The Honda Civic has been the best selling car in Canada for years.
Back in the day, I owned a ’98 coupe and I loved it! It was the perfect size and had comfortable seating for my friends and me. It was good-looking, a bit sporty, drove well and most of all – it was affordable.
Not a lot has really changed since 1973 when we saw the first Civic. Sure, its size, shape, engine and transmission have seen several makeovers and refreshes, but the heart of this little car is still what makes it popular today.
Times are starting to change. The competition has been catching up and over the last few months, there has been a real war brewing in the compact car segment.
The battle started a couple years ago with the very popular Mazda3, and now the new 2011 Hyundai Elantra and VW Jetta. In fact, in January of 2011, both of these cars outsold the Civic.
For buyers shopping in this segment, they have a tough choice ahead of them, but in my opinion this is a good thing. More choice means that manufactures will have to work harder to give customers what they want.
For 2011, the Honda Civic comes in a choice of 4 trim levels, 2 engine options and 3 drivetrains. The base model DX-G, SE and EX –L are all powered by a 1.8 litre four cylinder that uses Honda’s i-VTEC technology. This gives the Civic 140 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque.
The sportier Si is equipped with a 2.0litre 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine. This version of the Civic gets 197 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque.
The DX-G and SE come with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and a 5-speed automatic is available as an option. The EX-L has the automatic as standard and the Si gets a fun 6-speed manual.
For the week, I am driving the SE Coupe with 5-speed manual transmission.
The manual is a blast to drive. The throws on the gearbox are nice and short and the clutch grabs in the perfect place. With the manual, I can hold the car a bit longer in each gear to get the most from this engine.
No matter how you slice it though, a 6-speed would have helped to give a bit more of a relaxed drive, especially on the highway.
Back in the day, I owned a ’98 coupe and I loved it! It was the perfect size and had comfortable seating for my friends and me. It was good-looking, a bit sporty, drove well and most of all – it was affordable.
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| The Honda Civic has been the best selling car in Canada for years. (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) |
Not a lot has really changed since 1973 when we saw the first Civic. Sure, its size, shape, engine and transmission have seen several makeovers and refreshes, but the heart of this little car is still what makes it popular today.
Times are starting to change. The competition has been catching up and over the last few months, there has been a real war brewing in the compact car segment.
The battle started a couple years ago with the very popular Mazda3, and now the new 2011 Hyundai Elantra and VW Jetta. In fact, in January of 2011, both of these cars outsold the Civic.
For buyers shopping in this segment, they have a tough choice ahead of them, but in my opinion this is a good thing. More choice means that manufactures will have to work harder to give customers what they want.
For 2011, the Honda Civic comes in a choice of 4 trim levels, 2 engine options and 3 drivetrains. The base model DX-G, SE and EX –L are all powered by a 1.8 litre four cylinder that uses Honda’s i-VTEC technology. This gives the Civic 140 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque.
The sportier Si is equipped with a 2.0litre 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine. This version of the Civic gets 197 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque.
The DX-G and SE come with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and a 5-speed automatic is available as an option. The EX-L has the automatic as standard and the Si gets a fun 6-speed manual.
For the week, I am driving the SE Coupe with 5-speed manual transmission.
The manual is a blast to drive. The throws on the gearbox are nice and short and the clutch grabs in the perfect place. With the manual, I can hold the car a bit longer in each gear to get the most from this engine.
No matter how you slice it though, a 6-speed would have helped to give a bit more of a relaxed drive, especially on the highway.
 |
| The base model DX-G, SE and EX –L are all powered by a 1.8 litre four cylinder that uses Honda’s i-VTEC technology. This gives the Civic 140 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) |