Well, this is the 2nd part of our on-going layman's review of the compact executive sedans which we think will be fighting for the attention of a lot of people. The first one was for the new 2009 Mazda3 2.0 Sport. The Mazda3 was a good car and I loved all the features they threw in for the price but the Civic is a different animal.
To be honest, I am always a Honda fan having been introduced to the 1990 Honda Accord CB3 by my father who bought one as a CBU unit. Those days Honda was imported and sold by Kah Motor which basically brought in the lower end models without the extras such as digital aircond, electric drivers' seat and cruise control which the CB3 had. I really enjoyed that car and my subsequent 1990 Honda Prelude. So, I may be a bit biased towards Honda but for good reason.
Honda has always been at the top of design, engineering and power output stakes in Japan when compared to their domestic rivals Toyota and Nissan. I have been following this development for years and Honda always out-powers their rivals when it comes to engine output, until recently that is with the Mitsubishi Lancer (a review is also coming). But now lets talk about the Civic.
I had the opportunity to test drive the Civic 2.0 recently. This was the locally assembled version which comes from Melaka. First, the looks. What can I say, it looks good. when this new design first came out, I was disappointed to be honest. Gone was the fast and furious looks of Civics of the old days. This new look was more mature, older and although still flowing, might have been rather slow or compromised. But the looks grew on me and now I have to say that it looks good from any angle, especially the FD2 Type-R. The look is very balanced.
The latest model from Honda Malaysis was facelifted a while back from the launch version and I must say, I like the facelift look as it has the FD2 Type-R front bumpers which is very nice indeed. The new 17" wheels are also nice with multiple spoke design somewhat resembles the Nissan GT-R's. The model being shown now in showrooms though has an extra Modulo bodykit but be aware, the sticker price does not include that. Not included also is the reverse camera, it was on the test drive car. It does include the Michelin tyres though.
Interior wise, it is simple and well laid out. The centre of attention is the dashboard with the much talked about double layer intsrument cluster. I like digital meters and the speedometer in the Civic is nice. It works too being on a higher level than the rest of the instruments. I was able to look at my current speed without taking my eyes of the road.
One thing I really liked about the Civic interior - and this is from the veiw of the drivers seating position - it is really sporty. The moment I sat down in the drivers seat, I could feel that everything around me was positioned in such a way that it made it feel sporty right away. Just to compare to the Mazda3, the Mazda3 seating position was 'normal'. The Civic was exciting.
The centre console has a built in cup holder that you can fold away to fit bigger items in there, smart. There is only 1 teh-tarik hook though in the car, wished they'd put more. The aircon is a single zone unit and it does its job quite well. The audio system is an integrated unit and includes a 6-disc CD player with AM/FM radio and LCD display that also functions as a digital clock. Audio controls are on the steering wheel. The only thing that sucked was the front door speaker enclosure, it was made of plastic, looked cheap, like something in a Proton.
The steering wheel is of the right size and rim thickness with the shift paddles behind in the familiar right upshift and left downshift. Only problem was they were made of plastic and are quite small. Can't wait to try the Lancer's huge Magnesium paddles. It looks good too, that new design being used on almost all Hondas.
I won't bore you with going on and on about the specs, safety features and all that because you probably know them all by now as you've been to the showroom, had a brochure or went to the website. What I prefer to do is to review the car especially the performance and the feel. This kind of feedback you can only get by driving the car and no glossy brochure or feature listing will do justice to the car as a complete package.
So, lets dispense with the usual gaga and get straight to the point - how does it perform and drive. Well, after my initial drive which was short and around some traffic laden roads in PJ (Sec 16, Jalan Universiti and Sec 13), I was very impressed with the Civic's power, gearbox and handling.
First of, the engine. That 4-cylinder; 16 valves; Chain Driven; 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC engine is sweet as should any Honda engine dating back the last 20 years. It pushes out 155 PS and 188 NM of power. Compared to the Mazda3's 145 PS and you know what I mean. In fact, in my review of the Mazda3, I was making a point about that lack of power, the 11 PS. After driving the Civic, it was clear that the 11PS made a world of a difference. The power delivery was immediate and powerful, it pulled away strongly.
The gearbox also play a part as well as the engine's traction ability. I must say that I was a bit disappointed by the lack of throttle response from the Vtec engine, maybe I was used to the dual carb engine of my Prelude being so free revving. But I do remember the older EG Civics SiR-II having free-revving VTEC engines too. Anyway, this Civic will start pulling strongly once you hit about 3000rpm where it really gets interesting. The power is infectious. I love it.
Compared to the Mazda3, the Civic moves with a purpose. It's engine delivers the power in a confident manner, the traction is very good, the gearbox is spaced nicely and the suspension is good. Although good for comfort and sedate driving. Probably a more sportily tuned suspension would help in the turns. The steering feedback was spot on, it was sharp and the car goes where you point it.
Overall, the Civic is a more exciting, powerful and rewarding car to drive compared to the Mazda3. I would now say that if you are a family man who needs a comfortable and daring looking car to drive around and your life is not about a heavy right foot, then the Mazda3 is for you. But if you are a boy racer at heart and have the need for speed and cornering once in a while, then please choose the Civic. For now. That is until I get a test drive in the Mitsubishi Lancer GT which sports a 2.0L Mivec engine pumping out 155 PS of power and 199 NM of torque. Sounds good..on paper, lets drive it first, eh?
