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SUVs: An Overview
In the past 15 years, SUVs have become the go-to vehicle for American drivers. But even though more and more people are driving SUVs, it’s easy to be confused by just what an SUV is. As SUVs became popular ….
Direct Injection Fouls Some Early Adopters
In their efforts to wring more power and efficiency from the internal combustion engine, automakers are increasingly turning to gasoline direct-injection technology – also known as GDI or DI. Originally developed to produce more ...
How Does a Tiptronic Transmission Work?
Tiptronic transmission systems often feature special settings, such as a performance setting in which the automatic transmission shifts gear at higher RPMs to simulate the feeling of a sports car...
Jaguar Debuts C-X16 Concept Hybrid Sports Car
The Frankfurt Auto Show opened Monday with Jaguar making an impressive pseudo-green splash, debuting a 375-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6 linked to a high-performance electric motor that boosts output by up to 94 hp in short bursts...
2011 Hyundai Tucson : Strong value in a compact SUV
Launched all-new for 2010, the Hyundai Tucson employs the latest technology. A compact crossover SUV, the Tucson is shorter in length but slightly wider than its chief rivals, the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester. The Tucson is available with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
2012 Honda Civic : Summary, Prices, Specs
2012 Honda Civic : Driving Impressions
2012 Honda Civic
Driving Impressions
Driving ImpressionsDrawn from Honda's official national press preview, which consisted of a single afternoon with very little seat time on busy roads devoid of any real challenge, plus a few runs on an autocross course laid out on a football stadium parking lot, our dynamic impressions are necessarily limited.
However, while limited, they're also generally positive, within the context of the normal mission parameters of a small family sedan. The latest Civic delivers creamy ride quality, with exceptionally low interior noise levels.
Braking seems reasonably powerful with the four-wheel-disc system that comes with the EX trim level, and the pedal feel makes for easy modulation.
Handling response can be classified as contemporary, neither sporty nor sluggish, although the electric power steering leaves something to be desired in terms of what it tells the driver about what the front wheels are doing.
On the other hand, while the Civic sedan may lack something in terms of driver involvement, and its fun to drive factor is difficult to detect, it is absolutely and totally predictable, no surprises, no false moves. There's considerable body roll in hard cornering, the tradeoff for excellent ride quality. But the overall level of all-around dynamic competence is hard to fault.
The Civic DX, LX, EX, and EX-L come with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, single overhead cam rated at 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy figures were not official but are expected to be about 28 mpg in the city/39 mpg on the highway. Honda recommends regular unleaded gas.
The Civic HF is equipped with a specially tuned version of the same engine with the same power ratings but with slightly higher fuel economy, expected to be 29/41 mpg city/highway.
The Civic GX runs on natural guess using a specially prepared 1.8-liter SOHC 16-valve four-cylinder rated at 110 hp and 106 lb-ft of torque.
The Civic Hybrid pairs a 1.5-liter SOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine rated at 110 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque with a 23-hp electric motor assist. Fuel economy is expected to be about 44/44 mpg.
The sporty Civic Si features a 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder rated at 201 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is expected to be 22/31 mpg city/highway.
2012 Honda Civic : Walkaround and Interior Features
2012 Honda Civic
Walkaround
Given a budget and a mission, no designer is likely to leave well enough alone, and that's true of the new 2012 Civic lineup.
Interior Features
Though the instrument display has been invigorated with new colored backlighting, it will look familiar to those who have had some experience with the generation eight layout. The bi-plane look continues in the new car, with important info repeated at the top of the dash, allowing the driver to scan with minimum visual redirection.
WalkaroundGiven a budget and a mission, no designer is likely to leave well enough alone, and that's true of the new 2012 Civic lineup.
But this is a more of a challenge than one might think. The eighth-generation Civic has been successful throughout its six-plus years, and its sleek lines still look good.
On the other hand, success notwithstanding, no automotive design lasts indefinitely. So the design leader has to find a way to retain the successful elements and still imbue the product with a sense of newness.
The new cars sport redesigned fascias, updated rear ends, and new character lines, but the basic shape, which lead designer Toshiyuki Okumoto calls a "one motion form," has the same flowing aero look. Although the wheelbase is slightly shorter, body dimensions are essentially identical, and it takes a practiced eye to tell new from old at a glance.
Although the sheetmetal is basically all new, Honda didn't take any chances here. Whether this will be a plus over the long service life of the design remains to be seen.
The distinction between Civic generation eight and nine isn't as dramatic as the change from seven to eight, when the slick aero shape first emerged. Honda has chosen to spread its development budget over refinements and a broader model range.
Quality materials, attractive design, and colorful instrument lighting give the Civic interiors a look that's a notch or two above compact norms. The seats are well shaped, nicely bolstered (by family sedan standards), widely adjustable, with a probability of all-day drive comfort and very good upholstery wear characteristics.
Forward sightlines, always the driver's first line of defense, were good in the previous generation, but even better here. We appreciated the thinner windshield pillars and mini-window set in the angle where the windshield pillar intersects the car's hood. A lot of new cars have thick A-pillars that can obstruct the driver's view of pedestrians and other vehicles, but not here.
The biggest change inside the car, though is the new I-MID, or Intelligent Multi-Informatio n Display. A toggle on the left-hand steering wheel spoke allows the driver to sift through a wide variety of vehicle info, and the optional satellite navigation system includes a voice recognition function.
Other electronic elements include Bluetooth hands-free phone capability and a very good 160-watt audio system.
All of this, of course, is in addition to the more common comfort/convenience features we've come to expect: power everything, including a moonroof; cruise control; a tilt/telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel; a 12-volt outlet; and a 60/40 split-folding rear seatback that expands cargo capacity.
