2012 Honda Civic European
>> Friday, July 22, 2011
2012 Honda Civic European. The new Honda Civic went on sale at roughly the same time, aiming at roughly the same buyers, but the two were designed with entirely different global philosophies. Thanks to One Ford, the Focus is largely interchangeable in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Honda, meanwhile, has continued the split-design policy started with the previous-gen Civic. As such, the European model has very little in common with the one sold in the States and elsewhere. For starters, the European Civic is a hatchback, not a sedan. It has entirely different exterior sheetmetal, rear suspension, and interior. It even has different front frame rails to make space for Europe's bulky.
Because it hasn't gotten into bed with any other car company, Honda is now in the second tier, size-wise. This separation of platforms must therefore count as a scarily expensive decision. Is it worth it? Certainly the Euro-Civic has a unique selling proposition. As with the Jazz/Fit, the fuel tank is under the front seats. The rear suspension uses a simple, compact torsion beam layout rather than double wishbones, giving the Civic remarkable versatility. There's nothing but fresh air under the rear seats, so you can flip the cushions up against the backrest like in a movie theater, giving a wide floor-to-roof cave that can easily fit a bicycle upright. Even with rear passengers, the trunk is super-deep.
On the powertrain side, Honda hasn't done enough. Although the automaker used to be regarded as one of the world's most progressive engine-makers, these days it looks out of step with the European market. European buyers are busily downsizing, and gasoline engines in this category tend to be torque-rich direct-injection turbos such as the Ford Ecoboost or Mini 1.6s, or even a 1.2 and 1.4 from Volkswagen. Honda is sticking with port-injected 1.4 and 1.8 VTECs. The 1.4 makes a scant 94 lb-ft.
Because it hasn't gotten into bed with any other car company, Honda is now in the second tier, size-wise. This separation of platforms must therefore count as a scarily expensive decision. Is it worth it? Certainly the Euro-Civic has a unique selling proposition. As with the Jazz/Fit, the fuel tank is under the front seats. The rear suspension uses a simple, compact torsion beam layout rather than double wishbones, giving the Civic remarkable versatility. There's nothing but fresh air under the rear seats, so you can flip the cushions up against the backrest like in a movie theater, giving a wide floor-to-roof cave that can easily fit a bicycle upright. Even with rear passengers, the trunk is super-deep.
On the powertrain side, Honda hasn't done enough. Although the automaker used to be regarded as one of the world's most progressive engine-makers, these days it looks out of step with the European market. European buyers are busily downsizing, and gasoline engines in this category tend to be torque-rich direct-injection turbos such as the Ford Ecoboost or Mini 1.6s, or even a 1.2 and 1.4 from Volkswagen. Honda is sticking with port-injected 1.4 and 1.8 VTECs. The 1.4 makes a scant 94 lb-ft.
0 comments:
Post a Comment