Honda Civic sedan and coupe bump up in size with new designs
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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CORONADO, Calif. -- On a run from Coronado at the beach near San Diego to reach twisty Otay Lakes Road in the Jamul Mountains, we played a numbers game with California freeways -- south on the 5, east on the 905, north on the 805 -- all the while checking off different kinds of numbers that register as our first impressions while steering a new rendition of Honda's mainstay small car, the Civic.
Both a two-door coupe and four-door notchback sedan constitute the new treatment for Civic, which marks the seventh generation. In the course of a long day, we drove many variations on freeways and narrow back roads wrapped around San Diego Country and found in that process that the group exhibited nimble road manners and, in certain versions, gutsy fun-to-drive traits.
Exterior dimensions for these new Civics decrease slightly, although passenger compartments expand in volume to create more spacious cabins fixed with new seats, more comfortable and convenient features, as well as new safety systems such as dual-stage frontal air bags and optional side-impact air bags. Also, four-cylinder engines for the series increase in displacement and fuel efficiency, while earning ULEV (ultra low emission vehicle) certification in every state of the union.
The expanded passenger compartment, which increases in volume from 101.7 to 104.3 cubic feet, elevates Civic from subcompact to compact status.
That size thing is a significant departure for the series, and a remote concept from the original version, Honda's first Civic in America, the CVCC hatchback of 1973 that topped the EPA thrifty fuel-economy list. Subsequent designs in 1980 and 1984 expanded the pint-size CVCC concept, and by 1998, when some production shifted to the United States, the Civic was gaining sophistication.
For the previous issues, traced to sixth generation revisions of 1996, all Civics were made in North America, with a hatchback built in Canada, and sedans and coupes coming together at Honda's engine and assembly plants in Ohio.
Since 1996, Civic has set the pace among subcompacts because of the quality of its construction, the efficiency of its engines, rather nice driving characteristics and comfortable passenger compartments, plus impressive standard features. In all, Honda has produced more than 300,000 Civics each year, so many that the name shows up in the top five vehicles on America's best-seller chart.
In the face of such success, Honda's designers and engineers spent the past several years creating new versions of Civic under a program called "Q10," which in Honda-speak translates to "Improving Quality Ten Times."
Underlying concepts behind all new Civics amount to maximizing room for people and minimizing space for mechanical equipment, developing larger but more efficient powertrains, boosting safety and comfort gear, then enhancing production processes by building cars with refined components and body panels that mesh together precisely.
All new Civics use a four-cylinder aluminum engine that increases in displacement from 1.6 to 1.7 liters and still gets a ULEV score. Three different iterations apply, with the fuel-economy miser Civic HX coupe packing a lean-burn plant that achieves 117 hp, a base DX and more comfy LX coupe and sedan stocking the standard engine at 115 hp but deluxe EX coupe and sedan goosed to 127 hp.
Either a tight five-speed manual transmission or an electronically-controlled four-speed automatic goes into all coupe and sedan editions, save for the HX that uses Honda's remarkable continuously variable transmission (CVT) which approaches a manual shifter's fuel economy but delivers virtually undetectable shift transitions.
Sedan and coupe designs measure the same for wheelbase and share key components, although exterior designs differ because the coupe is slightly wider and lower and its windshield tips farther back for slicker streamlining.
The two also share a structure, yet the coupe contains specific steel reinforcements to counter the lack of side roof pillars. Both show a wedge-like profile with high back and a crimped nose cast low. To work out that steep slant for the hood, Civic's steering gearbox below the hood was reset in a high center spot on the firewall, a short front strut suspension was added, and the engine had to be pared in physical dimensions. These internal changes led to the most obvious styling variance over the former Civic, as the new car's hood dips lower by 2.6 inches.
Condensing the engine compartment led to an expansion of the passenger cabin.
A larger cabin was created by raising the roof, moving windshield pillars forward and devising a flat floor. This extra space mainly goes into the rear seat area, where legroom stretches by almost two inches in the sedan or more than half an inch in the coupe, and room for shoulders and hips increases fractionally. Further, the flat floor carves out more room for feet.
Civic carries twin buckets in front and a bench in back. All seats were rebuilt with more support and stronger bolsters, and cushions were mounted higher so you can slip more easily into a sitting position.
A clean and efficient layout for the cockpit provides a revised instrument panel set below a rounded bonnet. Circular analog instruments in white-on-black fields include a large speedometer and tachometer in central spots with a smaller gauge on each side depicting fuel level and coolant temperature. For the coupe, these dials have highlight rings of silver and amber illumination.
Front seatbacks in the coupe measure wider and deeper than in the sedan, and headrests are hollow at the center. Seatbelts attach to a side bar that moves out of the way of a passenger crawling into the rear. Also, the front bucket slides forward when you tip the seatback forward to create a broad portal for entry to the rear seat, and it returns to its original post when you pull the seatback upright again.
New devices for safety range from front seatbelt pretensioners for lap and shoulder to two-stage frontal air bags, three-point safety belts for all seat positions, anchor brackets by the rear seat to secure a child's safety seat, and an emergency lock release in the trunk. The side-impact air bags and anti-lock brakes are options.
Civic's stiff new structural system supports a new suspension with MacPherson struts mounted in front and a double wishbone design for the back.
The ride quality feels smooth and comfortable, and even rumpled pavement -- such as Honey Springs Road that bumps through Bratton Valley near Barber Mountain east of San Diego -- failed to upset the Civics we tested.
We also noted the quality of quietness in these designs. A stronger structure, in conjunction with new engine mounts plus special noise and vibration-damping insulation stuffed into Civic's body cavities, work together to tone down sound and vibration, while wind noise has been negated by streamlining Civic's shell. Net effect: At speed, riders may converse in regular voices without noise distractions.
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| 2001 HONDA CIVIC VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact four-door sedan, Compact two-door coupe
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| Model Options: |
Compact four-door sedan, Compact two-door coupe
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| Wheelbase: |
Sedan: 103.1 inches
Coupe: 103.1 inches
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| Overall Length: |
Sedan: 174.6 inches
Coupe: 174.7 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 1.7-liter I4
SOHC 1.7-liter I4 VTEC-E
HX: SOHC 1.7-liter I4 LB VTEC-E
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4
HX: Continuously Variable (CVT)
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + opt. 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
DX M/5: 32/39 mpg
HX M/5: 36/44 mpg
HX CVT: 35/40 mpg
EX A/5: 31/38 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 12,760 to $ 19,000 |
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