Thai / Asian Model Civic 2.0 i-VTEC Sedan

Photos from the 2005 Bangkok Motor Expo
(Reader's Contribution)

TOVA reader Donny visited the 2005 Bangkok Motor Expo that was held last month where he had a chance to check out the new 2006 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC exhibit in the Honda booth. Donny has contributed a small set of photos taken of the new Civic from the show. These photos allows us to have a close look at the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC sedan that should hopefully be making its way across most of Asia-Oceania starting from next month/year. He also forwarded me some personal impressions and opinions of the car. Extracts of Donny's comments about the new 2006 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC sedan is below.

I just came back from bangkok and managed to go the Bangkok Motor Expo 2005. The Civic looks great from the back and side but it is disappointing in front. This is my opinion.....in the photos that we've seen it looks great but you got to see it yourself to be disappointed. The MPV type of screen makes the dashboard looks extra long and ugly. The non-conventional viper movement is not such a beauty either. I was so excited and ended up disappointed. I thought the new civic will look sportier than the my current RX2 but even with the Modulo version shown, the front stuck out like a sore tumb. SIGH! DISAPPOINTED !

I took a lot of pics actually cos I spend about an hour just on the Honda booth..I was trying to get rid of my disappoinment and try very hard to like the front look of the new civic but SIGH!....... By the way, the new civic is already on the road in bangkok i managed to see a few times a new civic next to our current civic and SIGH! the old one looks sportier.

The limited edition Civic RX2 that Donny current drives

Donny can be classified as a Civic enthusiast. He's currently driving one himself, a Civic RX2 which is a special edition of the outgoing ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC fitted with Honda Access bodykit and 16" 'Civic Type-R' rims with Michelin tyres. It is important to understand that these opinions are in the end still Donny's own personal ones. They probably represent a general view of what the typical hardcore Civic enthusiast might think of the car though it should also be cautioned that looks is a very personal thing so Donny's views will not necessarily be shared by every enthusiast.

The Thai / Asian Civic 2.0 i-VTEC Specifications

From the Honda Automobile Thailand (HAT) website, the important specifications of the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC Sedan is as follows:

Displacement	1998 c.c.
Bore X Stroke	86.0 X 86.0
Max Power	155hp (114kW) @ 6000rpm
Max Torque	19.2kgm (188Nm) @ 4200rpm
Transmission	5speed Automatic with GLC and Direct Control
Weight	1295kg (2849lb)
Wheels	205/55R16

As the norm, the Civic 2.0 i-VTEC comes with only a 5-speed automatic transmission. This 5AT is equipped with Grades Logic Control (GLC) and also the new 'Direct Control' (DC) which is a manual over-ride sequential shifting option. The actuation is via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Honda has also given the gear ratios a better spread on this new Civic 2.0, the individual gear ratios being 2.652, 1.517, 1.082, 0.773, 0.566 with a final drive ratio of 4.563.

For the engine, while the max power remains the same at 155ps, it now comes at 6000rpm which is 500rpm lower than the ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC. This is combined with a new max torque of 19.2kgm, 1.2kgm or almost 7% stronger torque, coming in at 4200rpm or 800rpm lower. These figures confirms an engine which has been specifically tuned to offer stronger low-end and mid-range power. While this is clearly a move to give the Civic a wider appeal, more towards non-Honda enthusiasts, its also really quite necessary as the new 1.8l SOHC i-VTEC R18A engine is already offering 17.7kgm which is almost as good as the original K20A engine of the outgoing ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC. So it's also a case of making sure the new K20 engine continues to offer significant better all round power than the new R18A engine.

Compared to the ET1 Civic which weighs in at 1260kg, the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC is 35kg heavier and so has a slightly worse power-to-weight ratio. This should lead to slightly slower straight line performance. However, the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC also offers quite significantly better low-end power, so for daily driving it should be quite a bit faster.

Finally, while Donny's opinion do correlate with comments from many TOVA readers, I also want to highlight that there have been a fair number of readers who wrote to me saying that they really like the new Civic. So there are enthusiasts who likes the new Civic as well. For those who have expressed dissapointment like Donny or the many Singapore TOVA readers who wrote to me, their main complaint seems to be about the look, usually the front end design. Once again, I am unable to offer any of my observations at this point since I am in the unusual situation where my readers have seen the car but I have not. Nevertheless my initial thoughts are that one possible cause could be the relatively small improvement in specifications the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC offers over the outgoing ET1. Without significant upgrade in the important specifications like power or gearbox, Honda enthusiasts are drawn to focus on the looks and equipment trim levels. Such a move has its pitfalls since looks are always very personal.

Unfortunately for Honda, enthusiasts like Donny already have a good idea of what the original Civic DNA means, DNA which are exemplified by the mighty EF9, EG9 and EK4 Civic SiRs of generations very much loved but now long gone. This DNA have been slowing degenerating over the generations and in enthusiasts minds, reached a low point with the original 1.7l ES Civic. The last MMC for the ES-Civic and more significantly the introduction of the ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC started to bring back fond memories of the legendary Civic DNA of old. With the high standards set by those cars, enthusiasts have started to return and have especially been really looking forward to the new Civic.

At this point, it is very important that I make myself clear. I do think both variants of the new Civic offers important upgrades over the current outgoing one. However, it is the 'base' version, the 1.8l i-VTEC which offers the more significant upgrades. The new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC do offer some nice upgrades over the ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC, especially the sequential shifters, HID lights, and so forth. These are most definitely acknowledged and appreciated by the enthusiast. However, the bottomline remains that we are really expecting to see more. A more powerful engine, perhaps 170hp or 180hp would have made a huge amount of difference. A more sporty orientation in the design : higher engine red-line, more sporty interior, a sleeker sporty exterior and so forth would have done wonders. However in the end, I think the biggest dissapointment must be that yet once again Honda stubbornly insists on ignoring enthusiasts calls for a manual gearbox option.

How important are Honda enthusiasts to Honda ? Well, we after all are the people who have plunked down our hard-earned money to actually own and drive a Honda. And we have been with Honda through thick and thin, being very vocal in our enthusiasm and support for Honda. I myself have frequently been accused of blind allegiance to Honda and I know of many enthusiasts who have gone into huge arguements in defence of their favourite car. Surely that qualifies us as one of the more important, if not the most important people of all to Honda ?

Photos of the Civic 2.0 i-VTEC sedan - with TOVA comments

Nevertheless, let's not allow ourselves to get too distracted away from the important task at hand. Presented below are Donny's photos from the Bangkok Motor Expo. The photos are as supplied by Donny, who reduced their resolution and size in order to be able to email them to me. For each photo, as per standard TOVA style, I have added my own observations and highlights. I hope readers enjoy the photos. Please feel free to add your comments in our TOVA forum.

The center dashboard panel incorporates a built-in audio player with air-cond controls. This is standard in Honda's top of the line offering for each model, being used on the 2.4l Accord and Jazz VTEC as well.	The transmission offers the standard 'PRNDS' modes but no longer comes with an 'L' for special low gearing. This is because direct selection of a gear is now possible with the 'Direct Control' sequential shifters.
The new design 3-spoke leather bound steering wheel. Peeking cheekily from just behind the spokes are the paddles for the sequential shifter.	The tacho shows a red-line of 6800rpm, same as the current out-going Civic 2.0 i-VTEC. Though not SiR standard, 6800rpm is at least still fairly high.
The most obvious feature of the new K20Z engine is the new intake manifold with long runners designed to offer strong low-end torque.	The respected '2.0 i-VTEC' badge returns to adorn the rear of the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC sedan. Also note the twin tail-pipes.
Front wheels - 16" rims with Bridgestone tyres.	A view of the rear showing the tail-lights.
Yet one more view of the rear, but this unit is fitted with the Honda Acccess 'Modulo' bodykit. Note the rear lower lip and trunk/boot spoiler with integrated 3rd brake light.	The Honda Access wheels fitted on this unit is the 17" version (there's an 18" version in Japan as well). The side skirt spots the 'Modulo' badge. Also note the side-mirrors with integrated turn signals.
Rear wheels showing off the rear brake discs	This photo shows the front Honda Access lower lip.
As typical of Honda, they had a unit with special cut-away sections on exhibit as well.	The major structural chassis members have been highlighted in red.
The cabin space is clearly highlighted in this shot. The interior is leathered and in this unit, spots a two tone colour scheme.	TOVA reader Donny who graciously contributed these photos. Donny drives an ET1 Civic 2.0 i-VTEC RX2 limited edition sedan.