Best-ever Civic aims for youth market
The Fates had decreed it: I would slog through weeks of forgettable vehicles on the run-up to my test of the new Honda Civic.
The sins of that string of machines ranged from the negligible to the negligent, but the rigs all had one thing in common — none of them convinced me it should be mine.
Then came the Civic.
Honda’s entry-level compact romps into its eighth generation this year with a spring in its step and a new purpose in life: It’s set to conquer the 15- to 34-year-old Gen Y cohort. Honda says they will number 81.5 million in the U.S. by the end of the decade.
The new Civic is Part One of a plan that soon will hatch another, smaller Honda to compete in the space occupied by the Scions from Toyota. But for now we have the 2006 Civic, a more interesting, capable and versatile car than the one it replaces.
If you’ve grown accustomed to Honda’s usual glacially slow rate of change, take a second look at that picture. Overnight, Honda has transformed the Civic from a would-be Accord to a car with a character of its own.
Check out that windshield. In sedan versions, it sweeps up from the hood with 23.9 degrees of rake, while coupe windshields are raked at 21.9 degrees. That’s more than any Honda ever built, more even than that uber-sports-car, the Acura NSX.
Honda accompanies that bold stroke with abbreviated front and rear overhangs and fenders that cling to the tires with a 50-millimeter gap — narrower, says Honda, than those on a 5 Series car from BMW.
The long, sloped windshield produces an especially deep dashboard, and designers used that real estate to try something different. They came up with a two-tier dash with upper and lower gauge pods.
The lower pod, which is located just ahead of the steering wheel, contains miscellaneous gauges, warning lights and tachometer. The upper pod is positioned near the base of the windshield and houses a digital speedometer and the gas and engine temperature gauges. Its proximity to the windshield reduces the distance the driver’s eyes must travel to check the car’s speed. In the dark, the gauges glow an unearthly shade of blue, prompting some to dismiss the two-level dash as a “Star Wars” solution. Frankly, though, it’s time for a certain generation to shove over; a new group, with new tastes and expectations, is on its way up.
To satisfy them, the Civic is loaded not just with cool lights, but also with useful technologies. The audio system is PC-savvy, accepting formats like MP3 and WMA, which have been popularized by the new, downloadable media and digital players. Some models have iPod inputs.
Honda equips every Civic with four-channel anti-lock brakes, including brake-force distribution, and a full complement of airbags, including curtain-style bags. The new Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure weaves the front end’s major structural and suspension elements into a web of components that absorbs the energy created by a front-end collision and directs it away from the cockpit. The front seats — already good — have gotten better and more comfortable, and feature active head restraints that reduce whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision.
Honda apparently feels Civic’s new buyers place little value on the luxuries Boomers desire: the Civic is not available with a trip computer, heated seats or even leather seats.
On the other hand, its excellent navigation system is available.
The lineup ranges from a frugal hybrid to a hot little sport coupe and includes a variety of coupes and sedans. It can be had in 148 combinations of models, trim levels and colors, says Honda.
We drove an EX sedan, the top trim on the sedan side of the family. Equipped with an automatic transmission, it carried a base price of $19,610; the only option available is the $1,500 navigation system.
The least expensive ‘06 Civic is the $14,910 DX coupe, with manual transmission. A similar sedan begins at $15,110. Standard equipment includes tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, power windows, drive-by-wire throttle and folding rear seats.
The hybrid’s Integrated Motor Assist program is significantly improved this year, and we hope to test it soon. It produces more power and does so more efficiently. The ($20,540) Si coupe is the family hot-rod and is powered by a free-revving, 197-horsepower, 2-liter I-VTEC four-cylinder engine. It gets a six-speed manual transmission with limited-slip differential.
Most folks will be plenty happy with the 140-hp, 1.8-liter I-VTEC engine found in the broad sweep of DX, LX and EX coupes and sedans that comprise the bulk of the family. It’s a wonderful engine, smooth and silent, and if it lacks urgency it makes up for it in pluck and willingness. It makes enough power for most people in most conditions — and, when equipped with the excellent five-speed automatic, it fetches an attractive 30 city/40 highway EPA rating.
“Power output comparable to a 2.0-liter engine and fuel economy comparable to a 1.5-liter engine,” crows Honda.
There’s more — the Civic is more fun to drive than ever and the ride is comfortable without being numb; it is, simply, a pleasurable car.
Marry that to Honda’s reputation for quality and it’s hard to see how the new Civic could fail; on the other hand, Honda, despite its success with the tuner crowd, has no more lock on the imagination of the youth market than any maker. It’s a group with its own ideas and they’re the ones who will determine the fate of Honda’s best-ever Civic.