appeal to existing Civic owners as well as buyers looking for a combination of style and substance in the small-car sedan market," stated Smalley.

The 2006 Civic is longer, lower, wider and more aerodynamic than its predecessor; it's low and wide stance creates a significantly more aggressive and sporty look than the previous model.

The Japanese automaker has big plans for the 2006 Civic, which will be available in four variants – including a 1.3-litre petrol-electric hybrid – and  slots into the Honda family above the Jazz and below the Accord Euro, with the range beginning at $20,990. 

Though there's no word on a Type R or Type S super sports model at this stage, the Civic Sport spearheads the range, powered by a 114kW, 2.0-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine. Honda explains that the $31,990 Civic Sport takes line honours as the “gruntiest” Civic ever with its 2.0-litre engine pumping out 188Nm @ 4200rpm.

The entry-level Civic VTi and the luxury Civic VTi-L receive a newly-developed 1.8-litre i-VTEC engine that develops 103kW of power and 174Nm of torque. Compared with the superseded 1.7-litre Civic GLi sedan, power has increased by an impressive 15 kilowatts.

Taking it's place as the most technologically advanced (and expensive) new Civic model, Honda's fuel-saving Civic Hybrid returns with a 1.3-litre VTEC (with i-DSI) petrol engine paired with an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system to produce 85kW  and 170Nm of torque, while delivering significant boosts in fuel economy.

Honda says the engines in the new Civic range are both powerful and frugal, thanks to improvements to its  i-VTEC engine technology that makes use of clever camshaft switching. Despite the increase in power output, the 1.8-litre powered Civic VTi and VTi-L achieve fuel consumption figures of 6.9 litres per 100km (manual) and 7.3 litres per 100km (automatic) – better than the superseded 1.7-litre Civic GLi sedan.

The 2.0-litre Civic Sport meanwhile has fuel consumption figures of 7.9 litre per 100km (manual) and 8.0 litres per 100km (automatic) – using just 0.6 litres per 100km more than the outgoing 1.7-litre Civic GLi while gaining an extra 26kW and 38Nm.

But the most frugal vehicle in the range is understandably the Civic Hybrid. The 1.3-litre petrol engine is mated to the IMA system to achieve a fuel economy figure of just 4.6 litres per 100km, which is less than half of what a V8 Commodore drinks.

Honda has revealed that the Civic range in Australia will be offered with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission - the latter a first for Civic - while the Civic Hybrid features an improved Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for greater fuel economy and smoother gear changing. Furthermore, the 2.0-litre Civic Sport models equipped with an automatic transmission feature F1-style steering-wheel-mounted gear shift paddles for enhanced driving response - another first for Civic.

In addition to the Civic's new look exterior, the interior has also been extensively updated - Honda says that its stylists and engineers focused on sophistication in the cabin to create a high-quality, advanced and spacious interior with the latest technology, expanded storage and innovative ergonomics.

To begin with, the driver's instrument panel has been designed around what Honda calls the "Multiplex Meter" concept, in which important driving information, including vehicle speed, is displayed in the upper part of the instrument panel while other information is provided in the lower part. This design reportedly allows the driver to concentrate on the road while receiving vital information.

The Civic Sedan offers a great deal of versatility thanks to the “flat floor” design, allowing large and bulky items to be carried. Honda says that the boot can even accommodate a wheel chair in its 376 litre cavity.

To carry even larger items, the rear seats can be folded down to create a 485 litre sized cargo space, thanks the positioning of the fuel tank underneath the floor. The rear seats also have a one-motion, dive-down feature that instantaneously creates a flat loading space. This can be done with the rear seat fold down lever located in the boot for easier loading of items.

Safety for both occupants and pedestrians alike is an important goal for the company, explains Honda, and the Civic range has a comprehensive array of safety equipment, including a G-CON body cell, front dual stage i-SRS airbags standard on each model, with side airbags standard on all models except VTi and curtain airbags standard on Sport and Hybrid.

Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) and cruise control are standard across the range and a new rear right/left independent Electronic Brake force Distribution is used in conjunction with the ABS to maintain vehicle stability and help prevent rear-end steer in emergency braking.

The Civic Hybrid receives a number of mechanical upgrades for 2006, including an improved Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system to give Honda's fourth-generation hybrid more power and greater fuel economy, better battery recharge and a new dual-scroll compressor driving the air conditioning system. A significant new feature is that the car is now capable of running on purely electric power at low speeds.

With a maximum combined power output of 85kW, the Civic Hybrid is the most powerful hybrid available in Australia today. The company also revealed extensive market research that indicated current Civic sedan owners nominated criterions such as reliability, quality, practicality, value for money, running costs and resale values as strengths of the car - all factors that Honda took into consideration when creating the new 2006 model Civic.

Pricing:

Civic VTi: $20,990
Civic VTi (auto): $22,990

Civic VTi-L: $24,490
Civic VTi-L (auto): $26,490

Civic Sport: $29,990
Civic Sport (auto): $31,990

Civic Hybrid (CVT): $31,990