The All-New Ninth Generation Honda Civic - What the heck are you trying to sell to us, Honda?

When I was a younger man than I am today I used to run around Kuala Lumpur and its surroundings in a second-generation Honda Civic hatchback. The car, a 1981 vintage had a 1335cc single cam engine and generated something like 60bhp. But in those days, it only had to move 800kg of car or so and it was a nippy little bastard, putting it bluntly.  I was happy with it, especially in its final, modified according to my tastes, form. Actually I was extremely happy with it but that is something which I shall write about at a later date.

These days a Honda Civic is more like a medium sized family car instead of a mini sized hatchback. But one thing that hasn’t change over the years is that you do get some above average driving pleasure when you step into a Civic. Over the years I have driven all the generations of Civics and most perform admirably well.

There are some disappointments though; one was the Seventh Generation Civic sedans. With that car Honda decided to make the Civic larger and concentrated on making the Civic more practical. Honda marketed the Civic sedan as a practical small family sedan with a, gasp, flat rear floor. This was from the same people who wanted the Civic to be known as ‘The car for boy racers’ due to the reputation Honda had built by making the EF6, EG9, EK9 (Type-R) DOHC VTEC Civics that people love.  I say this because the not so cooking models from the EF, EG, EK range of Civics were cars that drove equally well (but were slower due to engine performance). But the Seventy Gen Civic sedan in stock form was so close to being ‘uncle car-like’ due to it being overly tall and it was the first modern Civic without the double wishbone front suspension. Instead it got basic MacPherson struts (hatchback models were even worse – it got a beam axle too!).

So the Seventh Gen Civic was rubbish overall. The following Eighth Generation Civic sedan was something of a revelation. Gone were the uncle car looks and in came something properly ‘Honda’. It also handled well and was actually very well built. I thoroughly loved driving this car and was lucky that my mother-in-law actually bought one when it first came out. The car was well built and materials used within its futuristic interior (especially the dashboard) was good. This car made you feel good whilst driving it. It also brought back some glamour lacking in the affordable car category.  I do believe that with this generation, Honda did quite well with the Civic sedan.

But now it has all changed. The supposedly all-new Ninth Generation Honda Civic sedan has recently been launched in Malaysia and I am utterly disappointed by the specs that Honda Malaysia has specced it with. It may be specced similarly throughout South-East Asia so this bit of information may also be relevant where you are at too.

So why is it a bloody disappointment in my books? It has nothing to do with its looks. To me it looks like an evolution of the previous Civic sedan. It has the latest styling cues that cars these days have, which basically adds sharper edges over the previous bulbous styling. Some do say that they wouldn’t buy the new Civic because it looks like the current Honda City but I personally think it looks fine. The problem with this Civic sedan isn’t its looks or even the way it handles, but what is offered.

You can choose between three engine options; the 138 bhp 1.8liter, the 153bhp 2.0liter (both with 5 speed torque converter automatic transmission) and a 1.5liter hybrid (with a CVT). There is an ECO meter to show how economical you’re driving the cars. There is also standard VSA (nothing new as the previous Civic also has it). And in the non-hybrid Civics you get a green ECO button to the right of the steering wheel on the dashboard.

So it supposedly comes with a fair bit of kit. But these days what car doesn’t? What is not very proper in a Civic or any Honda these days is a whole dashboard made of hard plastics. There are no soft touch plastics bar the steering wheel and the gear knob. It you rap your knuckles on the dashboard or door panels it is all hard to the touch plastic. You wouldn’t find this much hard plastic previously.

Even the cheaper, fully imported (yes, tax exempt) Honda CRZ has a fabulously equipped and nice to the touch cabin over this. Honda is telling you that a bread and butter model (yes, even the top of the range 2.0liter) requires some major cost cutting until you’re left with hard cheap plastics. It does not have to be that way since it’s locally assembled in Malaysia and to an extent produced in Thailand too. Hyundai isn’t doing that to its all-new Elantra. Is it because the plastics are made that way to offset the stupid ECO button on the dashboard or the Red Start Button (which is placed beside the hazard light button to the left of the wheel)? It Honda trying to tell people its sporty but green by having two gimmicky buttons to press? It must be because that’s all that’s interesting to write about.

And then there’s more cost cutting. You also wouldn’t find the sheet metal used on the doors flexing so easily if you press the inner door panel and the outer skin with your fingers and thumb. This level of thinnest isn’t confidence giving even though the car does have crash tubes built into the doors. Yes, doors aren’t an integral part of a car’s structure so it does not have to be built thick or too substantial but making it too thin is also wrong if you want to portray it as a quality product. You can only take cost cutting a fair bit and too much of it is a very bad thing.

You also wouldn’t find a single camshaft 2.0liter engine in the local top of the line Civic previously. Now, you get the same amount of horses (153bhp) and torque (190Nm) from a single cam engine. The salesman trying to sell you the car will tell you that you’re getting the same output but where’s the actual thrill of owning a single cam top of the range Honda? A proper Honda should have a proper twin cam zing to it and with this all-new ninth generation Honda Civic, Honda has deprived you from that experience. It’s not all about the horses or the torque figures. It’s about the experience. And you’re not getting it anymore. Want such a thrill in a new Honda? There is no such thrills unless you consider driving the warm (only warm but not hot) CRZ for some thrills as there currently isn’t any Type-Rs being made by Honda at this point of time.

I have to say that this all-new Ninth Generation Honda Civic is utterly, utterly disappointing. But note that I am not the only one saying this as when the car was first launched over in America, Honda got a whole lot of criticism from its shoddy built quality to what was blatantly seen as cost cutting. It’s seventh generation Honda Civic rubbish all over again. Cost cutting does not really help in the long run. Mercedes Benz realized this when they tried to do it in the mid-1990s and look at how fabulous the current crop of cars are.

Soto sum it up I'd have to say that if I wanted a proper Civic sedan I'd still have to try find a barely molested Eighth Gen Civic somewhere out there instead of this one. Wake the bloody hell up will you, Honda?