The Honda Civic in days of yore was a bit of a joke. Literally. In Quentin Tarantino’s cult movie Pulp Fiction, Bruce Willis’s wise-cracking prizefighter Butch Coolidge drives a 1980 model. It was such a uncool car being driven by an action hero who usually zoomed around in Porches that made the scenario so funny. Tarantino then went on to make the heroine of his movie Jackie Brown also drive the same white Civic (which had been sitting in the prop department lot somewhere in LA), and one also crops up in Kill Bill too. It is no surprise then that Tarantino himself used to drive a silver Honda Civic before he hit the big time. The car has actually been around since the early 70s: the first generation civic was sold in 1973. Along the way it has changed size and grown from being a supermini into a small family car. Anyway, back to the present day Civic, which could no longer be used for comic effect.
There are four Civic trims, the SE, ES, EX and the EX GT.
There are also three engines available: the 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre petrol, and a 2.2-litre diesel engine. By most accounts the 1.8 petrol engine is the best as the 1.4 doesn’t quite have the necessary kick, and the diesel engine is powerful, but rather expensive at £26,850. For those who can wait, there will be a 1.6 diesel engine version coming out later this year (2012). This will be a good investment as it will be exempt from vehicle tax (and London Congestion Charge) because it will emit less than 100g/km of CO2.
The ninth generation of Civic came out in 2011 and has benefited from Honda withdrawing from Formula 1 in 2008. This allowed the team working on road cars to borrow some of the R&D skills and facilities from the F1 team. One of the main outcomes of this has been that the car has slightly changed it’s shape due to the skills of the Honda aerodynamicists and their wind tunnel magic. This has reduced the aerodynamic lift and improved stability. Thankfully they’ve managed to do this without increasing drag. The suspension is now liquid filled rather than solid rubber. This all means the car handles both the ease of motorways and complexities of corners well. There are those however who draw attention to the car’s steering which can feel too light.
Anyone buying a Honda knows that they will be getting a reliable vehicle and this one should prove to be no exception. The security measures are strong: there are six airbags and energy absorbing front mounts. The standard model is already fitted with climate control, a USB socket and even alloy wheels. All models have a gigantic boot and plenty of leg space for the tall people amongst us. Of course the car has the standard Honda three-year / 90,000-mile warranty, and if you want you can splash out to get a six-year unlimited mileage warranty. Somehow it seems unlikely that this Civic will be featuring in any Quentin Tarantino movies. It’s not quite sporty enough to make it into a chase sequence, but is so much better than the early 80s version that it will never have the ironic value that that model had. A nice enough motorway cruiser, but could be a bit cheaper.
Source: Honda Civic – Overpriced and Underpowered?
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