Thread: New 2016 Mazda 3

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Honda's turbocharged new Civic isn't for the masses yet – it's for sophisticated palates with cash to burn

2 May 2016 at 04:30 5,572 viewed0 comments
NEWSPAPER SECTION: LIFE | WRITER: RICHARD LEU

Most models stay on the market for at least five to six years before being renewed in all-new form. But Honda's ninth-generation Civic, launched in 2012, was an exception because its successor is already in Thai showrooms.

Although Honda won't admit it outright, there could be several reasons for the premature arrival of the 10th-gen model.

One of them could be design. While various C-segment saloons back then were making strides in the way they looked on the catwalk, the previous Civic was penned on the bland side. That explained why a facelift arrived just over a year after it was introduced in North America -- a crucial market for the Civic.

Then there was the car's size. Although the Civic was shorter than the eighth-gen model, it still had a reasonably spacious cabin with agile handling to match. Apparently, not all potential buyers bought into that idea because size mostly matters, especially in Asia.

And making things worse for Thailand, Honda persisted with a dated five-speed automatic transmission across the range whereas other markets got a newer CVT. Moreover, rivals moved the fuel efficiency game forward with other types of tech.

If you think this is all a load of rubbish, then take a good look at the latest Civic, as driven here this week. All the aforementioned shortcomings seem to have been addressed now.

The Civic's styling, for one, is truly distinctive in its class now. Of course, the front end speaks a similar language with the smaller City saloon and HR-V SUV, but it's that fastback-style profile that gives it a sleek and racy feel. It almost appears like Honda is attempting to capture hearts of both saloon and hatchback owners at the same time (a proper five-door hatch is being prepped for Europe).

And if you opt for the range-topping RS trim, as seen here, there are chunky 17-inch wheels, black front grille and rear spoiler to underline its sporting intentions with an all-new 1.5-litre petrol-turbo, which we'll touch into shortly.

The interior is equally tasteful. Apart from more use of soft-to-touch plastics, cabin ergonomics is made even better than before. The driving position is nearly peerless, thanks to various instrumentations that are placed in clearly visible locations and are easy to use. And because the Civic now looks long, it has cabin space to stay competitive with the rest of the pack. In fact, the longer 2.7m-long wheelbase is good proof that legroom for all occupants isn't an issue at all.

You may think that the raked roofline has eroded into head room. But it hasn't, as Honda has cleverly lowered the seats, especially at the rear, to compensate. Thus, sitting in the rear perches is like chilling out in lounge seats. Yeah, it's comfy.

And while there are plenty of storage holes around the cabin, there are some cost-cutting measures. The rear seats can't fold to increase cargo-hauling capability and there are no USB sockets for passengers in the back. Even the cheaper City has got them.

Even so, the use of a new platform has helped accommodate a more eye-pleasing and spacious body shell to plug two key deficiencies in the previous Civic. Unlike before, Honda's latest saloon is now broadly on the forefront of the Thai C-segment class in terms of styling and practicality.

The other major improvement is in drivetrain technology. Honda has finally ditched the five-speed gearbox and brought over the CVT type that should have been here since the outgoing Civic. And while the 1.8-litre petrol engine has been carried over as the entry-level version, it's the brand-new 1.5-litre petrol-turbo that beckons for a good ride.

Developed as a replacement for the old 2.0-litre non-turbo in marketing and price terms, the force-fed 1.5 is all part of the engine-downsizing exercise to maintain performance of a bigger, naturally aspirated motor yet offer better levels of low-end torque, fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

In the Civic's case, this so-called VTEC Turbo produces 173hp which is essentially the equivalent to the Accord's 2.4-litre powerplant in terms of power (read: the next-gen Accord can take such turbo power).

With this new engine, the Civic is on an entirely different plane to the old 2.0. The presence of the turbo greatly helps in real-world tractability whereby only a slight nudge on the throttle is needed to move the car effortlessly. Less pedal effort naturally translates into fewer visits to the fuel pumps.

The CVT also works quite well by ideally matching engine revs whenever the driver asks for power. This entire drivetrain builds up pace progressively up to the engine's redline. In fact, the level of responsiveness it yields makes changing gears manually via the steering-mounted paddle-shifters unnecessary in less demanding road conditions.

Although the predecessor had several doubtful things, one thing it did quite ably was handling. Even though not tailored exactly the same, the new Civic has the same level of steering intuition as before, if with a touch more precision. In other words, the car's nose points to exactly where the driver wants.

A firm suspension setting would have nicely complemented the well-judged steering to make the overall driving experience sporty. But that isn't the case because you can feel some sogginess when pushing the car in corners.

But to be fair, it's only the serious driving enthusiast who would moan about this. Clearly, Honda needs to sell cars to the average Somchai as well. And because of this, it must be said that the generally comfortable ride doesn't backfire too much on handling.

The chassis balance is quite ideal for the real-world, although the brakes feel mushy and road noise from beneath the car is a companion for you on not-so-smooth surfaces.

But it's still a good car to drive overall. Even the more powerful Nissan Sylphy 1.6 DIG Turbo doesn't feel as lively or convincing to drive as in this particular Civic. There was once a time you bought the Civic 2.0 not for its marginally superior performance over the 1.8 but for its more comprehensive kit. Not so in this new 1.5 because it has substantially more oomph.

Speaking of the spec, Honda seems to be a little too prudent with the Civic in RS trim. Rather than going head-to-head with some comparable competition in terms of price, Honda has played the game on its own.

The Civic RS is priced highest at 1.199 million baht and comes with cabin-filled airbags and some driver-assist tech. The non-RS variant omits some of these items for a 100k saving yet is priced the same with the feature-filled Ford Focus and Mazda 3. As well, that aforementioned Sylphy is 200k cheaper than the Civic RS.

This, in the end, makes the Civic RS the choice for sophisticated palates who need better driving performance than usual and aren't short on money at all.

For Honda, this car is to help boost the turbo image in the long run because such tech is here to stay and explains why the maker is expecting sales of the 1.5 to take up only 20% of total Civic sales

Blown away | Bangkok Post: auto

The current civic is quite good.

Those little X1 are tiny little things.

Not my cup of tea anyway.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

They are around Ant, but hard to find

Yeah I've seen a few, mostly RX7/8's but even an RX2 that I was pretty interested in until I thought about where the hell I could ever get a rotary serviced here.

Sorry about the slight thread-jack by the way!

Those things drank oil like no other machine on the planet. Second hand values in the UK were always poor and only an idiot would buy new.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Jesus needed to add, "for the money." I like BMWs, but they are silly money over here. What I am paying for the Mazda 3 over here is very close to what I would pay back home. That does not happen very often.

Yes, for the money. Personally I believe the present Mazda 3 will be a future classic. Not in Thailand perhaps. But in other areas where cars are more appreciated.

Originally Posted by samsara

^thank you mr. mazda dealership owner.

i kinda prefer a bmw 420d convertible, but hey.

Ana Barrow full of bricks, right?