Ninth Generation Civic

The ninth-generation Honda Civic made its world premiere in New York today. The new Civic’s highlights are a mildly revised style and a fuel-efficient lineup, made up of the following models: the conventional gasoline-powered Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, the high-performance Civic Si Coupe and Sedan, the Civic Hybrid, the Civic Natural Gas and the Civic HF (an all-new high fuel economy model).

For 2012, Honda announces higher fuel economy ratings, up by as much as 8 percent on the highway in the Civic Sedan and Coupe models equipped with automatic transmissions.

The base model Civic DX Coupe has an MSRP starting price of $15,605 (€10,750), which is unchanged from the outgoing model. The base Civic Sedan and Coupe models are powered by a 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine that delivers 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft (173.5 Nm) of torque.

The Civic Hybrid achieves a combined rating of 44 mpg (5.34 liters/100 km), with Honda stating it is the most fuel-efficient sedan currently available in the U.S. The hybrid model benefits from the introduction of the latest generation of the Integrated Motor Assist system, which now uses a lithium-ion battery. The petrol engine has a larger displacement (1.5-liter) and produces 110HP and 127 lb-ft (172 Nm) of torque together with the electric motor.

The second most fuel-efficient model in the new Civic range is the eco-friendly HF, with an estimated highway fuel economy rating of 41 mpg (5.74 liters/100 km).

The Civic Natural Gas (previously named Civic GX) remains the only manufacturer-built natural gas-powered car on the U.S. market. It is motivated by a dedicated natural gas variant of the 1.8-liter engine similar to the one used in the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe. Output is 110HP and combined fuel consumption is 31 mpg (7.59 liters/100 km).

The Civic Si Coupe and Sedan are fitted with a larger, 2.4-liter i-VTEC engine that delivers 201 horsepower and 170 lb-ft (230 Nm), 22 percent more torque than before. The performance-oriented models use a 6-speed manual transmission and are equipped with a standard limited-slip differential.

The 2012 Civic will be offered with new features as standard including a 5-inch LCD “Intelligent” Multi-Information Display (i-MID), the Eco Assist technology that helps achieve a more efficient vehicle operation (not on Si models) and the new Motion Adaptive Electronic Power Steering System.

By Dan Mihalascu

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