The Honda Exhibit (Feb. 2-4, 2007, behind NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio)

**carlocaraddict** · February 4th, 2007 11:28 PM

comments:

Civic 2.0S
I just don't know how to use the paddle shift but the power is great. CIvic or Focus Sport? Its hard to decide

Civic 1.8S AT
I prefer the 1.8S matted with MT . The AT is quite sluggish.

Jazz 1.5
Nothing has changed in terms of power but I still prefer Toyota's 1.5 VVTi power house. Same 'ol spacious interior. Oh those rims are attractive.

Accord 3.0
Great handling, steering, engine, suspension but the butt....ohhhhh
I love the sound system though! hehehehe.

**niky** · February 4th, 2007 11:45 PM

Here's my short review (short for me, anyway... hehehe...)

Honda Civic 2.0 S-L

The new Civic 2.0 S-L is the top dog in Honda’s Civic line-up. With those futuristic lines, a full leather interior, that rocking 2 liter engine and the full drive-by-wire kit, it’s also a showcase of Honda’s technical talent at the moment.

We’ve been in this interior before (read mbt’s article here), so I won’t dwell on it too much. Same long, ***y, view-obstructing A-pillars, same long, ***y, view-dominating dash, same über-cool instruments and chairs. I love the materials, though I feel the over-eager lumbar support is too stiff for people of my size. Oh, and curiously, the inner door handles are a bit loosely-goosey on this car. I think Honda should consider replacing them with smaller ones in the next Civic facelift. The major difference from the 1.8 here is the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel… a little more dramatic than the Playstation-era buttons on the Jazz, but small enough to be discreet. Very nice.

On the road, the Civic feels stiff and settled, although my short test-drive route and the curtailment of slalom rights (thanks to that over-exuberant test-driver who smashed a poor defenseless Honda City on Friday) meant that I didn’t get enough lateral g’s in to tell whether the suspension is appreciably stiffer (or in fact, any different) than the 1.8’s. Even so, the driving dynamics feel similar, sharp initial turn in, with nothing but understeer on the menu after that, as the rear end follows the front obediently around. Honda really ought to consider changing these tires, but tires are never more than half of the equation. It’s also a question of suspension tuning. The Lancer GT and Honda Accord have the exact same tires yet felt more playful. A little more stiffness in the rear anti-roll bar and shocks may help the Civic’s case without making it feel too stiff, but only a much longer drive and more experience will validate this observation. The good news is that the electric power steering doesn’t feel appreciably lighter or number than the 1.8's hydraulic set-up. It’s still a bit numb, but at least it has decent weight. Again, I need more seat time to evaluate this.

As always, the headliner for the Civic is the engine. The drive-by-wire system is responsive and the power surge linear. The automatic transmission means that you won’t get the full benefit of all 152 ponies, but the close ratios give you seamless acceleration. I was hoping to feel more of the torque, but it’s much too smooth to give you that kick. Nevertheless, it’s much quicker than the Ford Focus 2.0 Sport and the Mazda3 2.0R. Even better is the amount of control that transmission is willing to relinquish to the driver, allowing you to upshift and downshift at will. While it still automatically downshifts for you at stoplights in manual mode, it’ll let you ping the engine off the redline on upshifts, and you can actually downshift too quickly when you’re… uhm… excited, causing some unintended engine braking. It’s the most playful AT gearbox south of 2 million pesos, and if I were to get a Japanese automatic in the near future, this would be it.

Still, it’s much better for highway blats than mountain runs, as with a turn and a quarter of lock on, and the car sliding sideways, I dare you to find the darn paddles and actually hit the right one.

One practical area where the Civic loses out to the Focus (besides handling) is in terms of braking. While the slippery tires do play a part here, the Focus’s anti-lock braking system logic is still the most sophisticated I’ve tested to date. The Civic’s is merely competent, and even with the engine braking from the automatic transmission to smooth it down, brake actuation is still too grabby. I was not able to test the stability control/assist system, thanks to the speed restrictions on the slalom, but I may get a shot at another 2.0 S-L at a later date. I’ll give an update when I do.

Overall, I was not as impressed with the Civic as I’d hoped, but more impressed, overall, than I thought I would be. Confused by that statement? Let’s just say: I want more, but what’s here is more than good enough. And for the things I don’t like, namely, the suspension and tires, there’s always the aftermarket. Emperor Motorsports takes credit, right?

I'm looking forward to doing a more extensive test of one in the coming months. If time permits, I may even be able to take it to Tagaytay. That would probably be the real acid test of Honda's sporting intent.

**carlocaraddict** · February 5th, 2007 12:08 AM

Niky, did it rain in Fort Boni this afternoon?

Same sentiments about the paddle shifters

**niky** · February 5th, 2007 12:37 AM

Nope. Thankfully.

I saw why the guy went off. Very tightly laid out slalom. Honda should have hired a racing school or some slalom veterans to help lay out their slaloms (like Ford does) to avoid incidents.

I actually like the paddle shifters, they're just a pain to use in cornering... kinda fun, but not as much fun as the great manual the Civic has.