HONDA Civic · photos, packages and modifications

The latest model of Honda Civic has sold more than 650,000 models making it the ninth generation of the car to do so since its introduction in 1973. It competes with Ford Focus and VW Gold and also has an evolutionary look which rounds the edges from the radical shape of the predecessor. All the civics have a fitted stop-start system that saves fuel by shutting the engine in traffic regardless of which of the four engines you choose from. It also has an ECON button that improves the fuel economy by adjusting the throttle response and the air conditioning.

For this model, an evolutionary look has been chosen by Honda as compared to the revolutionary look in the previous generation of the Honda Civic. The shape is smoother and sleeker with curvy wheel arches and longer overhangs to improve the aerodynamics. Across the front there are LED lights which are standard throughout the range.

A windscreen wiper is added although the tail of the car still has the split screen from the previous model with lights in the split. The cabin material as well as the switchgear has been made better as far as the interior is concerned while the digital dashboard is much easier to read after being simplified. The overall quality of the car is much better than Kia Cee'd or Ford Focus although the seat cloths appear cheap and layout is flawed as it depends on the seating position as the steering wheel might be blocking the speedometer while some screens reflect in the windscreen at night and can distract the driver. There is a choice to make from the four trim levels- SE, EX, ES and the flagship EX GT - although even the entry level cars have an automatic air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels and USB connectivity. Also, there are several luxuries in the ES like Parking camera, Cruise Control, dual-zone climate control, front fog lights and Bluetooth while the EX GT cars have a panoramic sunroof, 17-inch alloys and privacy glasses.

There is a good balance between fun and comfort in the Honda Civic due to the new fluid-filled rear suspension bushes that soaks up the bumps as well as the Volkswagen Golf and the electric power steering system is smoother. The focus is evolving still as there is not much feedback and the weighting is inconsistent. The car doesn't suffer from of wind noise because of the slippery aerodynamics of the car. There is a choice between the 140 bhp 1.8-litre and 99 bhp 1.4-litre petrol engines and 118 bhp 1.6-litre and 148 bhp 2.2-litre diesel engines. Each model of the car has six-speed smooth-shifting manual available as a standard however a five-speed automatic can also be taken with the 1.8-litre model. However, with the automatic you cannot have the fuel-saving-stop-start-system. The car is crowned as an all-rounder as it offers a good economy and smooth acceleration on the 1.6 diesel engine because of the 300Nm torque. It is better to stay away from the 1.8-litre petrol which is very noisy and needs lots of rev to perform at its best.

Honda came at sixth as a brand for the 2012 results, ahead of both Mercedes and Hyundai. It also has a 5 star rating by Euro NCAP which is the maximum. Also, all civics come with fitted airbags and LED daytime running lights, ABS and ESP. The EX and the EX GT models also have adaptive cruise control and a Collision Mitigation Braking System that has radar to detect collisions at low speeds.

Honda knows how to make the most of the space that is inside the car even though the current civic has generous dimensions of 4300 mm long, 2065 mm wide and 1590 mm tall. There is a new Jazz-style technology in the new Civic that was not in the predecessor, along with a centrally mounted tank for fuel that gives more space for the passengers in the rear seats. Along with a compact torsion beam rear suspension, the room is plenty for adults in the back but taller passengers will have a problem with headroom and the access is also difficult due to the narrow door openings. There is space for 477-lires of boot in the luggage (which includes 76-litres in an under floor compartment) which is 161-liters more as compared to the Focus although it is still 113-litres less when you compared it to the new Skoda Octavia. The loading is made easy due to the low boot lip but the twin-height floor helps in extra storage but the drawback of it is that the civic does not come with a spare wheel.