THE Latin phrase, Annus
Horribilis that was used by Queen Elizabeth could have been applied to car
manufacturer Honda last year.
The earthquake in Japan in March, coupled with
flooding in Thailand late last year delayed parts being shipped to Honda’s
assembly plant in Swindon.
Those setbacks caused production to slow down and the
launch of the new Civic had to be postponed. However, some things are worth
waiting for and Irish motorists will be the first in Europe to benefit from the
change in Honda’s fortunes this year as we have just had delivery of the first
batch of the ninth edition of the popular Civic.
Honda say that the Civic is by far their most popular
seller in Ireland and they have sold over 42,000 units since 1985. At the Irish
press launch in Cavan recently a 1987 model was displayed alongside the latest
two versions and while the old car attracted much curiosity the new cars seemed
to come from a different world to the old one.
The changes to the ninth edition are minor, but
noticeable. It’s said that Honda is a company run by engineers, but the
Japanese manufacturers spoke to owners of previous editions and got their views
on what changes they would like to see in the new edition. The front still has
that distinctive Civic look, while the rear end now has lights that protrude just
a little to create a wing effect.
The only annoying thing about the previous Civic was
the bar across the back window that restricted what you were able to see in
your rear view mirror. The bar is still there, dividing the rear window in two,
but it has been adjusted so that you can now get a better view of what’s
happening behind you; plus you get a wiper for the top section and the lower
section of the back window has a demister.
I find Irish motor distributors very honest and at
every presentation I attend they make no secret of the identity of the
opposition’s cars they are going to target. In the case of the Civic, the
quartet on its radar are: Golf, Focus, Auris and Astra. Honda reckon that their
entry-level model should be well able to compete on price and spec with those
four.
The interior is very comfortable and the dash has a
very futuristic look with that unusual looking display area above the dash.
There are also plenty of slave controls on the steering wheel. On the road this
is a very smooth motor and it handles really well whether on motorways or
boreens. The stop-star technology means you should save fuel. You also get an
Eco button on the dash to tell you how
‘green’ your driving is.
The boot is very deep, but no spare wheel, just a
repair kit. I have seen a lot of silver coloured Civics on our roads and red
also seems to be a popular colour. My test model was black and it looked great;
truly a black beauty.
Prices start at
?¬21,395 for the 1.4 petrol SE model
and with petrol cars now back in favour Honda expect this model which has a lot
of extra features, will be their most popular model in Ireland. I drove the ES
version that included even more extras including reversing camera and Sat Nav
and that will cost you
?¬22,670. The new Civic is also available in 1.8 petrol
where prices start at
?¬24,760 and 2.2 diesel with prices starting at
?¬24,445.