HONDA CIVIC REFINED 11TH GEN MAKES ALL THE RIGHT NOISES
Wheels Australia Magazine|November 2021
NEXT year – 2022 – marks the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the legendary Honda Civic.
BRIAN MAKSE
HONDA CIVIC REFINED 11TH GEN MAKES ALL THE RIGHT NOISES

That first generation is the model credited with keeping Honda in the automobile manufacturing business and now 11 – yes, 11 – generations deep, it’s become an icon for the brand. With over 20 million Civics sold worldwide, it’s also Honda’s most successful model.

For this first drive, we’ve had a bit of seat time in a North American-market Civic sedan in Touring specification, which is essentially the equivalent of our VTi-LX trim. At the moment, this is the most powerful and best-equipped model available in North America.

The turbocharged four-cylinder engine carries over, as does the continuously variable transmission. The 1.5-liter, VTEC, dual-overhead-cam, turbo engine has been tweaked for 2022 and now produces 134kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm from 1700 to 4500rpm. It’s a modest increase of 7kW at 500rpm higher than before and an additional 20Nm over a slightly narrower rev range – peak torque now begins to fall off at 4500rpm instead of 5500. The naturally aspirated, 1.8-litre four-cylinder looks like it may be replaced by a 118kW 2.0-litre engine.

The suspension is based around McPherson struts in the front and a multi-link design for the rear. Kerb weight of the sedan is up by a modest 20kg over the previous model to 1371kg and expect the new hatch to add a similar touch of mass. Weight distribution is that old front-drive chestnut – 61 percent front, 39 percent rear. Steering remains electrically assisted and is the variable-ratio type. Brakes are discs in all four corners.

Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Wheels Australia Magazine.

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Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Wheels Australia Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.