New turbo engine Civic starts from RM127,800. Non-turbo 1.8 at RM113,800

The new Honda Civic has been highly anticipated by the Malaysian buyers and yet as I was driving to the launch this morning, it seemed the previous gen’s launch and media drive was not at all that far back. Perhaps – and this assumption is loosely made – this is the cost of success.

The latest generation Honda passenger models, particularly the City, Accord and CR-V (and Civic), was such a game changer that it helped Honda Malaysia to dethrone Toyota off the best-selling brand (non-national) sales performance.

The previous Civic had no serious flaws but to remain the small giant it is now, the name plate needs to move forward. Adding to this is the fight being brought forth by the B-segment which keeps getting bigger, feature-packed and sound in its safety pedigree.

Honda gives the impression that they gave it all for the tenth-gen Civic. The car was not only benchmarked against other Japanese competitors, but also premium Euro compacts. As such, Honda marks the new Civic as a game-changer.

First up, there are two engines to choose from: 1.8-litre and 1.5-litre turbo.

In the current environment, you cannot be that game-changing force without a sensible price. So the 1.8S is RM113,800; and the 1.5 turbo is RM127,800. There is an additional 1.5 turbocharged Premium variant, and it costs RM135,800.

That’s right folks, the smaller capacity engine headlines the model since the turbocharger makes up for the lack of displacement. This engine is also a proper representation of Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology where dynamic performance goes hand in hand with superior fuel economy (when compared to the atmo-breathing 1.8).

The 1.5 turbo makes it the first engine to be used by a Japanese manufacturer for a C-segment. This turbo engine as with the 1.8L is paired with a CVT gearbox. Honda Malaysia also announced that the Civic has been granted EEV (Energy Efficient Vehicle) status by the authorities.

The All-New Civic 1.5L VTEC Turbocharged variant is equipped with a smart monitoring system which will indicate the timing of oil change and notify customers with an indication lamp on the speedometer on their service status.

We can’t say that that the new Civic clearly looks larger than the car it replaces but it has a longer wheelbase and wider body, giving an interior that has D-segment levels of space and comfort. NVH has been minimised further using a lightweight sound proofing system.

The All-New Civic offers “Advanced Interface” via its 7” Advanced Display Audio which is completely redesigned to be the most convenient and connected Civic ever. Some of these features which are also Civic’s first include remote engine start, electric parking brake, auto brake hold and walk-away auto lock.

Six airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist and Brake Assist are all standard items, making the Civic nameplate one of the safest, especially in the C-segment.

Honda Malaysia expects to sell 1,200 units of the all-new Civic monthly.

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