Road TestCar reviews - Honda - Civic - VTi sedanHonda modelsOverviewHonda's Civic has a proud heritage, but can it still cut it against the new breed?27 May 2010 FOUR and a half years in and the eighth-generation Civic sedan – once a strong small-car proposition – has some formidable and much younger rivals to contend with. And the competition will only strengthen as this model ages over its remaining 18 months, so Honda has added more safety to keep the old nameplate relevant. But in an age of direct injection turbo Volkswagen Golfs is it enough? Model release date: 1 July 2009 to 1 May 2012 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelHonda scored a smash hit with the Mk8 Civic range, despite the lack of an affordable hatch (both the three-door Type R and five-door Si topped $40,000). Keen pricing that started under $21,000 for the entry-level VTi helped pull in punters, as did a slickly styled exterior and extrovert cabin presentation. Three four-cylinder engines were offered – the 103kW/174Nm 1.8-litre SOHC in the VTi and VTi-L, a 114kW/188Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam for the Sport and a 85kW/170Nm 1.3-litre petrol-electric Hybrid. The regular petrol cars offered either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox, while the Hybrid employed a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Only the lack of stability control jarred. Slick, smooth and spacious, the Civic sedan helped buoy Honda’s sales in the latter half of the Noughties. |
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