Paul Tan's Automotive News» 2006 Honda Civic at Paul Tan’s Automotive News

Civic Type R and Civic Hybrid tomorrow?

Paul Tan — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:25:08 +0000

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd has put up teaser newspaper ads (see scans above) advertising the Honda Civic Type R and the Honda Civic Hybrid today, and the teaser ads state an August 2nd 2007 launching date – that’s tomorrow!

Many have interpreted the Honda Civic Concept Mugen as a teaser to the official introduction of the new Civic Type R sedan here in Malaysia, and it looks like our suspicions have come true! Another manufacturer-backed higher performance model here in Malaysia.

We will probably be able to get more information on the car tomorrow, but for the moment if you want a recap on what the Civic Type R is all about, read the following links:

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Malaysia updates the Honda Civic 2.0S

Paul Tan — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:30:59 +0000

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd has updated the 2.0S version of it’s 8th generation 2006 Honda Civic, a move that I see as an effort to further differentiate the 1.8S and 2.0S models. I’ve heard that many people are dissatisfied that the two versions look similiar externally, even sharing the same sporty chrome dual exhaust tips.

The only difference is the 1.8S is missing the red 2.0 liter badge at the rear, and the 2.0S has a different alloy wheel design, however the size and tyres are the same – 16 inch sized wheels wrapped with Eagle NCT5 tyres.

With this update, the Honda Civic 2.0S now has 17 inch alloy wheels and come with performance tyres – Michelin Pilot Preceda. The new enhanced Civic goes for RM128,800. There is also a new exclusive 2.0S color option – Sparkle Gray Pearl.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Civic Concept Mugen 2.0 Limited Edition

Paul Tan — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:01:02 +0000

Honda Malaysia has announced the availability of a limited edition Honda Civic Concept Mugen, a 90 unit run of the Honda Civic 2.0S equipped with a MUGEN bodykit which consists of a front and rear lip, side skirts and a rear wing, and MUGEN GP 17 inch wheels which comes in either gunmetal or bronze. On the interior, the serial number of the car will be displayed on a plague on the dashboard for bragging rights

Out of the 90 units, 50 will come with bronze wheels while the remaining 40 will have the gunmetal version. Done up in a nice Neutron Blue color, the Honda Civic Concept Mugen was developed to commemorate Honda’s 4 consecutive years of outstanding performance in the MME Class A race, as well as a recently achieved milestone of 100,000 registered cars on the road. Of course, the Honda Civic 2.0S also won the Autocar Asean Overall Car of the Year 2006 and the Midsize sedan/hatch 2006 category.

The Honda Civic Concept Mugen will be available in Honda dealers from 22nd November 2006 onwards, and will retail at RM141,800.00 inclusive of road tax and insurance. More photos after the jump. (Updated!)

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

JAS Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R

Paul Tan — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:17:37 +0000

Together with the road-going version of the Honda Civic Type R, Honda is also launching a special track use only version of the Civic Type R, developed together with Italy’s JAS Motorsport. The JAS Motorsport Honda Civic Type R complies with the FIA’s GrN, GrA and GrR specifications and is expected to be available from Spring 2007.

This special track Honda Civic Type R’s K20 powerplant produces over 200 horsepower updated with re-profiled camshafts as well as strengthened components like a reinforced driveshaft, and an advanced LSD with adjustable preload forces. Other components like suspension, springs, brakes and shocks have been replaced with race-grade components. The gearbox has gone from a 6-speed manual to a 6-speed sequential manual. Interior upgrades include a rollcage, a carbon fiber dash, door panels and floor panels.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2007 Honda Civic Type R Sedan Concept

Paul Tan — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 20:28:04 +0000

The Honda Civic Type R will not be restricted to just the European market – we will be seeing a 4-door sedan version of the Type R this time! Honda has announced a prototype Honda Civic Type R based on the 4-door sedan model that will be used as the official car (red flag car) for the Japanese Formula 1 grand prix.

The prototype is expected to finish development and be released in Spring 2007, in the Japanese market. The Honda Civic Type R sedan will have a specially tuned sport suspension and will feature the legendary K20 i-VTEC high-revving engine, over 220PS.

Honda seems to have noticed a demand for cars that are somewhat practical (4 doors!) and can also go at a comfortable pace, this began with the introduction of the American market Honda Civic Si Sedan Concept at the Chicago Motor Show.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2007 Honda Civic Type R announced!

Paul Tan — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:38:16 +0000

Honda has announced the next generation 2007 Honda Civic Type R, which will go on sale in the European market in March 2007. It will be built in Swindon and will come in standard and GT trims, where the latter will feature more creature comfort equipment such as dual zone air conditioning, fog lights, and automatic rain and light sensors as well additional safety equipment in the form of curtain SRS airbags.

The high revving K20 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC engine incorporates both variable valve timing and variable valve lift. The switchover point to the high-lift long duration cams is now lower at 5,200rpm, and if the orgasmic change in engine note is not enough, there is now an i-VTEC indicator on the dashboard meter panel (now illuminated in red instead of blue) which lights up when the high cams in use. Peak power is now 201PS at 8,000rpm instead of the previous 200PS at 7,400rpm.

Compared to the previous Type R, the car is slightly heavier in terms of kerb weight but this is offset by shorter gear ratios. This allows the new Type R to match the previous generation’s 6.6 second 0-100km/h acceleration time and 235km/h top speed.

Suspension is based on the 3-door Civic Type S, but refined for sharper chassis dynamics. Tyres are 225/40/ZR18 which wrap 7-spoke 18 inch wheels, and rear track is 20mm wider than the 5-door model, another similiarity with the Type S. Sharper chassis dynamics is achieved via a 15mm reduction in ride height, extra strenghtening into the floor cross member just ahead of the central fuel tank, around the upper front suspension mountings, while the lower cross member (just ahead of the engine bay) provides greater rigidity.

There are also news of an upcoming Civic Type RR, which is tuned more for the track – it will have bigger brakes, and a lightened chassis, etc. More photos after the jump, and enlarged versions are available by clicking on the smaller photo.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Malaysia Racing Team’s MME Civic

Paul Tan — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:10:29 +0000

For fans of the new 2006 Honda Civic, you will be able to see race-prepared versions of them in action at the 12-hour Merdeka Millenium Endurance race (MME) 2006 at Sepang International Circuit held on August 27, 2006.

Team Honda Racing, which won the Class A Champion title for 3 years consecutively will be the first team in the world to use the new 8th generation 2006 Honda Civic as race cars. The stock Honda Civic chassis is taken off the assembly line, and is strenghtened using techniques like double spot welding. Then the car is painted white, any race Honda that is not predominantly white would just be wrong. The car is then hand built by the Honda Malaysia Racing Team.

[UPDATED: More photos after the jump!]

Click to enlarge

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Hybrid goes “Moo”

Paul Tan — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:00:09 +0000

Meet Clover, Honda’s ambassador to the Fruitstock festival. Honda is using this 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with a Heifer cow based paintjob to promote hybrid technology as well as educate the public on how hybrid technology works. The Fruitstock Festival held at Regent’s Park London is a free festival for the family where people can buy music, food, basically they have activities lined up for the whole family.

The 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid has an i-VTEC Integrated Motor Assist powerplant which combined the use of a 1,339cc gas engine with a 158V electric motor. For more details on the Honda Hybrid i-VTEC system, click here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 3

Paul Tan — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 02:07:12 +0000

I had the opportunity to test drive the 2006 Honda Civic 1.8S and the 2006 Honda Civic 2.0S on a nice Saturday morning thanks to Jeremy and Shannon from the New Straits Times lifestyle section. This is part three of a three part series. Click here to read part 1 and here to read part 2.

Plastic panels were starting to dislocate themselves after 4000km on the mileage

The exterior build quality was excellent. No unsightly gaps in the fittings anywhere. But the interior was a different story. Like I said a few months back, I still think the glove box is flimsy and can’t be closed easily. There was also this plastic panel near the A pillar which was half way popping out. I did not manage to take a picture as my first reaction was to sigh at the state of Honda’s Malacca plant quality control, and then try to pop the panel back in. I could not manage to pop the panel back in properly. The result is a slight gap. I took a photo of that. This was the 2.0S. Later, I found the same problem in the 1.8S as well.

I also expected more of the feel of the dashboard material. I brought a friend of mine to the test drive, a hot girl who drives a Civic EK with a B16A engine. Fear this girl. She said her 1999 EK’s interior was much better, and the plastics felt better, they weren’t hard and plastic-like, but softer. There were also obvious cost-cutting measures everywhere especially in the thickness of metal they used for panels. Or perhaps this is for weight reduction purposes. There are also no side-sills for the doors. Shoes might scratch the paint. The paddle shifts on the 2.0S are shaped like the letter L. They seem pretty flimsy, so I’d recommend pushing the lower parts of the L. Somehow I think through extended extreme use, the top part would break or disfigure or something. You know how rough you can get during a hard drive.

If you ask me, the Honda Civic is way ahead of all it’s competitors, helped by the fact that it’s competitors are starting to look very dated – especially the Nissan Sentra. Not just big on the outside but on the insides as well. Comfortable for it’s class. I would definitely fork out more for the 2.0S model. The extra RM11,000 for the 2.0S as compared to the 1.8S is definitely worth it, for the engine and the interior itself. Everything else like the 6-CD changer, the extra airbags, and the HID lamps is a bonus. The 2.0S was positioned as a driver’s car, and the 1.8S as a family car. I think they were positioned well.

The 1.8S has all the necessities one might need as a family car, and has a frugal engine, while the 2.0S has creature comforts and sporty performance. If I were to buy the Civic for myself, I’d take the 2.0S for the engine and the paddle shift. However, if I were to buy it for my wife (not that it’s going to happen anytime soon due to a lack of funds and a wife ) I’d still get the 2.0S because of the 1.8 model’s interior. I’m sorry, but the beige fabric looks like it’ll dirty really fast, and kids can really make a mess sometimes. I also do not like feeling like I’m driving surrounded by towels.

Video: Funky wiper motion

It’s the Honda Civic 2.0S for me, and what a great car it is. I would still plonk my money on it despite the little problems like dodgy build quality here and there. Though the door panels are abit flimsy, the overall chassis has a very very solid feel to it, and door panels aren’t what protects you during crashes, but the frame does. One thing though. Honda needs to pay more attention to the QC because it’s competitor is the Toyota Corolla Altis – and the Toyota brand is known for build and reliability. You have to show that the Civic is a worthy competitor in that area too.

Also, there is on advantage with the fact that the new Civic looks alot larger than the old one and reaching Accord sizes. There is now no more reason for anyone to consider a brand new Proton Perdana V6.

The 2006 Honda Civic with it’s older brothers – a green 1992 Honda Civic EG and a championship white 1999 Honda Civic EK

Thanks to Jeremy Mahadevan and Shannon Teoh for the opportunity to test drive both the Honda Civics. You guys are cool. Be sure to check out the New Straits Times on the 21st of June 2006 â€“ that’s today â€“ for their take on the 2006 Honda Civic. There is an online edition here. Please ignore the very poser photo. -_-”

As a recap, the 2006 Honda Civic 2.0S will cost you RM124,800, while the 2006 Honda Civic 1.8S will cost you RM113,800. I hope this review will be able to help your purchase decision somewhat. If you have any questions on the 2006 Honda Civic that I’ve not mentioned in this three part test drive report, feel free to leave a comment and I will reply.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2007 Honda Civic Type R Spyshots

Paul Tan — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:28:18 +0000

Honda has been seen testing it’s 2007 Honda Civic Type R on German grounds. The 2007 Honda Civic Type R will be based on the three-door version of the Honda Civic Euro. Previously, Honda showcased a 2007 Honda Civic Type R Concept at the Geneva Motor Show, a stunning kitted out yellow speed demon. The 2007 Honda Civic Type R will likely feature a 220hp i-VTEC engine similiar to the one found in the Acura RSX. The car will be front-wheel drive, no SH-AWD (Superior Handling All Wheel Drive) for this little speed demon. Two more photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Si Turbo Kit

Paul Tan — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 07:28:01 +0000

The boys at Cybernation Motorsports (an American company) have developed a forced induction kit for the 2006 Honda Civic Si. The 2006 Honda Civic Si is basically a USDM version Honda Civic with a K20Z3 engine instead of the K20A3 and R18A1 we get here in Malaysia. The K20Z3 is a high-compression, high-revving version of the K20 engine family equipped with the a performance i-VTEC system, unlike the K20A3’s i-VTEC cam setup which is tuned more towards economy. Some enthusiasts have argued that the economy-oriented i-VTEC cam setup should be called i-VTEC-E instead.

In stock form the 2006 Honda Civic Si’s K20Z3 engine makes 197hp at 7,800rpm and 189Nm of torque at 6,200rpm. It had a redline of 8,300rpm. Cybernation Motorsports have added a plug and play forced induction kit using a Turbonetics turbocharger and an intercooler to the setup. Of course, there are other components in the kit necessary to turbocharge an engine designer for normally aspirated like a standalone injection controller. Boost is set at 0.75 bar or 11psi. Currently there’s no dyno figures yet, but the car sure looks and sounds good. Videos and more photos after the jump.

Video: Honda Civic Si Turbo Launching

Video: Honda Civic Si Turbo Engine Bay

Video: Honda Civic Si Turbo Dashboard

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 2

Paul Tan — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 06:12:08 +0000

How’s the drive then? The 1.8S is supposed to tuned for comfort while the 2.0S is supposed to have a sportier suspension tuning, but I did not notice much difference with both cars. Both handle well with slight understeer. Most of the driving was done with 3 people in the car. I did not do anything crazy enough for the VSC to kick in. I preferred the 1.8S hydraulic steering rack rather than the 2.0S electronic power steering. But then again, I am someone who is used to heavy steerings. It might just be psychological, but the 2.0S has slightly less feel to it than the hydraulic one. This is comparing the two Civics of course. If compared to other Japanese makes, both the steering feel of both the 1.8S and 2.0S is so much better. It gives me the impression of a very well put together car, almost continental in character. Heavier than the usual Japanese sedan, but it gives the car an agile feel, pointing the nose wherever you’re steering it.

I took some semi spirited drives through some narrow bendy roads, tailing trailers and waiting for the best opportunity to overtake them, and discovered the Honda Civic handled pretty well. This was in the Civic 2.0S. Let’s put things into perspective. I can drive more â€œinsaneâ€ than how I did on the test drive day without much fuss in an old 1984 Nissan Sunny 130Y 1.5, and this Civic handled a lot better than the Sunny. So imagine once I was used to the Civic’s characteristics, what it could do. We also had a go on some slightly bumpy roads and damping was sufficient for a comfortable ride.

There are reports of some strange noises with the Honda Civic’s front right suspension, but I did not detect any. Maybe Honda fixed it with these two cars, with them being test drive cars and all. However, this appears to be a very common problem with the 2006 Honda Civics, so be sure to check if your car has the problem.

Video: 2006 Honda Civic drive-by

The Honda Civic is very very quiet. Which makes it excellent for sneaking up on road runners. In fact, if you turn off the air conditioner, you might think the engine is off from the inside of the car. It did not rain, and we didn’t have time to find a water hose to spray water on the roof of the car, so we could not check how quiet the cabin would be during rain. The boys from NST said they would check this out later. There was some slight noise from the tyre roll though, but this can be solved by using quiet touring tyres like Bridgetone’s Turanza.

Torque was ample in the 1.8 model. I had a spot of town driving in that car. Very nice, very comfortable. Thanks to our beloved Works Minister Samy Vellu, I also had a go at a traffic jam near the Middle Ring Road. Car did fine there. Big wing mirrors made it easy to switch lanes. There is also a triangular gap near the A pillar which extended the driver’s field of view. This is important for the forward sloping A-pillar design, otherwise turning the car would be a mess. What makes this car so nice to drive in stop and go situations is the excellent feel that the accelerator pedal provides. The pedal is hinged at the bottom instead of the top. Somehow that design makes it much easier for me to control how much pressure is put on the accelerator pedal. I kind of like it, and understand how luxury cars like Mercedes Benz have been using this type of pedal for quite some time.

Honda’s K20A, one of the better 2.0 liter inline-4 engines I’ve driven

Have you ever driven a manual car where the clutch slips on hard acceleration? You feel the engine revving higher and higher but the car doesn’t really go anywhere. This was how I felt driving the Civic 1.8S with the R18A1 SOHC i-VTEC engine in a spot of spirited driving. The engine is useless through curves. The engine has good low to mid torque, but practically nothing on the top end.

It is supposed to have only 14Nm of torque less than the K20A in the Civic 2.0S, as well as only 15 horsepower less. But it feels like the world of a difference. Good for town driving, good for highway cruising, but anything else and it’s hopeless. Many times the gearbox had to drop gears twice to get enough power to go forward. My face showed obvious frustration with the engine that it merited a few chuckles from the passengers. But the engine is supposed to be as frugal as a 1.5 liter, so you can’t really complain much. It’s serving it’s purpose. It’s not a performance engine.

The 2.0 liter K20A on the other hand, just kept screaming until the 6800rpm redline. It actually inspires you to push it to the max. The 1.8S has nothing above 4500rpm. Go past that mark and you start to feel there is no point, and you ease on the gas pedal to allow the gearbox to change to the next gear.

Shift to S fo the paddle shift feature. The 1.8S has the normal D, D3, 2, L.

Naturally once I got into the Civic 2.0S’s driver seat I was eager to try the paddle shift feature. So I shifted to S. I could hear the engine drop a gear. But where was the gear indicator? Then someone told me I had to shift a gear once first before it would enter paddle shift mode. I had totally forgot the gearbox had a sporty automatic mode which was the S mode. I did not test that out in the anticipation of testing out the paddle shift mode. Silly me. Paddle shifting was very responsive, better than what I expected from an automatic transmission. But I had a few gripes.

First of all, I understand Honda designed the Multiplex two-tiered meter to help the driver focus on the road. And if I am in the paddle shift tiptronic mode, I’d most likely going to engage in a spot of very spirited driving. And this requires me to keep my eyes on the road even more. Even the paddle shifters exist to help me keep focus, with hands on the steering wheel shifting the gears instead of operating a plus and minus lever on the gear lever. If so, I cannot understand why Honda put the gear indicator at the bottom tier next to the RPM meter. Why not the top tier? I couldn’t even see the gear indicator in some cases where the steering wheel spokes were blocking it.

Honda, if you ever facelift the car, please relocate the paddle shift gear indicator to the top tier of the Multiplex dashboard. There’s plenty of space. If you want to do something, (help the driver focus in this case) do it right, don’t do it half way and make the whole thing a pointless gimmick. I’m not saying it’s a gimmick, the Multiplex meter is very functional, but it could be improved. I had great fun playing with the paddle shifter. There were a few times where I accidentally hit the wiper controls though.

Highway driving is very relaxed on both cars thanks to the 5-speed gearbox where 2 of the gears are overdrive gears. But I would have preferred 4 gears with 1 overdrive for more acceleration power. The Civic is beautiful on highway cruising. So stable. I was flooring the Civic 1.8S on the highway to see how it could go and before I knew it, I was touching almost 160km/h. To be honest it didn’t feel like anything above 120km/h, and I am not exaggerating here. You tend to speed in this car without even realising it because normal highway cruising speeds feel slow in it. A solid chassis perfect for a DC5 engine transplant. It’s almost a crime putting something weak like the R18A1 1.8 engine in it.

Brakes were good, but somehow the ABS did not activate. I’m not sure if I was doing it wrong. I was going 70km/h on a straight road and jammed the brakes. I did not warn Jeremy and Dr. Long first, sorry guys. The rear tailed abit, and the front tyres skidded abit. No ABS. No pulsing feel in the brake pedal. Do I have to be going 170km/h? Sorry, an ABS newbie here. I do not have a car with ABS.

Next up – conclusion and what I think of the car’s build quality as well as which I would pick – the 1.8S or the 2.0S? Click here to read part 1.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 1

Paul Tan — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 07:49:32 +0000

I had the opportunity to test drive the 2006 Honda Civic 1.8S and the 2006 Honda Civic 2.0S on a nice Saturday morning thanks to Jeremy and Shannon from the New Straits Times lifestyle section. I will attempt to chronicle my test drive experiences here, which involved a long highway drive to a “top secret” test drive location somewhere near Genting Highlands, traffic jams, town driving, twisty bends and curves, overtaking, as well as bumpy road conditions. That should pretty much cover everything you could possibly want to do with this car, save for taking it to a track day. This is part one of a three part series.

The 2006 Honda Civic is one of those rare cars that looks even better in real life than on photos. I think it’s safe to say that normally what you see on photos are the results of good photography, the right angles, and a wee bit of photoshop. But no, the Civic is the opposite. It looks nice on photos, but even better in real life. The Honda Civic is such a looker that at one point I was so mesmerized with it’s beauty that I just had to drop to my knees… … … to get a better angle and take a photo with my camera. What were you thinking?

The new Civic is a lot larger than all of its predecessors, and is pretty much invading Honda Accord territory. It’s like a mini Accord. I would dare say it’s about the same size as the old SV4/CD5/CD6 Honda Accord. I like what Honda has done with the Asian market Civic. I don’t quite fancy the US version. As for the Euro version while a novelty at first, is just too space-age for even a young guy like me. The Asian 2006 Honda Civic car looks sporty with it’s wide stance and aggresive front look. Even though it is not low enough for you to begin scraping the undercarriage over speed bumps, it looks low enough thanks to the minimal gap between the tyres and wheel arches.

If you step into the 2006 Honda Civic, you will immediately notice how deep the dashboard is. It’s typical of a cabin-forward design due to the windscreen angle. You could probably stack a lot of soft toys there, though I highly recommend against such travesty to such a fine car. The dual-tiered dashboard takes some getting used to but is actually extremely functional, to a certain extent. Where it failed, I will explain later.

At the top tier, you have a digital speedometer in the middle. This is flanked by a digital temperature indicator on the left, and a fuel level indicator on the right. That’s basically everything you need to monitor often while driving. The top tier is positioned the at the deepest and highest location of the dashboard, nearest to the windscreen. This might sound like a gimmick but it’s actually very functional. It works alot better than the centrally located dashboard rubbish that every other manufacturer has been resorting to to help the driver keep their eyes on the road.

The bottom tier has a tachometer showing your engine RPM. The tachometer is flanked by gear indications on the right and a multitude of indicators like ABS, seatbelt, engine check, just about anything under the sun on the left. At the bottom of the tachometer is a trip meter which features two trip counters. The choice of the display colors is also excellent. White text on a blue background. Blue makes a very good background color because it is actually one of the colours which the eye finds hard to focus on. On the other hand, white is easy to focus on The meters are very clear even in daylight, and there is a control for you to set the brightness.

At first, I thought the digital speedometer’s numbers would change too fast at cruising speed and be an eye sore to look at, but I found that small changes in speed actually refreshed slower, and faster acceleration caused the speed to update faster. This might be a neat trick in the display programming, or just a mental illusion on my part, but the point is it’s pleasant to read.

I like the three spoke steering wheel that Honda gave the Asian Honda Civic. I’ve noticed the US and UK versions get some really dodgy two spoke steering wheel design. Seriously, if you expect the car to give out a sporty feel, you need a three spoke steering wheel. The steering wheel is one item on the interior that you come in contact with the most, so a cheap steering wheel gives you a bad impression of the interior no matter how well built everything else is. Fortunately for Honda, the steering wheel has excellent build quality, except for the audio control buttons and the paddle shifters on the 2.0S which feel abit cheap. I will come to the build quality later.

Firewall position, somewhere around there!

The cabin design gives me a lot of legroom in the front. Very comfortable in both the passanger and driver seats. Rear legroom was commendable as well. I myself have sat in the current generation Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla Altis before, and this 2006 Honda Civic beats the other two flat. I am not sure how it compares to the Ford Focus Ghia 1.8 though. I checked out the glove box and found that despite the really deep dashboard, the glovebox was tiny. So I wondered what was in all that space in the dashboard for? I found out later that the firewall was actually in the middle of the deep dashboard.

Bathroom towel fabric. I prefer the 2.0S leather.

Even more bathroom towel fabric everywhere.

I love the blue-black interior of the Honda Civic 2.0S. It has leather seats, though they do not really feel like leather at all. More like PVC, but nice nevertheless. Honda advertises it as blue leather, and my previous posts on the Civic specifications showed blue leather, but when I first got in, I thought it was black. It’s actually a really dark blue mixed with black kind of colour. The Honda Civic 1.8S has a horrible interior by comparison. The trim was filled with this beige cream towel-like fabric. It isn’t your normal cushion fabric you find in Protons, but this one had the texture of a towel, literally. I felt like I was sitting in a bathroom. I also expect this fabric trim to get dirty really really fast. Just imagine running to the car in the rain and sitting on the seat with damp clothes. Hell to pay in sight and smell later. I am a hardcore advocate of leather seats, they’re easy to clean and wipe, especially when you have drunk friends who threaten to puke all over your car interior all the time. Did I say drunk friends? I meant children. And by puke, I meant general dirty things.

The sound system is abit bass-heavy, and like most cars pretty much all the sound is coming from the rear even though there are front speakers as well. Playing around with the treble, bass, and fader controls fixed this to an acceptable level. Other than that, it’s a very nice stock sound system, with room for improvement. The system also had an aux input, and we tried it out by hooking up an iPod to it. It worked perfectly, and we played Metallica’s S&M album throughout the journey. The aux input is a very nice feature. No need for FM tuner gadgets like the iTrip or other imitation devices to hook up your iPod or other music players. The CD player’s button layout was very easy to use. You just operate the big knobs by push and turn.

More in part 2 and part 3, with my driving experiences as well as what I think of the overall build quality.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Euro Hatchback Fifth Gear Review

Paul Tan — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:06:37 +0000

Fifth Gear, a British automotive show reviews the 2006 Honda Civic hatchback. The European Honda Civic only comes in hatchback form, and also has a 2.2 liter i-CTDi turbodiesel version in the model range. So far most reviews have said the 2.2 i-CTDi manual Honda Civic is the best choice from the line-up. Looks like the European market really really likes diesel, and Honda’s new powerplant is a winner. Video is after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic 1.8 SOHC i-VTEC engine

Paul Tan — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:29:26 +0000

This is for those who appreciate the technology that goes into a powertrain. How does the new 1.8 liter SOHC i-VTEC engine in the new 2006 Honda Civic achieve good fuel mileage (Honda claims 1.5 liter fuel economy during cruising) while producing a respectable 140 horsepower and 174 Nm of torque? Let’s have a look at some of the technologies that went into this new engine – the R18A1.

According to Honda, during low load driving conditions like highway cruising where the driver would be pressing the accelerator pedal only slightly, the engine experiences pumping losses due to the restricted air flow created by a throttle butterfly that is almost closed. Pumping losses and air resistance result in a negative impact to fuel economy Using a conventional mechanical throttle this cannot be avoided. Low speed = small throttle butterfly opening. Pedal to the metal = big throttle butterfly opening.

Honda got around this using Drive-by-wire and a fuel-economy optimized i-VTEC system. The i-VTEC system for the 1.8 liter SOHC engine has 2 sets of cam lobes, one for high output and one for low load conditions. During low load conditions, the pumping losses are avoided by letting the throttle butterfly open wider than it normally would. To offset the larger amount of air coming in, the intake valve timing is delayed. This reduces pumping losses up to 16 percent.

To increase fuel economy, Honda has also taken steps to reduce friction in the engine. Piston skirts are coated with Molybdenum disulfide, and oil rings are ion-plated to ensure reduced friction. This provides a 10% reduction in friction.

Other technologies include a variable-length intake manifold using longer manifolds at low RPMs and shorter manifolds at high RPMs for an optimum ram effect and piston oil jets which cool down pistons to avoid engine knocking. As a result of these technologies and a compression ratio of 10.5:1, this 1.8 liter SOHC i-VTEC engine makes 140hp at 6300rpm and 174Nm of torque at 4300rpm.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic in depth

Paul Tan — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:43:41 +0000

The 2006 Honda Civic was launched today at the KL Convention Center. This would be the 8th edition of the Honda Civic here in Malaysia since it’s introduction here back in 1977. The Civic started out as a compact car for the masses, economical, clean and affordable. It’s definitely come a long time since then. I was there first person at the launch this morning to bring you the latest details on this beauty.

The new 8th generation Honda Civic was unveiled in a cloud of mist.

Civics have excellent 2nd hand value in the market here in Malaysia, with demand for the EK and even the older EG chassis still high because they can host the venerable B16 VTEC engine.

Hot girl, hot guy, and hot car.

The JDM Honda Civic which was targetted at the Asia market had some input from Malaysian customers. Honda did a survey back in May 2003 to find out what potential customers expected out of the Honda Civic. These requests have been incorporated into the new Honda Civic. It carries elemants of a good driving experience, comfort, spaciousness, fuel economy and safety.

Honda’s development and management team

Exterior Looks

The new 2006 Honda Civic comes in 2 forms, the 1.8S and the 2.0S. From the exterior, you cannot really tell the difference between the 1.8S and the 2.0S other than the badges at the back of the car. Both comes with 16″ alloy rims (205/55/R16), fog lamps and dual tail pipes. But the 2.0S has signal lights on the side mirrors and HID headlamps for better driving visibility at night. The wiper blades on the car look interesting. The fulcrum is positioned at opposing edges of the windscreen instead of one at the side and one at the middle like conventional wiper positions. Honda’s excellent attention to technological detail ensures even the wiper blades are designed to be aerodynamic. This reduces wind noises giving you a quieter ride.

Interior

As for the interior, the 1.8S has a beige interior with cream coloured seats while the 2.0S has a blue theme with blue leather. Interesting choice of colour there, as normally one would use a grey and black colour scheme for a sporty feel. The steering wheel has a smaller diameter by normal standards, though not as small as those OMP or Momo sports steerings. It has both telescopic and tilt adjustments to suit your driving position. For those who don’t know what that means, it means you can adjust it up and down in a 40mm range, and further and nearer to your chest also in a 40mm range. The seats are height-adjustable within a 50mm range. Both the interiors comes with what Honda calls a Multiplex dashboard, with important controls that need to be monitored at the top desk and everything else at the bottom deck. The meters are of the self-illuminated type, like Toyota’s Optitron, the new Honda City’s and the Honda Accord’s. The shift lever and the strange yet practical Z-shaped handbrake are pretty small sized and take up little space and is pushed towards the front of the cabin to make additional storage space in the center console area.

The dashboard with Multiplex dashboard

Shift-lever and Z-shaped handbrake

In-car Entertainment

Both the 1.8S and the 2.0S comes with a 6-speaker audio system. The 1.8S comes with a single disc CD/MP3/WMA player while the 2.0S has a 6-disc in-dash CD-changer. The 2.0S also has audio controls on the steering wheel for volume and track control.

The integrated CD player

Safety Features

As for safety, both the 1.8S and 2.0S models have dual SRS airbags, while the 2.0S has an additional side airbag with Occupant Position Detection System. All models also feature an Active Headrest system, where the headrest moves forward in the event of a collision to provide support for your head. Other safety features include anti-pinch safety power windows for the driver’s side, an immobilizer alarm system, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), and Brake Assist (BA). These are available on both models. VSA can be disabled with a button on the dashboard for a more crazy on the edge driving experience whenever you need it. The 1.8S is equipped with a hydraulic power steering while the 2.0S gets an Electronic Power Steering.

Driver, passanger and curtain airbags for the 2.0S model.

Storage

Boot size is pretty respectable at 450 liters, though nothing that could cause your jaw to hit the ground like the Honda City’s 500 liters. The interior has ample storage compartments. There is a console in front of the gear lever, as well as a sliding shutter in between the two front seats which unveils yet another storage space. This storage space contains two cupholders. To suit your ergonomics better, the armrest slides forward and backward in a 80mm range. Lifting it reveals a console box with storage for 27 CDs. The rear passengers also has a fold-down armrest in the middle with two cupholders integrated into it.

The Honda Civic 2.0S rear seats can be pushed down like the Honda City’s UltraSeats. Why this is not offered on the Honda Civic 1.8S strikes to me as strange. Honda’s target market for the 2.0S are young entrepreneurs or young men from rich backgrounds in the 25 year old to 35 year old range. The 1.8S’s target audience is the 35 to 45 year old professionals with families. Surely someone with a family would find foldable seats more useful than a young man. This was the exact same rationale they used in removing UltraSeats from the facelift City VTEC. Strange.

A goodie bag in the boot for scale.

Passenger seat glovebox. I didn’t like the feel of it. Seemed hard to get the latch to hook when it closed. Maybe it was a defect on that particular car.

Rear seat cupholders integrated into the centre armrest

Performance

Let’s go to the engines. I’ve already posted about the new i-VTEC SOHC 1.8 engine before, but let’s have a recap. The 1.8 i-VTEC engine in the 2006 Honda Civic 1.8S is a single camshaft 4-cylinder engine with Honda’s i-VTEC system. It uses a timing chain instead of a timing belt. It makes 140hp at 6300rpm and redlines at 7000rpm. Max torque is 174Nm at 4300rpm. This is mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. Which is nice, because normally 5-speed autos have only been available on more upmarket models with larger engines. Honda claims this 1.8 i-VTEC engine has the fuel consumption similiar to 1.5 liter engines but has the performance characteristics of a 2.0. From the figure sheets, the latter claim looks to be true.

The 2006 Honda Civic 2.0S is powered by a 2.0 liter DOHC i-VTEC K20 engine. It is also timing chain-driven. It makes a higher 155hp at 6500rpm, redlines at 7000rpm and makes 188Nm of torque at 4500rpm. Like the 1.8S, it also has a 5-speed automatic transmission but the 2.0S has a paddle shift option. What you do is you shift the gear lever to the S option. Then you can control the gear changes with paddles at the back of the steering wheel. Left paddle for downshift, right paddle for upshifts. Honda calls this S-matic. Feels much more natural than the strange Steermatic buttons on the Honda City where upshift and downshifts are on both sides of the steering wheel. Paddle-shifts instead of button-shifts are so much more F1-style!

The K20 2.0 DOHC i-VTEC engine

Honda’s new 1.8 liter i-VTEC engine

Suspension

Both the 1.8S and the 2.0S has ventilated discs for the front and solid disc brakes at the back. Suspension systems MacPherson Struts for the front and Independant Double Wishbone for the rear. I don’t think much lowering is necessary for this car as the gap between the wheel arch and the tyre is already small.

Gap between wheel arch and tyre not overly big, for that lowered sporty look. You can lower it somemore if you want but it would be overkill.

Other stuff

As for dimensions, the new 2006 Honda Civic is 4540mm long, 1755mm wide, and 1435mm tall. It has 2700mm wheelbase, and 155mm ground clearance for the 1.8S and 150mm ground clearance for the 2.0S. Fuel tank capacity is 50 liters, which means a full tank with RON97 petrol for the new 2006 Honda Civic would be RM96 as of today. Shell V-Power would cost you RM107.50.

How big of a hole in your pocket?

Honda aims to sell 6000 units of the new 2006 Honda Civic this year, making up 20% of it’s total sales target of 30,000 units for 2006. The 8th generation Honda Civic is a CKD model assembled in Honda’s plant in Malacca. The Honda Civic 1.8S goes for RM117,800 while the Honda Civic 2.0S goes for RM131,800. Very competitive prices. I’m sure the 1.8S would appeal to the executive who has been given a RM120K company car budget with his new job. Delivery for the 2.0S will only begin end of April as Honda wants to concentrate on the 1.8S to ensure quality standards are met.

Colour options are Nighthawk Pearl Black, Habanero Red Pearl, Alabaste Silver Metallic, Bronze Silver Pearl and Bluish Silver Metallic. I’ll try to get a test drive and post what I think on the new Honda Civic’s drive and feel soon.

Test Drive:
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 1
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 2
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 3

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2007 Honda Civic Type R Concept

Paul Tan — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 15:18:22 +0000

As I previously blogged, Honda unveiled the Honda Civic Type R Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. This will give a glimpse of what the final Civic Type R will look like. This concept is powered by the same K20A i-VTEC engine used in the current Honda Civic Type R.

The Honda Civic Type R will be a 3-door hatchback based on the celebrated 2006 Honda Civic Euro which is a 5-door hatch. It will be built at Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK, and will be on sale from early 2007 onwards. No SH-AWD for this little pocket rocket.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic launching on 9th March 2006

Paul Tan — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 18:54:50 +0000

It’s coming soon to the Malaysian market! Honda has set up a teaser site for the 2006 Honda Civic over here. There are some teaser images there, but I suppose all of you know how the new Honda Civic looks like already. The launch date is 9th March 2006.

My grubby mits are just shivering in anticipation for a test drive. Teaser photos are after the jump, or you could just check out their teaser site.

The Honda teaser says the new 2006 Honda Civic has xenon HID headlamps, but I think it should be for the higher spec 2.0 i-VTEC DOHC version only. Anyone can confirm otherwise?

The rear combination lamps are the same as the JDM versions, so we’re not missing out on anything. They look like they might need getting used to, but everything grows on you I suppose.

Full leather interior and trimmings. Again, I think it’s for the 2.0 i-VTEC DOHC version only.

There are audio controls on the steering wheel. Do you notice the two paddle shifters behind the steering wheel? One with a minus symbol on the left and one with a plus symbol on the right side. You can shift gears manually in manual shifting mode with these paddle shifters. Much more natural to use paddle shifters behind the steering wheel instead of buttons at the front of the steering wheel like the Honda City’s.

The 2006 Honda Civic has 2 models. The Honda Civic 1.8S is powered by a 1.8 SOHC i-VTEC making 140ps. The higher specification Honda Civic 2.0S is powered by a 2.0 DOHC i-VTEC making 155ps.

This was not provided by the teaser but I’ll put it here anyway, this is what you’ll see in Honda showrooms on 9th March!

Test Drive:
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 1
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 2
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 3

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

3rd 2006 Honda Civic in Malaysia Spyshot

Paul Tan — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 06:25:06 +0000

A reader sent this in to me, another frontal spyshot of the 2006 Honda Civic taken in Malacca over the weekend. Did not manage to get any shots of the interior, but it’s safe to say that we are getting the high-tech flashy 2-tiered dashboard with the digital speedometer on the top tier and nice blue RPM meter on the bottom tier because the photographer managed to see it in action inside the car.

I was pretty worried that Honda would deem us not good enough for a nice interior. Kind of how Perodua downgraded the Toyota Passo’s interior with the Perodua Myvi.

More spyshots of the 2006 Honda Civic: Front spyshot, rear spyshot.

2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan Concept

Paul Tan — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:30:44 +0000

Honda unveiled the Honda Civic Si Sedan Concept at the Chicago Motor Show, the first Civic Si in a sedan form. The Civic Si has been available in Coupe form already, so Honda took the high-performance features of the Si Coupe and integrated them into the Honda Civic Si Sedan Concept. This concept Si Sedan will be the base of the new Honda Civic Si Sedan.

As with the Honda Civic Si Coupe, the Honda Civic Si Sedan Concept comes with a powerful 197 horsepower K20 i-VTEC DOHC engine with a redline that touches the high heavens – 8000rpm. This is mated to a 6-speed close ratio gearbox to keep the revs in the i-VTEC high cam area during spirited acceleration. The car also has a helical LSD for improved cornering performance.

All that power to go forward needs stopping power so Honda has fit the car with cross-drilled disc brakes on all four wheels. 4-piston Brembo calipers are used. The rims are 18″ cast aluminium alloy rims wrapped with 225/40/ZR18 tyres. Note the ZR rating instead of R, that means the tyre can be used for higher top speeds.

A production version of the Honda Civic Si Sedan will go on sale in Fall 2006 as a 2007 model.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Civic Type R at Geneva 2006

Paul Tan — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 07:03:45 +0000

Honda will showcase a concept model of the new Honda Civic Type R at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. AutoExpress says contrary to speculation, the Civic Type R will not have a new 2.2 liter engine. The powerplant will remain the same 2.0 liter i-VTEC high-revving monster dishing out aural orgasms wherever it goes, as long as you keep the revs high.

AutoExpress says the hot hatchback will typically take on similiar bodykits to the Mugen Civic Dominator, but in hatchback form so it’s all good. The concept will not be a production model, but you will be able to have a glimpse of the final bodykit which will be slapped on the mean high-revving machine.

In the meanwhile, check out this excellent ad Honda has for the European market Civic hatchback. As with all Honda ads, it’s good. Remember the i-CTDi diesel ad and the Honda Accord ad?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Civic Euro Video

Paul Tan — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 10:02:42 +0000

This is Honda’s promotional footage for the Honda Civic Euro hatchback, which is of course available in Europe only unless you import one in. It has a different two-tiered dashboard design than the USDM and JDM Civics that we’ll be getting, and did I forget to mention it’s a hatchback? The USDM Civic is only available in sedan and coupe form.

Anyway enjoy it, I know I did. Video after the jump.

Mugen Honda Civic Dominator Concept
2006 Honda Civic Modulo
2006 Honda Civic JDM
2006 Honda Civic USDM

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic in Malaysia – Front Spyshot

Paul Tan — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 02:10:30 +0000

A reader sent this in. The 2006 Honda Civic, this time with a frontal spyshot. Looking good. The square Honda badge’s outline is kind of visible through all the masking. Headlamps disguised. And it kind of looks like the wing mirrors are wrapped with tape too, so maybe we have signal indicators on the signal lamp, otherwise there would be no reason to mask it out. I heard Honda showrooms are already taking bookings. Now if only I can strike that lottery…

Update: The new 2006 Honda Civic has already been launched, have a look at the 2006 Honda Civic in-depth post.

Test Drive:
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 1
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 2
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 3

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Spyshots in Malaysia

Paul Tan — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 11:58:00 +0000

Looks like the new 2006 Honda Civic is set to be on Malaysian roads pretty soon. These spy shots were sent in by a reader, and apparently they were shot being test driven in Shah Alam.

Minimal camouflage with only some black strips on the sides of the cars and the rear light cluster covered up. There are also no badges on the car, but the shape is just too recognisable! From the looks of it so far, we’re definitely getting the JDM model as opposed to the USDM model.

Twin tailpipe, nice! The potential for this new car’s aesthetics are amazing, as shown by Mugen with their Dominator Concept.

No news on the launch date yet, but if you have anything interesting like spyshots to contribute, shoot me an email using the contact form.

Related 2006 Honda Civic posts:

Test Drive:
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 1
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 2
2006 Honda Civic Test Drive – Part 3

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Honda Civic Hybrid Modulo Concept

Paul Tan — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 07:21:31 +0000

This is a pretty cool Modulo bodykit concept for the Honda Civic Hybrid. I’m falling in love with the 2006 Honda Civic more and more. Probably because it’s such a big improvement over the previous generation Civic with the strange back lights. The EK and EG were real sexy too. But let’s not talk about that. Let’s have a look at this Civic Hybrid Modulo Concept

I’m guessing the new back lights and front lights have been changed to ones that save electricity. From the photos even the front headlamps seem to be LED powered, like the Volkswagen EcoRacer’s.

The base Civic Hybrid is powered by a 1.3 liter 8-valve SOHC i-VTEC engine making 110hp backed with an IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) electric motor putting out 20hp.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

Mugen Honda Civic Dominator Concept

Paul Tan — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:47:38 +0000

I’m officially in love… with this hot new concept from Mugen Power. This is their Mugen Honda Civic Dominator concept, to be shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2006. I wish I could be there, anyone want to buy me a ticket to Tokyo?

The Mugen Honda Civic Dominator is based on the JDM Honda Civic 4-door sedan. Dimensions are 4570mm long, 1795mm wide and 1400mm high. The bodykit is different from the Honda Civic Modulo which I previously blogged about, though the Modulo looks pretty hot too.

Coming from Mugen who brought us the hot Fit Dynamite which the Fit’s original 1.5 VTEC was replaced with a 2.0 liter i-VTEC engine, we can’t expect them to leave the performance of the Civic alone right? Mugen has equipped the K20A 2.0 liter i-VTEC of the JDM Civic with a supercharger, bringing up total power up to 295 horsepower (300ps). The engine hooks up to a front-wheel drive 6-speed manual transmission. The car has a “Super Charger” text emblem above the front wheel arch.

Centre-mounted dual tip sports exhaust system to accomodate all the extra horses the engine is putting out, integrated into the rear bumper.

Looks menacing doesn’t it?

The over the top large wing at the back’s tilt angle is adjustable to your liking. Also notice that the rear doors do not have the door handles in the normal position, but rather like the Alfa 147’s door handles. Gives a nicer side profile look.

Those wheels are 225/40/R18 by the way.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Modulo

Paul Tan — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 13:14:57 +0000

Honda Access has released the 2006 Honda Civic’s Modulo bodykit. Looks pretty hot. I can’t wait till Honda Malaysia brings in the Asean version of the Honda Civic. I heard the styling cues are going to be a mix of the American and JDM Civic.

For the original JDM 2006 Honda Civic look without the bodykit, click here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic JDM Model

Paul Tan — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 15:27:40 +0000

The previous 2006 Honda Civic photos which I’ve posted are the US/European model. As usual, the JDM model for the Civic has a totally different styling.

The JDM model has different headlamps and a different grill. The bumper is different too. I noticed the US sedan model has only 1 large airvent on the bumper, but this model has it separated into 3.

The 2006 Civic for the Malaysian market will probably be something in between the US and JDM model. We will probably only get the Sedan version. It’s likely that the 1.8 i-VTEC will replace the 1.7 VTEC we have currently. The 2.0 i-VTEC model remains.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Photos

Paul Tan — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 15:51:57 +0000

For those who can’t get enough of the sexy new 2006 Honda Civic, here are more shots of the car for you. These are pictures of both the coupe and sedan models. As usual, you can click on each photo for a larger version. The larger versions are all 1280×1024 sized so you can use them as your desktop wallpaper.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.

2006 Honda Civic Dashboard

Paul Tan — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 10:42:43 +0000

Honda’s interior for the 2006 Civic is screaming unorthodox. You thought centre dashboard meters were weird, but Honda has implemented a dual-tiered dashboard for this incarnation of the Civic.

The top tier or “level” features a digital speedometer, a fuel gauge and an engine temperature gauge. Honda says putting it at the very top closest to the windshield minimizes eye movements for the driver, letting them focus on the road more often. For the Civic Si, the top level also has an LED shift light which starts to blink red from 7400rpm onwards until the 8000rpm redline where it shines a solid amber.

The lower level is in the normal position just behind the steering wheel and it features a tachometer (RPM meter), odometer, warning indicators and in some models, a temperature gauge.

For the Civic Hybrid, the upper level also features fuel economy/mileage calculations and the lower level shows battery statuses.

For top-end models, the centre dashboard console also includes a 6.5″ LCD TFT touch screen which opens and closes to allow access to a single-slot CD player and a memory card reader which supports SD cards, CompactFlash cards and Flash ATA memory cards. The audio system can play MP3 and WMA files from these cards. You can control the navigation system and the audio system via joystick or buttons or via touching the options on the screen since it is a touch-screen.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 16:27:25 +0800.