Honda Civic
| Honda Civic | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Honda |
| Production: | 1973 – |
| Class: | 1973-2000: Subcompact 2001- : Compact |
| Body Styles: | 2-door coupe, 2-door hatchback, 4-door sedan |
| Predecessor: | none |
| Successor: | none |
| Shares components with: | Acura RSX |
| Similar models: | Nissan Sentra Saturn ION Toyota Corolla Mazda3 |
| This article is part of the automobile series. | |
The Honda Civic is an automobile manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in 1973 as 1169 cm³ or 1238 cm³ engine powered small hatch or two-door small sedan. With a "east–west" engine like the British Mini, and front wheel drive, the car provided good interior space despite overall small dimensions.
While sold with minimal equipment (typically a low quality AM radio, and rudimentary heater) the Civic represented value for money, with good performance, reliability and economy.
Initially the Civic was sold as either a four speed manual, or two speed "HondaMatic" model. Later models went to five speed manual and full four speed automatic gear boxes. Like the Mini, the gear box / differential was integral with the engine unit, but drive shaft technology in the Civic was a quantum leap ahead of the universal joints of the Mini.
The Civic evolved through 1335 cm³ (1980) to larger capacities and more creature comforts (Air conditioning, electric windows etc) through the 1990s and into 2000s.
While the Civic is sold in largely the same form, interesting differences in nomenclature abound. In Japan the hatchback Civic is just called "Civic" while the sedan or coupé model is called "Civic Ferio". In the United States saying "Civic" usually refers to the sedan and coupe models and "Civic hatchback" is used for the hatchback model. A five-door or station wagon model called the Civic Shuttle was available from the early to late '80s. (This brand name would later be revived for the mid-’90s Honda Shuttle people carrier, known in some markets as the Honda Odyssey.)
Other models have been built off the Civic platform, including the Ballade, the CR-X coupé, the Quint and the Integra. The Civic has worn other badges over the years. The best known are probably from Rover: the 200, 400 and 45 were all Civic-based at some point in their lives, as was their predecessor, the Triumph Acclaim, based on the Honda Ballade. The Honda Domani, a Civic variant, was sold as the Isuzu Gemini in Japan (1993–2000). In Thailand, the Civic was available as a four-door Isuzu Vertex (1995–2000). The sixth-generation station wagon was sold as the Honda Orthia (Honda Partner as the downmarket commercial variant). The seventh-generation minivan model is called the Honda Stream or the Honda Civic Stream.
An interesting engine developments used in 1980 to 1983 models was the CVCC system, where a small auxilary inlet valve allowed a rich fuel/air mixture into the cylinder near the spark plug, while the main charge was lean. This design could meet clean air emission standards without the power robbing emission control devices fitted to many cars of that time. This engine was a rare example of commercial development of a Stratified charge engine.
Current generation Civics use variable valve timing (VTEC), and are approaching the size and weight of the early Honda Accord models, which were initially introduced as the "big brother" to the Civic in the mid 1970s.
The two-door-hatchback body style has been somewhat unpopular in the United States, but has achieved wide acceptance in Canada. Starting in 2001, the Civic two-door hatchback has been built exclusively at Honda's manufacturing plant in Swindon, England, making all instances of that model (left- or right-hand-drive, anywhere in the world) a British-made car with Japanese engineering.
The Civic is also popular when equipped with a transplanted Honda City Turbo powerplant. The City Turbo engine "drops in" to the Civic engine bay, making a significant increase in the power-to-weight ratio, boosting performance. A hybrid version is also available that uses a combination gas-electric hybrid engine for propulsion, which reduces exhaust emissions and greatly extends fuel mileage.