“This is a bit like former British Prime Minister John “Grey” Major morphing into Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger” 

“The first Honda saloon which will sell on the “wow” factor”

    NICE, France
It’s always been an iron law of nature that successful cars, when renewed, look almost indistinguishable from their predecessors. Conversely, cars which almost bankrupted the company are always redesigned to eradicate any possible link at all from the minds of potential buyers.

    That’s why the new Volkswagen Passat looks remarkably similar to its predecessor, and why the Fiat Stilo seems to have no family link at all with the Fiat Brava/Bravo.

    So why then has Honda come over all adventurous by designing this amazing looking new Civic? After all, Honda has sold more than 16 million Civics over the last 33 years. By all that is rational, the new one should be barely distinguishable from the old one, which was solid, worthy, dull and reliable.

    Honda has cornered the wrinkly niche market. Most of the people driving around in Civics seem to be senior citizens wearing trilbies. It has always been remarkable that for all Honda’s expensive efforts to try and make the brand sporty – for instance the gazillions spent on becoming a contender in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing - the typical buyer has remained relentlessly, well, retired, over the last 30 odd years.

    But Honda has come up with a fabulous looking new Civic with beautiful lines, an incredible front end and an amazing interior. This is a bit like former British Prime Minister John “Grey” Major morphing into Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the first Honda saloon which will sell on the “wow” factor.

    The question is, will Honda lose its traditional customers as it seduces the trendier buyer?

    GRANNYMOBILE
    “The old Civic was seen as a bit of a grannies car,” said Honda’s British marketing chief Simon Thompson. “We want to make sure grannies and grannies kids like the new one as well, that’s our challenge. We are trying to get the younger buyers and retain our traditional market,” he said at the launch near Nice, France.

    Thompson was pushing his luck with the oldsters though.

    “When you drive the new car you will no longer be perceived as being on your way to some old-age pensioners tea party,” said Thompson

     NO NAME CHANGE
    Honda said that because of the radically different nature of the new Civic, it considered changing its name. But it decided that it will do all it can to retain its traditional market, while battling for new sales. The new car is aimed more upmarket than the old one too, with sales expected to be won from potential Audi A3 and BMW 1 series buyers, as well as the Ford Focus, VW Golf, Renault Megane and Peugeot 307.

    Honda has set itself modest targets in West Europe. The old Civic peaked out at about 90,000 sales in its best year. Next year’s target is 100,000, with a gain of between 5 and 10 per cent in the plan for 2007. Prices are aimed to undercut the class leading VW Golf by £500 (€740).

    When customers first set eyes on the Civic they will do a double take. The striking, low front-end with blacked out air intake, hits you right between the eyes. The headlamps blend seamlessly in a glazed panel which stretches across the width of the car. The wedge shape and cab-forward look suggests “strong dynamic performance” according to Honda. Who could disagree?

    POINTING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
    One of their Japanese spokesmen suggested with a straight face that the lines were pointing towards the future, and that the design  was sexy, like a Kimono, where the body shape is hidden by the material, but the overall line is cleaner than it would be with a body-hugging piece of clothing.

    I’ve no idea what he was on about either. 

    The detailing is neat, with triangular shapes all over the place. The fog lights, front-door handles, disguised rear-door handles, and the exhaust pipe are all triangles. I’ve no idea why. The only weakness in the design is the rear end, which seems simply dull, out of place and suggests old Saab 9-3s. A rear spoiler which splits the rear window is an ascetic mistake, and curbs rear vision. Maybe the committee responsible for the back just gave up when they saw how well the rest of the car looked.

    SMALLER, LOWER WIDER
    The new car is slightly smaller than the old one, but it is lower, wider and the wheels are further apart for good handling.

    Inside, the dashboard styling is a knockout. There’s an outer swoop to the dashboard, with the most important information easy to read without taking your eyes off the road. Above the steering wheel there is a digital speedometer, flanked by a rev indicator on one side and an economy dial. The second, inner, dashboard has the analogue rev counter behind the steering wheel. Inside that is a multi-information display with average speed, average fuel consumption, oil level, seat-belt warnings, outside temperature and fuel range. Other controls like air conditioning are outside this area.

    Numerals and letters are in white, some against a blue background, with red elements to provide a sense of dynamism. The upmarket interiors with leather are beautiful with excellent quality trimming. There’s even a red starter button. The detailing will make BMW and Audi sit up and take notice.

    INSIDE LIKE THE JAZZ
    If this isn’t enough to shake up the opposition, the outstanding interior packaging will. Because the fuel tank has been pushed forward under the front seats, (just like the Honda Jazz) this opens up much useful space in the rear. The rear seats fold flat with the minimum of fuss. The rear chairs can also be tipped back like cinema seats to free space behind the driver and front seat passenger. You can put a huge potted plant in there, or young children can stand up – to change wet clothes while at the beach for example.

    The luggage compartment is the largest in its class, according to Honda, with 485 litres of space compared with the average of 320 litres. Under the boot floor, there is a hidden “secret” secondary 70 litre storage area. Cubbies are profuse. Head room in the back isn’t great.

    Build quality is top rate. Honda says it expects to win the Euro NCAP 5 start rating for front and side impact safety, 3 stars for pedestrian safety and 4 stars for child protection.

    A BIT NOISY
    There are three engine choices – 1.4 litre 83 bhp and 1.8 140 bhp petrols – and a 2.2 litre 140 bhp diesel. The diesel motor is top class, although it was a little on the noisy side compared with many modern diesels. Six speed manuals are standard.

    There is a Honda i-SHIFT “automated” manual transmission with the 1.8 petrol engine. This shifts gears painfully slowly, although not quite as limply as a similar auto box on the Smart minicar. If you use the paddle shift override, the changes are much quicker, but that seems self-defeating. This is one aspect of the Civic range which was not impressive. The 2.2i CTDi diesel though blasts the car from rest to 62 mpg-100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, and Honda claims a combined fuel return of 55.4 mpg-5.1 l/km.

    AGILE, DIRECT
    Turn on the engine and the dials and digital readouts burst into life too. It’s easy to get comfortable. The ride feels agile and the steering is direct. The gear-change is on the stiff side, but accurate and quick. The car’s handling was impressive, although the suspension didn’t handle uneven surfaces with much confidence.

    This car will be greeted with furrowed brows at VW and Ford because the Civic has the ability to beat the best for price, looks, packaging, quality and flexibility.

    Its appeal will be so wide, according to Honda, that even hypocrites will be happy. In a section of the company blurb on how it will “target forward-thinking (people) both in work and in their private lives,” Honda talks about a unique type of customer.

    “They demonstrate social responsibility without giving up the pursuit of their own enjoyment.”

     Sounds like a perfect formula to please champagne socialists everywhere.