It’s an unenviable place, being on the high of your recreation. Positive, it’s good to reap the plaudits and successes, however the strain to carry out is immense, and your standing as head of the sector is something however assured. Plus, there will probably be no scarcity of pretenders chomping on the bit to dethrone you. Simply ask Lewis Hamilton.
Honda finds itself in an identical state of affairs with its Civic. Having woefully dropped the ball with the milquetoast ninth-generation FB, it left no stone unturned with the swoopy FC, which revitalised the flagging C-segment sedan market and turned a whole swathe of the shopping for public into diehard followers. The automobile itself was removed from excellent, however it struck a chord with these searching for a sporty four-door, as its constantly sturdy gross sales present.
However having seen off a powerful problem from Korean rivals within the 2010s (the Mazda 3 and the much-improved Toyota Corolla stays a thorn in its facet), the Civic now faces an assault from an surprising nook – the inexpensive SUV. Proton has taken a major chunk of the market with the favored X50 and X70, which is squeezing the automobile into a decent spot. Couple that with the regular erosion of Honda’s range-wide pricing benefit and Civic runs the chance of changing into an also-ran.
The one approach out of the state of affairs is by giving patrons extra automobile for his or her cash, which is why the brand new Eleventh-generation FE guarantees a extra premium feel and look, a punchier engine and sharper dynamics. However will the most recent Civic be ok to please the Sort-R-badge-from-Shopee brigade already up in arms over the extra mature styling? Honda Malaysia gave us a preview drive in Sepang to seek out out.
We must always level out at this juncture that we have been solely allowed 4 brief laps round Sepang’s South Circuit, so we didn’t get an opportunity to check the brand new Civic out on the street. This was successfully a taster that gave us a really feel of what the automobile was like on the restrict, if to not reside with. Honda Malaysia didn’t present pricing, however it has simply opened the order books forward of a scheduled launch within the first quarter of 2022.
Solely the range-topping RS was proven throughout the occasion, though a leaked memo steered {that a} cheaper E variant will even be provided. It stays to be seen if the extra premium positioning will result in a pointy improve in worth – we’ll solely know for certain after the launch.
This positioning will a minimum of be mirrored within the Civic’s extra grown-up exterior, though that comes on the expense of those that liked the FC’s extroverted styling. Gone are the full-width “Stable Wing Face” entrance bar, flared fenders and “ketam” C-shaped taillights, changed by straighter physique strains, Audi-style trapezoidal LED taillights and a polarising jutting “brow”.
Nonetheless, the FE does look aggressive up entrance with its slim and broad headlights and a big centre air consumption, whereas the returning C-pillar kink breaks up the monotony of the facet profile. The impact is a mini-Accord of types that in all probability received’t lend itself fairly as effectively to the myriad of lights, bodykits and spoilers favoured by the FC devoted, however I’m certain the aftermarket will discover a approach.
Including some sportiness again to the combination are the RS-specific touches that embody LED headlights with darkened internals, matte black facet window trim, seen twin tailpipes and gloss black highlights on the wing mirrors, door handles and distinctive rear spoiler.
There are additionally a smattering of RS badges, and whereas the Thai- and Indonesian-spec fashions should make do with modest 17-inch alloy wheels, we get the identical 18s discovered on the US and Japanese automobiles, coming with a good-looking Y-spoke design and a matte black end.
Towards the measuring tape, the brand new Civic is 4,678 mm lengthy, 1,802 mm huge and 1,415 mm tall, making it 30 mm longer, three millimetres wider and one millimetre decrease than earlier than; its 2,733 mm wheelbase can also be 33 mm longer. Honda says that the latter gives extra legroom, particularly for rear occupants.
We aren’t in a position to present you the inside of the automobile, however we do know that the Civic will include a extra upscale inside than the outgoing mannequin. Worldwide photographs present a clear horizontal dashboard, a freestanding infotainment touchscreen and full-width air vents with a honeycomb metallic mesh cowl. The corporate guarantees improved materials and switchgear high quality in live performance with the extra upmarket look, in addition to elevated visibility because of the A-pillars being pushed 50 mm rearward.
When it comes to security, the RS comes with the Honda Sensing suite of driver help options, which embody autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise management with cease and go, lane centring help, lane holding help and automated excessive beam. New for the FE is a Lead Automobile Departure Notification System, which alerts the driving force if the automobile in entrance is shifting off from a cease. It stays to be seen if the whole package deal will probably be provided as normal, as is the case in Thailand. Honda’s LaneWatch blind spot digital camera can also be fitted to the RS.
Powering the RS is a 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo four-cylinder engine, now with precise VTEC (variable valve raise). In contrast to in Thailand, we get the total outputs provided in America and Japan, rated at 182 PS at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,700 to 4,500 rpm (up 8 PS and 20 Nm). All that is despatched to the entrance wheels by way of the same old CVT. The aforementioned memo said that, as per Thailand, the bottom 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated mill will probably be dropped for the FE – once more we should wait and see if that is really true.
At Sepang, Honda Malaysia wheeled out each an FC Civic 1.5 TC-P in addition to a Corolla 1.8G for us to make a back-to-back comparability with the FE. Accelerating arduous out of the gate, the very first thing that struck me was simply how refined the brand new automobile was in comparison with the outgoing mannequin. Sure, with the CVT, the engine was nonetheless screaming on the redline, however it was quieter and had a a lot smoother sound in comparison with the earlier mill, which was actually relatively raucous on the throttle.
Regardless of the additional energy and torque, the FE didn’t really feel noticeably extra muscular than the FC. As earlier than, the engine lacked the distinct shove behind a boosted European mill, as a substitute constructing velocity in a linear vogue – nearly as if it was a a lot greater naturally-aspirated engine. Each the FE and FC had the measure of the Corolla in straight-line efficiency, regardless of the latter’s bigger cubic capability.
The revised CVT made extra of a distinction to the best way the brand new Civic drove. It responded marginally faster to throttle inputs, however the greatest enchancment was the simulated gear modifications utilizing the paddle shifters. As a substitute of excessively slurring its “shifts”, the transmission moved up and down the digital ratios in a a lot snappier and extra pure method, performing like a contemporary automated or perhaps a dual-clutch transmission.
The dreaded CVT whine was nonetheless there, after all, however it was rather more muted in comparison with the (admittedly drained) FC instance, the transmission of which protested audibly at increased revs. The large speeds that we have been carrying on the straights (in extra of 150 km/h) meant that assessing street and wind noise was troublesome, however for what it’s value, the FE didn’t really feel any noisier than the FC, which was already one of many extra refined automobiles in its class – should you excluded the engine and CVT, after all.
Honda promised some enhancements underneath the pores and skin, together with a stiffer physique construction, elevated sound insulation and a retuned chassis aimed toward delivering a greater journey and dealing with steadiness. The brand new Civic additionally comes with a brand new Sport mode, activated by a centre console toggle swap, which sharpens the throttle and CVT response and provides extra weight to the steering for a extra partaking driving expertise.
Regardless of being a family-friendly street automobile, the brand new Civic acquitted itself on the observe, taking over high-speed corners with aplomb. The steering was direct and properly weighted, and I might merely goal the automobile on the apex and belief it to get there. And it held its line as soon as it did, because of the wonderful physique management and the unimaginable grip coming from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, the automobile hardly understeering even when pushed.
Approaching the braking zone for the tight Flip 9 hairpin, the Civic tracked straight and true and generated a powerful brake pedal really feel, giving me the boldness to assault the nook. It then stored its poise by way of the uphill flip and was in a position to carry good velocity by way of the Flip 12 and 13 esses with out feeling nervous – the mark of a very good chassis. The Civic was additionally nimble and composed by way of a slalom arrange on the again straight.
After all, it’s arduous to evaluate the total breadth of the Civic’s skills on the race observe, and we’ll have to order judgement of the automobile till we are able to conduct a correct check drive. Nevertheless, the truth that it may stand up to some circuit abuse bodes effectively to its capabilities out on the open street. It’s early doorways, however it seems the brand new Honda Civic might effectively be a formidable sufficient opponent to maintain its crown.
