The 9th Generation All-new Honda Civic has been launched, and already more than 2000 units have been booked. Barely three weeks after the official launch, I had the chance to put Malaysian models to the test on a drive that took us from Petaling Jaya... [+ click to enlarge] The Modulo kit makes the new Civic look awesome! Modulo kit, rear, on the new Civic New Civic hybrid comes with lithium-ion batteries. Civic hybrid on the road

The 9th Generation All-new Honda Civic has been launched, and already more than 2000 units have been booked. Barely three weeks after the official launch, I had the chance to put Malaysian models to the test on a drive that took us from Petaling Jaya to Penang and back. I have tested the Thailand variants of the 1.8 litre and 2.0 litre models, and this time I concentrated more on the Hybrid version, having driven the previous Civic hybrid close to five years ago.
The hybrid Civic now comes with the next generation lithium-ion battery that is lighter and smaller, yet is more powerful than the nickel-metal-hydride battery in the outgoing model. As a comparison, the lithium-ion battery is made of the same material that is in your smart phone battery. Those of you old enough to use the older generation phones will be familiar with the need for replacement batteries every now and then, compared to the current ones where one battery would last the lifetime of the phone. It is good that Honda has started the ball rolling with the introduction of lithium-ion batteries –and it will be a matter of time before other car makers follow suit.
This time, we had a longer distance and highway stretches on which we could ‘stretch’ the legs of the Civic, and in terms of out and out power, the 2.0 litre feels just as good as the outgoing model despite it having a SOHC (Single Overhead Camshaft) configuration versus the DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft) configuration of the outgoing Civic. On paper, the two make the same 155 horsepower, the outgoing engine achieving it at 6,000 RPM, while the new engine does the same at 6,500 rpm. Both make the same 190Nm maximum torque, but the new engine maximises it at 4,300 RPM compared to the 4,500 RPM needed by the outgoing engine to achieve the same. Translated to the road, the average driver will hardly feel any difference – if any, the initial get-up-and-go might be even better as the torque in the SOHC builds up faster.
The 2.0 litre would be the best bet for the driver who wants to have some fun on the road, and likes high speeds, being the most powerful of the three. In terms of handling and stability, the product planning people at Honda, working closely with their counter-parts in Honda Japan have put together a great package; besides the trim level is the highest in the 2.0 litre model, in addition to the optional Modulo kit that makes it look really sporty indeed.
The 1.8 litre model is kitted to make it more affordable, and with 140 horsepower, it is as powerful as some 2.0 litre engines, thanks to the i-VTEC technology. Both the 1.8 litre and 2.0 litre engines are developed on the same base engine, the design highlights being huge reductions in frictional losses resulting in outstanding fuel economy. Driven in isolation, the 1.8 litre model is a powerful car. Those who remember the Satria GTi and the Proton Putra of the 1990’s will recall that they only had 135 horses. However, if you jump from the 1.8 litre Civic into the 2.0 litre model, or vice versa you will feel the difference. However, if you remember that the Civic 1.8 is made for people who are cost conscious in terms of purchase price and overall fuel economy, and if you are the type of person that considers these attributes important, then the 1.8 litre Civic is the car to select.
Trim level in the 1.8 litre is good, but put side by side with the 2.0 litre model, one might feel that it is a little more Spartan – a little bird told me that later on, there may be an upscale 1.8 litre model with 2.0 litre interior and features, priced somewhere in between the two, but we do not have any news when that will happen. It happened with the outgoing model, so it is likely to happen again.
The third variant is of course the Civic hybrid. This one costs quite a bit more than the Jazz hybrid or the Insight, but as mentioned before, the Civic hybrid has the lithium-ion battery, besides which it has a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine. The 1.5 litre engine will provide more power (111PS) and 172Nm of torque. The additional power will be appreciated on long distance, high speed drives, making the Civic hybrid a more versatile vehicle than just a city run-about. For the environmentally conscious user, the Civic hybrid would be the car of choice.
There you have it, a Civic for everyone, almost! The small 5 percent (my estimate) would be the ones who are lamenting the non-availability of the Type R – these are the power-hungry drivers. However, if you trawl the net, you will note there is talk of a 200 horsepower Civic Si on the drawing board – whether it will come here or not will be another matter, but if it does, then there will be a Civic for everybody.