Road Test: Honda Civic VTi-L

By Peter Maniatis - 16/May/2006

As chance would have it, Australia hasn't been allocated any of Honda's new Civic Euro hatchback models, often labelled the more stylish model, which was once the Japanese company's most popular Civic variant. Instead, Honda Australia has decided that the new sedan will be sufficient to keep Australian drivers happy.

Where previous Civic sedan models were always more pedestrian, the new look eighth generation, 2006 model sedan is a vastly different looking vehicle than models that have gone before it. While the previous model hatch didn't quite fit in, and the sedan was a little too conservative, this new model is boasts an inspired design with a sporty profile akin to the Integra.

Honda's reputation for reliability is hard to go past, and with more interior room and a fuel efficient powerplant, the new Civic matches up against Ford's Focus, Holden's Astra and Nissan's Tiida on paper, and had I not had the opportunity to drive this new vehicle from one of Japan's premier marques, I would have bemoaned the loss of the Civic hatch.

But having driven the new Civic (the $24,490 VTi-L model that sits between the entry-level VTi and the top shelf Sport) there's no question that it's a very good car, and an improvement on its predecessor. And here's why:

Honda's new Civic has an avant garde exterior style, while inside it's like being on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise Engine: Honda 1.8-litre inline 4-cylinder petrol The transversely mounted 1799cc L4 engine is an all-alloy job (alloy engine block and cylinder head), featuring 4-valves per cylinder actuated by belt-driven single overhead camshafts (SOHC). The fuel injected engine features variable valve timing and lift for improved fuel efficiency and has a 10.5:1 compression ratio allowing 91/95 RON gasoline with a 50 litre fuel tank. Fuel Consumption: 6.9L/100km (combined cycle) Max Power: 103kW @ 6300rpm Max Torque: 174Nm @ 4200rpm

At first entrance, the interior of the Civic displays a familiar Honda look and feel seen in its newer vehicles, like the Odyssey and Accord. For mine, however, the styling and texture of interior materials did not do justice to the mechanical refinement that Honda offers the motoring public in this form.

The Honda brand and quality of manufacturing deserves the sort of make-over reserved for German marques, and though there's nothing intrinsically wrong with how Honda has appointed its Civic, it could have been a real challenger to vehicles like the VW Jetta and BMW 1 Series had more time been invested in

So after my initial snatch and grab - I like to feel over the dash, the make up of materials, the distance to dials and knobs and the grip of the steering wheel - I was impressed as I continued to be with the new spacious design of small cars. That the Civic feels roomier and more spacious than the previous model is not in dispute, and it's a comfortable vehicle to drive.

The interior has grown in dimensions, but it’s the sweeping dash with the large windscreen that gives the illusion of space and volume in this relatively small car.

I thought the the instrument layout was very pragmatic. Instead of pooling all the instruments in one area, like a Commodore, or a BMW 3 Series, the Civic splits the speedometer and tachometer readouts vertically. The tachometer takes pride of place behind the steering wheel and the speedometer meanwhile gets the penthouse suite, sitting quite high. The digital readout of your speed is quite good (though the refresh rate is a bit slow), and as a benefit allows your eyes on the road longer, as you don't have to look far to take note of your speed.

Turning the ignition and giving the accelerator a quick squirt reinforces the Honda mantra “It just works”. You can hear the engine's almost-blueprinted qualities: it's tight, it's refined and best of all it's very frugal - not bad for a SOHC valve train. Paired with the 5-speed manual gearbox (which is perhaps a bit clunkier than you’d expect from a Honda), you soon realise how tightly coupled and matched it is to the engine, able to provide good levels of performance for a 1.8-litre non-turbo engine. Precision personified.

And with a fuel economy rating of just 6.9L/100km on the combined fuel cycle, the Civic is a very frugal vehicle indeed, and the 5-speed manual model has even been a 4.5/5.0 Green Vehicle Guide rating. Safety wise, and the VTi-L gets four airbags compared to the entry-level VTi's two, ABS and EBD. There's no traction control or electronic stability control, which is a shame, but not a travesty.

We’re fortunate at the Motoring Channel to drive cars for just on a week, because had it been for one day I might have had different feelings for the car. After 3-4 days of taking the Civic across town, on the highway and cruising home late at night with it's lit up cockpit, I was increasingly impressed by it's smooth gear changes, its high revving engine (7000rpm) and fairly tight handling. It has an all-round feeling of precision from the way it's built, to the way it motivates - the Civic won me over as a car for almost any occasion.

As well as being a brilliant commuter vehicle, the Civic is home to a very usable cruise control feature, making longer journeys a lot less of chore, and together with the decent CD stereo and comfy seats, it's easy to relax when cruising around in the avant garde Honda. And as well as cruise control inputs on the steering wheel, there's also a good selection of audio controls, and I will say that the steering wheel itself, like the exterior design and sweeping dash, is original. It's a nicely sized (small) tiller, and features a concave element and some cool textured materials, all of which somehow contribute to the vehicle's easy-and-fun-to-drive character. It won't inspire you to find the car's limits through corners - this VTi-L model car is tuned for comfort rather than the sports handling - but that's not to say the driving experience is not rewarding.

With all that said, the one thing that lets the civic down - and for this reviewer it is a biggy - is it's external styling. It's lower and wider and looks more assertive than past models, and the Editor doesn't seem to mind the new styling (he's doing the Sport model soon), but it doesn't do anything for me. The 15-inch wheels look pretty good for such tiddlers, but overall the C-segment vehicle doesn't seem to represent anything of purpose, maintaining a neutral and sombre appearance.

One of my thoughts through the whole reviewing process was that Honda should poach a designer from an upcoming European brand. It could then offer all the mechanical and production qualities that are so well engineered in this vehicle - but let someone with style and refinement design the look of the car. Now that's a bit harsh I know - but I just feel that Honda are underselling themselves. The whole kit and caboodle is very good here, and for under $25k it's money well spent, but I think that this vehicle needed a little splash (or perhaps a big dollop) of style -- then Honda would have the thing all sewn up, and no loose ends. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, and though I'm not a gambling man, I'm willing to bet that there will be drivers out there who like what they see.

Overall: 4/5

Suffice it to say, the Civic is a very good car with hard-to-fault on road manners and a roomy interior with a style that's both non-conformist, but intelligently ordered.

Because of this pragmatic approach to the cockpit, there are many smaller details that will make you smile due their placement and integration: it's the kind of car that you can jump into and not bother about reading the owners manual to understand and make use of every last function and feature. The 2006 Civic is also a substantially different car its predecessor, being lower, longer, wider and more aerodynamic, yet it inherits the Civic's clever mechanical underpinnings, making this a car to enjoy.

I’m giving the Civic a big rap, because it's a very good car. If you are not too worried about provocative styling and want a car that is manufactured to the highest standard and just works, then the Honda Civic should definitely be very high on your shopping list. The engine is surprisingly fuel efficient, and with a high rev ceiling it'll get you humming along rapidly, and when combined with the Civic's solid feel and quality finish, the Ford Focus and Holden Astra now have a very capable Japanese competitor.