Honda Civic Blog

The last days of the passing year 2009 have been marked by the announcement of the Honda Motor Co., Ltd of the beginning of sales of a limited series of the Civic Type R Euro to Japan where it will have to compete against the Japanese Type R. The Euro version is a premium sports model forged in England by Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd. This vehicle is known for its distinctive appeal, its sci-fi style body shapes and performance perfectly suited for European roads. Out of the total number only 2,010 units will make it to the Japanese market.

The fans don’t cease comparing the actual Type R to Type R Euro wondering whether “European made” necessarily means better. The major difference is the use of a twist-beam rear suspension on Euro Type R vs. a fully independent suspension on the Japanese made Type-R. But regardless of the individual preferences both of the modification are fine rides with a top speed of around 146 miles/hour capable of reaching 60 miles in just 6.5 seconds.

The new Civic Type R Euro comes equipped with a 2.0 L naturally aspirated engine able to put out a maximum of 201hp/ 7,800rpm that works in pair with a 6-speed manual transmission. It is the DOHC i-VTEC known for its higher compression, secondary balancer serving to reduce vibration, but most notable for high revs and high output.

And unlike some of the Japanese makes which often times got criticism for inexpressive design Type R Euro has the style to match its capabilities. It comes with a lighter drop dead gorgeous body on 18-inch wheels. And beyond any doubt Type R Euro has all the add-ons such as custom aerodynamic spoilers, smaller three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminum ball knob of a shift lever à la Ferrari.

And besides giving one unparalleled satisfaction of superior performance on the road, it also looks out for its driver and the environment. All the R Euros come equipped with ABS with electronic brake assist, TCS, and sideslip control and due to the high use of recyclable materials the overall recyclability of the vehicle is now well over 90%. So, meet the new Type R Euro!

Ferraris, Maseratis, and Porsches make you your pulse rate go up and the hart start racing, but the money in the near or even mid-term future is barely enough for a decent family sedan… Why go for a typical yawnmobile when for your dollar you can have a ride to take you anywhere at the speed of lightening? Yes it is the current generation of Honda Civic Type R ready to match the bill!

Just start the engine and as the revs will rise, you’ll understand why this vehicle has legions of fans that would not trade it for anything else. This extreme version of the popular Civic comes loaded with features to create a driving experience like nothing else.

It makes a statement with its stunning original styling: sitting low to the ground showing off its seductive and yet aggressive lines, with a black mesh grille setting the tone for performance.
It looks smart and brings to mind the long years of victories of Honda in racing competitions. Moreover, in 2008 Type R won the 2008 Wheels Automotive Design Award outclassing some of the very serious competitors, such as Audi R8 and TT; Saab 9-3 Cabrio and VW Eos.

And it does have plenty of power to back up its looks. It comes equipped with a powerful 2.0 liter engine with i-VTEC variable timing controlled via a fully electronic throttle system producing 201 hp and 193 Nm of torque at 5600 rpm. The close-ratio gearbox helps effectively transform all the output into the thrust sufficient to race through time and space. In addition an advanced Limited Slip Differential (LSD) helps it maximize traction and prevent wheel slip during tight turns.

To sum it all up, the Civic Type R drives as good as it looks, with a handling capability that very few cars in this category can match. Its tight suspension builds emotional involvement from your part, making the process of negotiating the curbs a dream that so many folks are after. And all of that for only 9.3 liters per 100km – a number that looks very well comparing to the similar-sized cars which are not built for racing performance. So why look anywhere else, when Type-R is the way to pump in plenty of adrenaline without going financially broke?

As the time passes the faithful adepts of the Civic model are watching closely the news anticipating the new generation of the best-seller. In what ways will it change, in what ways will it be better? Will it continue to be a highly reliable and fuel efficient car equipped with a rather hot tempered power-train?

The new model of Honda Civic of the new generation which is scheduled to debut in a year or two will be more compact and will have an even more futuristic design than the previous model. This is the prognosis of the executive director of Honda Tzuneo Tanai as expressed in his interview to Automotive News.

According to Tzuneo, the initial plan was that Civic was to be larger and more expensive than its predecessor, however after the thorough analysis of prognosis of prices for oil products, rolled metal products and other types of raw materials the decision was made to bring modifications to the project. Now the new model is aimed to become more compact, lighter and more fuel efficient. Besides that, the new Honda Civic platform will be initially adopted for the use of a hybrid power-train.

It is good to keep in mind that Civic platform is widely used by Honda Motor company and serves the basis for other models, such as crossovers CR-V and HR-V, a minivan Stream, and a compact FR-V. Presently Civic comes as hatchback, sedan and a coupe.

Honda’s new CEO Takanobu Ito states that the Japanese auto giant is “taking sufficient time to redesign the new Civic as well as all the other models”. Honda seeks way to make most of the research possibilities and seeks to comply with the possible changes in the environment. Honda is committed to reducing the size of its highly successful Civic model, but assures that the interior space and a sense of roominess will not decrease. A new futuristic Civic!? Why not!

Quite a few folks are interested to see how the new Civic performs on the road. Honda fans have always been fond of the hot-tempered power trains employing racing technologies that Honda was famous for.
Well let’s look at all the new upgrades. The main distinction is that now Civic has a 5-step automatic transmission in stead of former 6-step robotized gear box. This transmission is very basic, has the low sectors like “D3”, “2”, and “1”, but no “sport” or manual modes.

An upgrade from the side of power trains is that the basic engine – 1.4 l (95 hp) is a little cleaner with 12 hp greater output. A 1.8 engine with the output of 140 hp continues to be the sought after modification. Trying it on the roads it soon becomes obvious that hat this engine performs more than adequately in all the situations. But one would not go bananas over the way the vehicle with automatic transmission accelerates. The steps of the automatic gear box are outstretched – you may reach the speed of 37 miles per hour on the first gear, 65 on the second, and 105 on the third.
With all that said, the handling for the Civic is above reproach. It follows fanatically all the slightest turns of the steering wheel, and the higher the speed is, the greater confidence Honda gives you of the fact that you are in control. The precise neutral cornering ability makes negotiating curbs a dream! It is just a little stiffer then the previous Civic even though the dealers affirm that the suspension hasn’t undergone any changes. It could be that the replacement of the robotized transmission with the automatic one added the additional 118 lbs to the front of the car….

The interior is dead silent. New weather strips keep the road noise down. VDC stabilization assistance system engages itself only in extreme situations, allowing for some sweet wheel slip.

To sum it all up – the new restyled and modernized Civic is roughly 4 % more expensive than its predecessor. There is certainly no doubt that the automatic transmission will perform well. But if it was for us to decide, we would pass the offer on both robotized and automatic transmissions, as the real Honda should come with a stick.

It isn’t hard to believe that the 2010 Civic continues to rank #1 in the Affordable Small Cars Category. Honda continues to present a winning combination, which truly makes Civic a leader in its class, both for style and reliability. Its fuel efficiency pleases the frugal minded folk, but equally makes sense to all the people watching the gas prices closely.

The new 2010 model comes virtually unchanged, as the 2009 Civic was selected “Best Buy” by the Consumer Guide. So if the 2010 model is essentially the very same thing, one may consider buying a 2009 model and saving some dough. You can actually get a pretty good deal, as the dealers are eager to get the 2009 models of their lots.

Despite the outstanding reliability, and fuel economy the 2009 and 2010 Civics have received some harsh comments. The main dispute was its exterior, particularly the snub-nose and a rather odd minivan-like windshield. Some commented that the design was just uninteresting, “you could drive and not notice a half of dozen of Civics on your way to work.” Others criticized the dual-tiered instrument as overburdened and mesmerizing.

But can all of this really be a major drawback when we are talking about the unparalleled quality and solid reputation for quality? The engineering of Civic is as strong for the 2010 model as ever and they have always held their resale value well. The car has a truly dynamic performance combined with the fuel-sipping manners –setting a standard in the highly competitive compact cars class. In addition, Civic boasts excellent safety scores in both federal government and insurance industry, and comes equipped with anti-lock brakes and six airbags!

However, making your mind to buy a Civic is the easy part. What’s difficult is choosing the one that is right for you. The basic Civic is either a sedan or coupe and it comes in different trims such as DX, LX, LX-S, EX with the price range from roughly $15,500 to all the way up to $22,000. The Honda Civic SI boasts increased performance-oriented trim, with 57 extra horsepower, pushing the price up to extra $6,500. The other interesting options are Civic Hybrid with the prices of about $10,000 higher than for a base Civic, and the Civic GX which runs on compressed natural gas.