Test Drive – Honda Civic 1.8S


[Automobile]
Last month I attended Mixx Club’s 1st Anniversary Party in Malacca (https://timchew.net/2013/01/25/mixx-club-malaccas-1st-anniversary-party/) and I thought it would be a good opportunity to test drive the new 9th generation Honda Civic.
The Civic family has been one of the most popular non-national C segment cars in Malaysia and the 9th generation Civic aims to continue that tradition. The Civic has racked up sales of more than 19.7 million units worldwide since the launch of the 1st Generation in 1972.

Being tested this trip is the ninth generation Honda Civic (2012 – current)
I decided to do things a little differently as opposed to my previous car reviews. Can you spot the difference?
New (9th generation) Civic (left) versus old (8th generation) Civic (right)
At first glance you’ll notice that the Civic is really streamlined with it’s swept back headlamps and flowing lines that continue all the way to the back
The 1.8S has halogen headlights while the aggresive front bumper houses the foglights. The grill has been redesigned too and is more angular.
It actually looks lower than it is. Don’t worry as there is adequate ground clearance to handle all the nasty high speed bumps in Malaysia.
At first glance you might mistake the Civic for a continental car. What does it remind you of?
Sporty tail lights and upswept bumper

205 / 55 R16 (16″ alloy rims)
The compact looking engine bay

Powerplant & Transmission
The 4 cylinders SOHC i-VTEC engine was mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission to deliver adequate power with good fuel economy.
Max Power: 141PS @ 6,500rpm
Max Torque: 174Nm @ 4,300rpm
I drove all the way to Malacca trying to be as fuel-efficient as possible with the ECON mode on most of the time and I only used up 3 bars (about a quarter tank) on the petrol meter. On the way back I decided to try with the ECON mode off and used up 4 bars on the petrol meter driving a bit more aggresively.

How does the above benefit the average consumer?
Reduced fuel consumption that Honda is getting famous for! I went to Malacca and back to Kuala Lumpur with 2 passengers on just half a tank of petrol! FYI the fuel tank holds 50 litres of fuel.
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Suspension & Handling
Front – MacPherson Strut
Rear – Multi Link
I felt that the suspension was tuned more for comfort which was fine with me as I rarely drive aggresively around corners anyway. However it did hold up pretty well along Tropicana Golf & Country Resort’s uneven roads that had some pretty sharp bends.
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Safety
The safety standard in the Civic has been enhanced. The Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is integrated with the Motion Adaptive EPS (Electric Power Steering) system to give drivers more control during oversteer and understeer conditions.

5-Star EURO NCAP
The Civic has obtained a 5-star EURO NCAP safety rating while the refined Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure provides improved crash compatibility between vehicles of different size and ride height.

Increased rigidity
As with most newer Honda models, high-tensile steel has been applied to more areas of the body to improve structural rigidity thereby increasing passenger accident survivability odds.

Improved G-Force Control Technology
The G-Force Control effectively absorbs and disperses collision impact through crumple zones giving passengers a higher chance to avoid a harsh impact during an accident.

ABS with EBD
ABS (Anti-Lock braking system) with EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution) work together to help you keep control of the vehicle to get out of hairy situations.

Dual front SRS airbags and seat belt pretensioners
Always good to have them around.
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Now to the interior.

I personally think that the Civic 1.8S would be great for the female manager or professional as it’s really really easy to drive and not too big as to cause problems during parking.
There’s also lots of room for the passenger in the from as Ashley discovered
Adequate room at the back, Do remember that this is a C segment car.
Kate enjoyed the ride and was so comfortable she was sleeping most of the time we were on the road.
Love the edgy and futuristic dashboard
The controls on the left side of the steering wheel controls the audio and also the i-MID Intelligent- Multi Information Display
On the upper left side of the upper deck is the i-MID Intelligent- Multi Information Display which provides information such as drive information, audio information and vehicle warning messages to the driver, and it’s controlled from the steering wheel.
In ECON mode, the Civic’s engine and other energy-consuming systems are automatically configured to operate more efficiently.
Radio and aircon controls which are easy to operate
Power outlet and auxiliary port to plug in your MP3 player. Alternatively there is also a USB port in the centre console to connect your MP3 player or phone.
Roomy enough for luggage
This time I added in a box that was used to hold 10 reams of A4 paper to make it’s a little easier for you to visualise the space.

The Civic is available in Alabaster Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic and Taffeta White. For the Hybrid variant, it is available in Frosty White Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic and Taffeta White.
I feel that the 9th generation Civic is a graceful evolution from it’s predecessor with increased fuel efficiency while maintaining Honda’s build quality and can be yours for RM115,980 OTR with insurance.
For more in depth specs on the ninth generation Honda Civic 1.8S head over to http://www.honda.com.my
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MHB’s Stephanie Lim enjoying the ride