Civic pride

Honda executives say an unrealistic price tag of $35,000 has put an end to immediate dreams of a hatch in the current line-up.

"I really want to have the five-door hatch," Honda Australia managing director and CEO Toshio Iwamoto says. "We are currently investigating the feasability of importing the Civic hatch."

The hatch is made in the UK exclusively for the European market. "I think we will get the hatch but it may take some time. It takes time to develop a suitable product for each market," Iwamoto says. He says the lack of a hatch will limit sales potential.

The Civic is available in a 1.8-litre VTi and VTi-L, a 2.0-litre Sport and a 1.3-litre Hybrid, with sales to start at the end of the month.

The entry-level VTi starts from $20,990 for the manual with the VTi-L from $22,490 and the Sport from $29,990. Add $2000 for the automatic. The Hybrid is $31,990.

The new car is longer, wider, lower and heavier than its predecessor. The front is aggressive and sporty with redesigned headlights, front grille and bumper.

The sporty look flows across the whole car, with a sleek side profile highlighted by smaller windows and the swooped roofline and short rear end.

The 103kW, 174Nm 1.8-litre SOHC engine is an all-new powerplant, replacing the 88kW, 150Nm 1.7-litre of the previous model.

The new Civic has a standard five-speed manual or optional five-speed automatic.

Standard features include four-wheel disc brakes, drive-by-wire throttle, airconditioning, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, ABS brakes with EBD, driver and front passenger airbags, three-point seat belts for all occupants, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, adjustable front and rear head restraints, drive and passenger covered vanity mirrors, CD player, fold down rear seat and full-size spare wheel.

The VTi-L adds a six-stack CD, 60/40 split fold rear seat, driver and front passenger side SRS airbags, 15-inch alloys and climate control airconditioning.

The Civic Sport is the "gruntiest" Civic ever, with a 114kW, 188Nm 2.0-litre DOHC engine.

The Sport model adds front and rear curtain airbags, 16-inch alloys, electric power steering, front fog lights, leather interior, sunroof and steering wheel mounted paddle shift for the auto and steering wheel mounted audio controls over the VTi-L.

The Civic retains the front strut and rear double wishbone suspension, albeit with a few changes. The Sport and Hybrid have electric steering, similar to that of the S2000.

Rigidity has been increased by 35 per cent. Engine noise is down by two decibels, while interior cabin noise is down by six decibels.

The civic also comes with a six star Japanese crash rating.

FIRST DRIVE

For a small car, the Civic feels solid on the road. The 1.8-litre is capable through the tight stuff and the steering feels nicely weighted. It suffers from bumpsteer through rough corners, but only momentarily. The manual box is smooth, albeit with a longer throw than most.

Under acceleration, with the airconditioning on, the manual suffers a slight acceleration hesitation. But this was absent with the A/C button switched off.

The manual allows the driver to take it right to the 7000rpm redline, bouncing on the limiter until a higher gear is selected.

The automatic is sprightly off the line and holds gears longer than expected. Changes are quick and smooth and inside, the Civic feels very futuristic.

It's almost like a mini four-door Odyssey.

The Civic has small front-quarter pane windows to stop the A-pillar blocking vision. The long panoramic-style windscreen provides good vision and an open feel.

The dash layout is very driver focussed. The high-mounted digital speedo means the driver's eyes don't leave the road.

The two-tone interior is stylish and hides numerous storage compartments throughout the cabin, including a dedicated mobile phone holder.

The 2.0-litre is similar inside to the 1.8-litre, and has a fair bit of grunt. The five-speed auto with full-time, sport and sequential modes (controlled by F1-style paddles) is not a bad choice, although there was no manual. The automatic is responsive.

Using sequential mode the box will hold gears up to the 7000rpm redline, bouncing off the limiter until the driver acts. The 2.0-litre auto feels a little more planted on the road (probably the extra 110kg), although not being able to change gears (sequentially) using the gear shifter is a bit disappointing.