9th Gen EDM Civic at Frankfurt Motor Show

[Kenny Carwash]

New Honda Civic Revealed

Evolution not revolution appears to be the order of the day, as Honda unveiled the ninth generation Civic for the European market on Monday. The new car is based on an updated version of the eighth gen platform and retains the same torsion beam rear suspension layout. This will no doubt further disappoint fans of the seventh generation car's independent rear suspension, although the CR-Z demonstrates what can now be achieved with that setup, both in terms of packaging and handling. A stiffer front subframe is expected to improve handling over the old platform, while fluid-filled bushes at the rear should aid ride quality.

External styling changes are also relatively minor. The Civic's overall shape is largely unchanged, the only significant differences being a lower nose, flared arches and more prominent LED rear light bar, now slightly lower in the rear screen to improve visibility. Subtle changes have been made throughout the body to improve aerodynamic efficiency and together with the new active grille shutter and sculpted underbody, improve the car's drag coefficient by around 10% and reduce wind noise.

Engines are refined versions of the existing 1.4 and 1.8 VTEC and 2.2 DTEC units, all of which now have increased power, reduced emissions, an ECON mode and engine stop/start systems. There are currently no plans for a hybrid.

In the cabin, the layout remains roughly the same but better quality materials are apparent throughout. The popular fold flat/flip up rear seating system from the eighth gen car remains, as does the 'hidden' boot compartment. New optional toys include a collision mitigation system and adaptive cruise control, however the lane departure warning system has been dropped after negative feedback from owners of the last car. Definitive prices have yet to be revealed, but the entry-level car is expected to start at around £16,000.

[Saulutations!]

I like it. I think it looks better than the new civic we got over here.

[sleighman]

Looks better than the current offering.

[DragonZORD]

I was gonna post this a few days ago when I was searching up on the Civic SI. But it looks ugly IMO. I've never liked the Civic anyway.

[varg]

I hate that they use torsion suspension in the rear. Performance is more important then space! Let's hope they get that right on the "performance version", as they aren't calling it a type R.

[Kenny Carwash]

The 8th Gen Type R had a torsion beam rear setup, which is why purists consider it far inferior to the 7th Gen. Shame 8th Gen is a much better looking car!

I think the torsion beam is going to become the standard solution for a lot of popular cars. They aren't actually bad for handling - I could name several good to great chassis that have incorporated them - it's just that independent or multilink arrangements are better. They also take up considerably more space and cost a lot more; around $3,000 - $4,000 on the sticker price, basically. Combined with the packaging and practicality benefits, it looks very likely that we'll only see the more advanced suspension setups on fairly serious prestige or performance cars within a few years.

Personally, I was hoping Honda would be a bit more bold with the new Civic but it makes sense for them not to stray too far from what has been a winning formula. I'm not overly struck by the styling changes, but I'll wait to see a couple in the metal before I pass final judgement. One the plus side, should a baby happen in the fairly near future then this Civic will almost certainly be my next car and sturdier cabin materials, less wind noise and a smoother ride are things that I increasingly care about as I get older. My 20 year-old self would be appalled at the continuing emasculation of the Civic, but it's probably the right car for my 31 year-old self!

[ian100]

Really disappointing. My plan was to trade in my CRZ for one. That is until I saw it. I think I will be keeping my impractical CRZ for a while longer.

[Kenny Carwash]

I think there's good and bad in the styling. The 8th Gen is definitely starting to look a bit 'busy' and the new car's lines have been cleaned up. I'm not a fan of the new nose though, which has been changed to tie in with the look of the Jazz, and the flared rear arches just make it look dumpy. I'll definitely be keeping hold of the CR-Z for as long as I can!

[maxboy]

i like it and we don't have it here......still don't like the new steering wheel......