Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Full of appeal for Civic-minded
HONDA’S cars and bikes are known for two things: their build quality and their revvy engines.
Back in the 1960s, their tiny-engined Grand Prix bikes used to hit 20 000rpm without much sweat and the V-Tec engines in Honda’s cars will, likewise, still hold together as the needle goes into the red paint at 7 000-plus. (The S2000 sports car motor would go to 9 000rpm before the electronics cut the fuel.)
Even in Honda’s mundane passenger cars, like the Ballade and the Civic, the red line was always higher than those in their opposition’s power plants.
This was a thrill to boy racers – who loved the V-Tec and often fitted free-flow exhausts to enhance the sound – but could be a huge pain in day-to-day driving.
I know this from experience, because we once owned a Ballade 150i Luxline. When I was younger, I would have been impressed by the high, 6 800rpm redline, assuming (incorrectly, I have learnt) that more revs always equals more power.
The real value of an engine is in how much torque it makes... and how accessible that torque is.
On the Honda, there was not a lot in the way of torque and where it peaked was way up in the rev range – at about 4 400rpm. That meant that, if you wanted to go quickly, you had the thrash the car. That’s one of the inherent drawbacks of a small-capacity, naturally aspirated petrol engine.
The solution, as the bulk of car makers have discovered, is to put a turbocharger on to the engine to force in more air and, therefore, create more power. With modern turbos, you can get the power of a 2.5-litre out of a 1.5l. Not only that, but under low load and careful throttle, the smaller engine will be as economical as a naturally aspirated one.
Up to now, Honda has not put turbos on its mainstream cars (other than diesels, but they are a different, more complex and expensive, kettle of mechanical fish).
So, I was looking forward to the new Civic sedan, with a 1.5 turbo petrol motor, putting out a quoted 127kW.
I expected to be pleased with the effortless performance of the car – and I was. Despite having a constant velocity transmission (CVT), the Honda gets up and goes with alacrity, if there is a slight hesitation while turbo lag and the CVT get together to chat about what to do. The CVT is one of the modern ones which act more or less like a conventional auto and give better fuel consumption.
Honda claims the 127kW is “exceptional”. No, Ford’s 1.5-turbo petrol used in the Focus and the Kuga puts out 132kW.
Still, the new Honda motor has much more grunt and torque in the mid-range than the old one, so overtaking is not the nail-biting affair it was. However, I think Honda’s claim of a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.2 secs is a bit optimistic, especially at altitude – but it is no worse than its rivals.
What makes this Honda stand out is its design. My sister, who seldom says anything about cars, called it beautiful. And I have to agree: its combination of curves and angles manages to combine sport with elegance.
It is bigger than its predecessor but, oddly, the boot space was not as impressive as I expected looking at the car from the outside. Nor was rear legroom, which was only average.
The Civic is equipped with all the latest gizmos and is, judging from an hour’s trip out into the country, the perfect long-distance companion. The air-con is good, sound system excellent and driving position cannot be faulted.
Like all other Hondas, it steers better than many of its rivals.
Fuel economy on the open road is excellent and with careful driving, at the national speed limit, it will reward you with 6 litres per 100km or even less.
On the negative side, there is a rather large elephant in the room: the price.
The Sport version costs R427 000 and the Executive will set you back R457 000.
In that price range, you can almost get a Golf GTI or an Audi A3 1.8 with 132 kW.
Still, the Honda is a looker… and you know you’ll still be driving it in 10 years. It’s also something different and that, in itself, may be enough to justify the money.