Honda Builds a Better Civic:

[BMWDave]

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Honda Builds a Better Civic: Still no double wishbones but a CRX is coming in two years
MARK VAUGHN
Posted Date: 7/26/05
The new 2006 Honda Civic, due this fall, is more fun to drive than the car it replaces, our spies tell us, and there will even be a return of the racer?s favorite CRX badge in 2007. That?s not bad news, is it?

Those we spoke to who have driven the new Civic were enthusiastic about it.

?It?s an awesome car. It drives like the Integra Type R,? said one.

?This is exactly what Honda needs,? said another.

And these were performance-lovin? guys.

Though Honda calls it an ?all-new? car, a number of platform and suspension pieces either carry over or are only slightly revised.



The new Civic makes those gains without a return to double wishbones in front. The new suspension still has MacPherson struts. The rear suspension is also ?revised,? but details are scarce. Expect a slightly tighter multilink setup.

Top of the engine chart is the 200-hp version of the K20 four-cylinder that will power the Civic Si and CRX. Civic Si? the most powerful Civic ever, according to Honda?will bow at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas this November.

Of course, with the new SAE horsepower ratings, that 200-hp figure might wind up being 197, which doesn?t quite have the same ring to it as 200. Honda is wringing its corporate hands over that. Even so, a 197-hp rating is still better than the 160 hp of today?s Si, though maybe even that?s now 158 or so, SAE.

The new Si engine will have 16 valves operated by dual overhead cams and i-VTEC, or variable lift electronic control with intelligence. Redline will be 8000 rpm. The Si engine will be mated to a six-speed manual and it will get a helical limited-slip differential. It will ensure power goes to the ground instead of spinning the inside-front tire uselessly.

Most of the Civic lineup will have a new 1.8-liter four that will make more power and offer a 6 percent improvement in fuel economy. Honda says the 1.8 offers the acceleration of a 2.0-liter and the fuel economy of a 1.5-liter engine. The 1.8 uses improved i-VTEC, drive-by-wire and variable-length intake runners to achieve its increased performance. Peak power is 140 hp and peak torque is 128 lb-ft, though there are suggestions a 155- or 160-hp version could be coming.



The 2006 Civic line will get a new hybrid engine that will be 20 percent more efficient than today?s. The gasoline engine portion of the hybrid will be 1.3 liters and offer three phases of i-VTEC, one for low rpm, one for high and one for idle. At idle the gas engine shuts down, restarting when the driver steps on the gas.

All that running gear will be placed in what Honda calls a new body from the floorpan up. Standard wheels are expected to be 15 inches, with 16-inch wheels on the EX and 17-inch wheels on the Si.

The Civic will come in two body styles, a four-door sedan and a two-door coupe. Sources say the bodies are slightly longer and wider. Combined with a slightly more cab-forward style, interior space is thus opened up. The Civic dash, meanwhile, is two-tiered, with an instrument binnacle bulging out of it. The interior generally gets favorable reviews from those who have seen it.

The slightly larger 2006 Civic will move it upscale just enough to make room for the coming five-door Jazz/Fit, due in the first half of next year. That smaller car will be aimed at Scion and at whatever Nissan decides to call its entry-level youth-oriented line. Stay tuned for word on all that.

[ifcar]

If the interior gets favorable reviews, we must not be getting the same one as the Euro version. A good thing.  

[NomisR]

Doesn't the Honda hybrid system work better than the Toyota system?  Why aren't there any praises for their system?

[ifcar]

Doesn't the Honda hybrid system work better than the Toyota system?  Why aren't there any praises for their system?

The Prius is roomier, more fuel-efficient, and quicker than the current Civic Hybrid.

[giant_mtb]

When I read the title of this topic my thought was "yeah right..."      

But, they seem to have improved it.  Rock on, Honda.

[TBR]

About time, the '01 Civic was a big disappointment for a lot of people. As far as this statement goes, "The interior generally gets favorable reviews from those who have seen it," keep in mind that people said the same about the Altima.

[ifcar]

Honda wouldn't drop the ball on two Civic redesigns in a row. They know people were upset with the 01, I have to assume that they tried harder here.

[NomisR]

From the pictures, it looks a lot like the TL, front and back.  

[crv16]

Sure looks like the controls for a spaceship, huh?

[ifcar]

It looks like a Bonneville interior where the panels fit together. Hopefully we get something far better as our production car.

[BMWDave]

Sure looks like the controls for a spaceship, huh?

It does  

[NomisR]

I can't say it's good looking but it's neat at least.  Too much fake aluminum though.

[crv16]

There's debate whether the Euro Civic interior (as pictured) will come to N. America.

I haven't formed an opinion yet.  It's so shockingly different - it will take a while for me to warm to it.

Here's a few shots from the recent Edmunds spy video:

[Tom]

I'm not a fan of this recent trend to spend more money on the interiors of economy cars.  I would prefer to see the money saved and reflected in a lower price or spent on mechanicals.

[ifcar]

I don't think that it's costing them that much to put in a nice interior, the consumer is paying a virtually negligible cost for a substantial improvement.

[TBR]

Ifcar is right (how often do I say that? ), it isn't like the new and better interiors cost $500 more or anything, probably $100 at the most.  

[crv16]

I don't think that it's costing them that much to put in a nice interior, the consumer is paying a virtually negligible cost for a substantial improvement.

Absolutely.  Style costs nothing.

[TBR]

I don't think that it's costing them that much to put in a nice interior, the consumer is paying a virtually negligible cost for a substantial improvement.

Absolutely.  Style costs nothing.

But good materials do.

[ifcar]

Ifcar is right (how often do I say that? ), it isn't like the new and better interiors cost $500 more or anything, probably $100 at the most.

Not often enough, I can tell you that.  

But I doubt it really costs that much more at all. I remember reading that GM was paying top dollar for the Cavalier's interior assembly, though what they were given to assemble wasn't up to par. Given better materials to put together (which wouldn't cost $100 more per car) it could have come out all right.

[Tom]

Oh, that's good.

Either way, it still looks bad.  Like a spaceship as crv said.

[R33 GT-R]

Your right Tom.

[NomisR]

Right Tom!

[bobwill]

Based on the appearance of the Ridgeline, and the spy pics of the redesign of the Pilot I would naturally conclude that Honda's decided that they're selling too many cars, and need to drive people away from them. :)
It's a like a psychology experiment, how ugly can we make this thing and have people still buy it. :D

[giant_mtb]

Based on the appearance of the Ridgeline, and the spy pics of the redesign of the Pilot I would naturally conclude that Honda's decided that they're selling too many cars, and need to drive people away from them. :)
It's a like a psychology experiment, how ugly can we make this thing and have people still buy it. :D

I never thought of it like that... ^_^

[Raza]

Sure looks like the controls for a spaceship, huh?

It's got that Volvo gearshift.  It seems awkward.  Other than that, it's nice.

[NomisR]

The shifter actually looks like a joystick for a video game.

[Tom]

It looks like the tacho is centered and the speedo is above and reads digitally.  The clock and radio station display is way up there too.  And has an US Civic had leather?  I know the Canadian version (badged as an Acura?) does...

[ifcar]

Many compacts have leather available now, it would be surprising if Honda didn't add it.

[Tom]

Many compacts have leather available now, it would be surprising if Honda didn't add it.

But they have never had it in the past, right?

[R33 GT-R]

your right tom