2006 Honda Civic: First Look

By Feann Torr - 15/9/2005

As one of the biggest motor shows of the year, along with the Paris, Geneva and Detroit shows, Frankfurt always delivers a veritable cornucopia of automotive treats, one of which is the new 8th generation Honda Civic.

Honda has chosen the German auto show to launch its all-new Civic, which has inherited some genetic data from the Accord Euro - not greatly surprising considering this particular model has been built to cater for the European markets.

Honda is pushing its Euro Civic higher up the prestige scale and is hoping this new look, new feel model will appeal to the well-heeled types, as well as the boy racer types.

Based around what Honda calls the "emotional" styling of this concept car, first shown at the Geneva motor show in March of 2005, the new model will be officially launched at the Frankfurt event in early September and Honda is confident sales will begin early in 2006 as production for the superceded seventh generation Civic winds up.

As you can see from the images, it's a very futuristic looking car; provocative even. There's a touch of the Accord Euro in the headlights, particularly the outer clusters, and there's a subtle power bulge in the bonnet too.

But where it's front end differs from the Accord Euro is towards the centre of this horizontal headlight cluster, where the small grille would normally be.

Gone is the grille, and in its place a seamless clear lens that almost covers the entire width of the front end. There's some shiny metallic accents both behind and flanking the central 'H' logo, and jury is still out on that design cue. Striking - yes. Stylish - dunno.

The small hatchback pictured is the 5-door model, and if you look closely you may notice that the rear door handles are located behind the window pane, not unlike the Alfa Romeo 156.

At the rear, the Euro-chic hatch mirrors many of the design cues seen at the front, the most obvious being the brake light cluster that forms a solid horizontal feature. The twin trapezoidal exhaust pipes also parallel the front fog lights in what appears to be, taken as a whole, a very carefully and indeed purposefully designed hatch - and one intended to trigger interest.

In addition to the almost retro-looking sci-fi exterior, the overall proportions of the new European Civic have changed. It's now lower and a bit shorter than before, shaving 35mm from height and length, giving it sleeker profile - but it's been on a high protein diet at the same time, and is now some 65mm wider.

The reduced height should improve the car's centre of gravity and the extra width would, in the best case, improve handling response, and in the worst case make it a slightly more stable car through corners.

Increasing the girth of the radical-looking Honda also benefits occupants with more interior space. Honda doesn't say how much, only hinting at a "more spacious" cabin. What a tease.

Honda will be catering its engine range to European customers who often pay a premium for petroleum, which includes a 1.3-litre engine to kick off the petrol range.

A diesel model will also be available right from the word go, the same highly lauded 103kW (140hp) 2.2-litre unit from the Accord Euro. In addition to the spritely 1.3-litre petrol powerplant, Honda has come up with a new 1.8-litre motor as well, which is able to generate a maximum of 103kW of power, the same as the diesel engine.

No word yet of a Type R or Type S version of the new eighth generation Civic, but if the sales of the British built Civic Type R were anything to go by, Honda would be mad not to build a go-fast version of the new look Civic, complete with a more powerful engine and tweaked chassis.

The Japanese car maker, which just recently beat out a host of prestige marques to be declared the most reliable UK brand in What Car?’s fifth annual reliability survey, will equip its new Civic with a 6-speed manual gearbox across the entire range, a first in the small car segment, asserts Honda. It will also offer a 6-speed "automated manual transmission" on petrol models. A twin clutch auto perhaps?

As was mentioned earlier, Honda is pushing its Civic higher up the luxury ladder, and this is evident in the standard equipment levels. All models will ship with ABS and EBD, plus features such as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), which can override braking and throttle inputs in order to "assist the driver in maintaining control during cornering, acceleration and sudden manoeuvres" according to Honda.

The safety aspect of the new Japanese car has been upgraded significantly compared to the outgoing model, with active front headrests making the cut this time, which, in Honda speak, "have a decisive role in protecting the passengers against the dangerous whiplash injury".

Shorter and wider, the new Civic hasn't been tested to Euro NCAP standards, but even with the shortest front overhang in the small car market, Honda reckons it's new car will rate highly, insisting "5 stars for front and side impact safety, 3 stars for pedestrian safety and 4 stars for child protection safety". Big call that one, but Honda's reputation has been on the rise for the best part of the last decade, so it's not a complete impossibility.

Thanks to a repositioned fuel tank the boot has a 485 litre capacity, which is very good for a car of its size. The rear seats will also feature a number of hinge points making for a wide variety of flat loading spaces in the rear, plus there's also an under-floor compartment, which will be perfect for smuggling goods throughout Europe.

Pushed into the new car marketplace in 1972, the Civic has been conservatively shaped and moulded over the years, with the 2006 model perhaps the most divergent of all models. Interestingly, the Civic is also the most successful automobile built by Honda, which the company says accounts for roughly one-third of total Honda sales worldwide.

Honda is confident that its new eighth generation Civic will be a hit in Europe, and who are we to disagree? There's a lot to like about the new model, least of which is the new look. Overall it's a very contemporary and striking design, though that headlight cluster could scare conservative buyers away.