The Honda Civic and I go way back. Both of us arrived on the scene in 1973, although it's probable the Honda generated more public interest because 747 Civics found Canadian buyers that year. Just one Brian found a home in '73. By 1975, Honda had moved more than 26,000 Civics. I had moved to Singapore with my family in 1974, and while back in Canada visiting my grandparents in the summer of '75, I astonished my grandfather by pointing out and correctly naming a parked Civic – an event of such magnitude that my mother felt it worthy of recording in my baby book. Thanks, Mom. We moved back to Canada for good in mid-1982. Unexpectedly, Honda celebrated our return by releasing the sporty '83 Civic S. Fast forward to my teenage years; several of my friends owned second-generation ('80-83) Civics in various states of mechanical health, all sharing one constant: a tolerance of neglect and abuse that had to be experienced to be believed. While I have been in, around, and under the hood of every generation of Civic at some time, I had not, to this point, had the opportunity to spend any meaningful one-on-one time with one. So I chose the most popular model, a mid-level LX automatic sedan. Base price starts at under $17,000. This latest Civic is quite a departure from its very conservative predecessor. The styling screams "the future is now!" from its aggressive shovel nose and glaring headlights to its split-level instrument panel and the metallic silver fabric trim on its seats. I, on the other hand, am pretty much the same Brian that I was two years ago, only perhaps slightly rounder. My only metallic silver trim is streaking my hair. Further, I've made no noticeable performance gains, only weight gains. Score one for the Honda. The current Civic was redesigned last year and saw improvements under the hood, where a new 1.8-litre R-series four-cylinder replaces the prior 1.7-litre D-series, bumping horsepower appreciably to 140 (from 117). Torque climbs, too, now offering 128 lb.-ft. Automatic Civics benefit from the segment's only five-speed automatic, while its top gear allows for relatively relaxed sub-2500 r.p.m. cruising at 120 km/h. Even at that speed the engine is barely audible; crank the wick up, though, and it gets a little thrashy as it climbs through the upper portion of its rev range. The five-speed works quite well, providing smooth upshifts, deliberate downshifts under moderate to hard braking, and Honda's "grade logic" shift strategy to prevent cycling in and out of a higher gear on inclines (which actually does work). Pity the shifter still defaults to D3 from neutral. It's time to lose your '80s throwback, Honda. There's little else that's retro about the futuristic interior. Even the handbrake's handle is unique – only the grip portion takes up console space. The rest doglegs down out of sight below, allowing extra room for cubby bins. The odd-looking split cluster makes the combination of a compact, chunky steering wheel and large, legible gauges (an analogue tach and digital fuel, speed and temperature readouts) possible without resorting to a centre-of-dash instrument cluster. If you can live with the look, it does prove quite functional. As you'd expect in this class, rear- seat room is adequate but not generous. I could sit comfortably behind my 5-foot-11 self, though my head brushed the roof if I sat back. The seatback also folds to expand the Civic's trunk (it's split on EX models). Equipped with 16-inch Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, my tester exhibited excellent grip and disciplined handling, albeit at the expense of some ride quality (a trade-off I'll happily make). Not much information makes it back through the steering wheel, however. Conversely, there's not a whole lot of torque steer. Win some, lose some. Overall, it's a positive driving experience. Much like myself, the Civic has grown over the years. The sub-compact Fit has taken over the Civic's entry-level position, leaving it to duke it out with the likes of Chevy's Cobalt, Hyundai's Elantra, the Mazda3 and a long-time adversary, the Toyota Corolla. Despite that competition, and even with the radical-for-the-segment redesign it underwent last year, the Civic remains Canada's best-selling car – a title it has held for the past nine years. With at least some Civics being produced in Alliston, Ont., since 1988 – Alliston is currently the global source for Civic coupes, in addition to producing sedans – the Civic is definitely a Canadian success story. As for me, well, I'm still working on it. |