Autonet.ca (new version of Canadian Driver.com) Review: 2006-2011 Honda Civic

An old Japanese nameplate
History Honda Civic is one of the oldest Japanese nameplates sold in Canada, having been launched here in 1972, and has been the best-selling car in this country for the past 13 years.
The 8th generation of the Japanese compact was marketed from 2006-11, until an all-new 2012 model came out this spring. Despite the popularity of hatchback models in Canada, Civic has been available only as a coupe or sedan since 2006, although a hybrid version also was available. At the 2006 Canadian Car of the Year Awards, Civic Si was named best new sports car and Civic sedan best new economy car. Search available trim options for the 2006-2011 Honda Civic

The good stuff
With its rugged ACE body structure (which stands for Advanced Compatibility Engineering), the 8th generation Civic is one of the safest compacts and has earned 5-star ratings from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for both driver and passenger in frontal crash testing. Si models, available in both coupe and sedan form, have a potent 2.0-litre inline four making 197 hp. From 2006-11 Natural Resources Canada named Civic Hybrid as the most fuel-efficient compact sold here, with ratings of 4.3L/100 km highway and 4.7 city. Civic seats were once too thin and hard, but now are extremely comfortable - even on long trips.

Heads up!
2006-07 models, both coupes and sedans, suffered from an unusual number of recalls (for Honda), the most serious of which was a leak that could cause rear wheel bearing failure and which affected 107,653 cars. Something to be wary of in these times of high prices at the pump: the Si burns premium fuel. The 1999 and 2000 Civic Si has had the dubious distinction of being the most stolen car in Canada for several years running. This problem has been solved with the anti-theft engine immobilizer that is standard on 8th generation vehicles. The Si is a willing performer, but the 2.0-litre engine is a bit of a screamer when driven to its 8,000 rpm limit.

Overall
Except for the Hybrid, which is made in Japan, Civics sold in Canada are built at Honda’s Alliston, Ont. assembly plant and sold in several trim levels. The two-tier instrument panel was controversial at first and does take some getting used to. Fuel economy with the 1.8L gas engine won’t approach that of the Hybrid, but still will be in the range of 7.5L/100 km highway. As with all popular cars, used Civics sell at a premium - especially newer, low-mileage examples.

Prices at a glance
Year range Approx. price range
2006 $8,000 - $14,000
2007 $9,000 - $15,000
2008 $10,000 - $19,000
2009 $13,000 - $21,000
2010 $14,000 - $23,000
2011 $15,000 - $25,000

Vitals
Engine: 1.8L SOHC I4 (140 hp); 2.0L DOHC I4 (197 hp); hybrid system, 1.3L SOHC I4 plus electric motor (110 hp) Transmissions:5-speed manual; 5-speed automatic; 6-speed manual (Si); CVT (hybrid) Layout:front engine; FWD. Body: 4-door sedan; 2-door coupe.

Source;
http://www.autonet.ca/autos/search/usedmodels/2011/05/26/18196891-autonet.html

Honda UK; 2009 Honda Civic Facelift

For all of you who got bored of the Honda Civic, it seems this is your lucky day! Honda unveiled today the facelifted 2009 Honda Civic but don’t get too emotional, this is only a minor facelift! As you can see the vehicle comes with a re-designed front grille and new rear headlights while at the interior it features a new texture for the plastic components.

Also a new 1.4-liter petrol engine is available capable to deliver 100 hp (an improvement considering the last generation had 83 hp) and 127 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. All the facelifted Civics will come with a tire pressure warning system, due to the safety reasons.

Regarding the Type S variant, this will be optically close to the Type R version, featuring the same radiator grille and tail lamps as well as the painted front apron, wheel arches and the tail apron. Regarding the interior the Type S will feature sport seats with Alcantara leather as well as matt finish materials as seen on the Type R. More details when the new vehicle will be officially unveiled.

Source (more photo's too);
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/2009-honda-civic-facelift-unveiled/#more-395

What's New for 2009 Honda Civic Sedan's

- new Sport trim replaces LX & LX SR.

DX, DX-A and DX-G: No new features.

Sport adds to DX-G: 16" aluminum-alloy wheels, Power-assisted ventilated front and solid rear disc brakes, Body-coloured door mirrors and handles, Heated door mirrors, Power moonroof, Variable intermittent windshield wipers, Exterior temperature indicator, Map lights, Rear-seat center armrest, USB Device Connector, Exhaust finisher, Leather-wrapped steering wheel, 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback, Black cloth interior with silver contrast stitching.

EX-L adds to Sport: VSA® with traction control, 12-volt power outlets (2), 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 6-speakers MP3/WMA compatibility, Steering wheel-mounted audio controls, Heated front seats, Leather-trimmed seating.

Si: Adds Fog lights over last years model.

2009 Honda Civic Lineup Receives New Exterior Styling; Available Technology Features Now Include Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and USB Audio Interface

Here is another Honda Press Release to compliment my previous posts, again, some of this won't make it's way to Canada, like the Navigation, but most of this info will apply.

08/19/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

The Honda Civic is enhanced inside and out for 2009 with new exterior styling, colors and available tech-friendly features like Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® and a USB Audio Interface 1. An exclusively-equipped Civic LX-S Sedan debuts with alloy wheels and sportier interior styling. A new Civic DX Value Package (DX-VP) Sedan builds on the Civic DX Sedan's standard features by adding air conditioning and an audio system.

"The Civic lineup uniquely embraces traditional gasoline, hybrid, high performance and natural gas technologies like no other vehicle in the world," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The exterior styling enhancements and newly-available features help strengthen Civic's position as one of the best-selling vehicles in a market that's embracing small cars more than ever."

All 2009 Civic sedan and coupe models boast redesigned exterior styling features, including a new front bumper cover and grille design and new headlight and taillight color combinations, featuring clear turn indicator lenses with amber bulbs. New alloy wheel designs are introduced on the Civic EX, Civic EX-L and Civic Si models, along with the addition of fog lamps for the Civic Si model.

Interior enhancements come by way of technology-friendly additions. Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® is added to Navigation-equipped models and a USB Audio Interface added to Civic EX, EX-L, Hybrid and Si models. The Civic Hybrid gains the option of leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats and side mirrors. Additionally, new cloth materials and patterns on seats, door linings and armrests (when equipped) have been updated to further enhance the interior's look and feel.

New for 2009, Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), also known as electronic stability control, is now standard on the Civic EX-L and Civic Hybrid, in addition to the Civic Si. The entire line-up maintains a standard array of safety technologies including Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure; side curtain airbags; driver's and front passenger's side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); and dual-stage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's airbags (SRS). Active front seat head restraints are designed to help reduce the likelihood of neck injury in the event of a rear collision. Standard active safety features include an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic brake distribution, front seatbelts with an automatic tensioning system, and a pedestrian injury mitigation design incorporated into the front exterior of the vehicle. Driver and front passenger seatbelt reminders and daytime running lights are also standard equipment.

Four engine and four transmission choices range from a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine (Civic DX, DX-VP, LX, EX and EX-L), with either a 5-speed manual or an available 5-speed automatic transmission, to a 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine (Civic Si) with a 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic Hybrid is powered by a 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gasoline-electric hybrid technology to enhance both fuel economy and performance, and is equipped with a continuously variable transmission. The Civic GX is powered by a dedicated natural gas version of the Civic's 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine - and is equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Both Civic Hybrid and Civic GX are classified as Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (AT-PZEV) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The Civic GX is classified by the EPA as an Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV).

Built on a high-rigidity unit-body platform, the Civic is designed to deliver precise, sharp and refined handling performance with its MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension.

The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System2, available on Civic EX, EX-L, Si and Hybrid models, has a 6.5-inch motorized display that opens and closes for access to the internal single-disc CD player, and a digital audio-card reader that can play MP3 and Windows Media®3 Audio (WMA) files from CompactFlash®4 cards (via a PC card adapter). The navigation system features more than 7 million points of interest and the voice activation can control the navigation menus and the audio system, along with entering city and street names. New for 2009, the system includes Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, a wireless telephone interface that works with Bluetooth-enabled mobile telephones for hands-free operation via steering wheel-mounted controls.

Auxiliary audio input jacks are standard equipment on Civic LX and above trim levels and allow for portable music device playback through the audio system. The Civic LX Coupe has a six-speaker 160-watt audio system with a CD player (four speakers for the LX sedan). All audio systems are capable of playing MP3 and WMA formatted CDs. Standard Speed-sensitive Volume Control (SVC) automatically adjusts the volume based on vehicle speed. Audio displays include CD/MP3 text readout, and all coupes (except for the DX) plus the Civic Si Sedan provide a customizable welcome screen (exclusively on models without the available navigation system).

Here is a link to the rest of the spec's, which is nothing new from the 2008's;

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/4686

2009 Honda Civic Revised Front End

Vtec.net captures the mild revised front and rear end. I don't see much about the upcoming Sport model that is coming to Canada and I can't that being a Canadian exclusive, although that would be nice.

Here is the link to the full article, nothing really new, and this covers US trim models only;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=783457

Here is a link to my previous post with regards to the Canadian trim levels;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/08/changes-and-trim-levels-of-2009-honda.html

Pic's of 09 Civic Sedan's Slight Facelift

Well, here are some pic's of the US brochure that was scanned courtesy of autoblog.com.

Source; http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/17/facelifted-2009-honda-civic-sedan-gets-scantastic-reveal/

Changes and Trim Levels of the 2009 Honda Civic's

2009 Honda Civic

-Vehicle Stability Assist added to EX-L (leather) and Hybrid models.

-Civic Hybrid gets available Leather with Heated front seats.

-Freshened exterior styling with new front bumper cover and grille design, and new headlight and taillight color combinations (clear turn indicator lenses with amber bulbs)

-New cloth materials and patterns on seats, door linings and armrests

-New alloy wheel designs for Civic Sport, Civic EX-L and Civic Si

-An exclusively-equipped Civic LX Sport includes alloy wheels, black sport cloth-trimmed seating surfaces, rear deck lid spoiler and a chrome exhaust finisher.

-Sporty 3-spoke steering wheel (from Civic Coupe) added to all models.

-Si model gets fog lights and new Alloy wheels.

-LX Sport gets Sport seats with synthetic suede bolsters (similar fabric to Civic Si, but with silver stitching).

-LX Sport to get Leather-wrapped steering wheel (maybe the SR model only).

-DX model adds Auxillary Jack for i-pod/mp3 player.

Here are the different SEDAN trim levels that are expected to arrive (at least as far as I can tell); BTW, Canadian trim levels.

Civic DX Sedan Manual Transmission (MT)

Civic DX Sedan Automatic Transmission (AT)

Civic DX-A Sedan MT

Civic DX-A Sedan AT

Civic DX-G Sedan MT

Civic DX-G Sedan AT

Civic LX Sport Sedan MT

Civic LX Sport Sedan AT

Civic LX-SR Sport Sedan MT

Civic LX-SR Sport Sedan AT

Civic EX-L Sedan MT

Civic EX-L Sedan AT

Civic Si Sedan 6 speed MT

Civic DX Coupe MT

Civic DX Coupe AT

Civic DX-A Coupe MT

Civic DX-A Coupe AT

Civic DX-G Coupe MT

Civic DX-G Coupe AT

Civic LX Coupe MT

Civic LX Coupe AT

Civic LX-SR Coupe MT

Civic LX-SR Coupe AT

Civic EX-L Coupe MT

Civic EX-L Coupe AT

Civic Si Coupe 6 speed MT

Colour Changes for 2009;

OUT

-Galaxy Grey

-Nighthawk Black Pearl

-Fiji Blue Pearl (Si only)

IN

-Redline Orange Pearl (Si only)

-Dyno Blue Metallic (Si only)

-Polished Metal metallic (new grey)

-Brown (not sure what the fancy name will be, Urban Titanium Metallic?) (4dr only)

-Crystal Black Pearl

CARRYOVER

-Tango Red Metallic

-Ralleye Red (2dr's only)

-Taffetta White

-Alabaster Silver

Honda's Changes for 2009 Lineup

Accord: New V-6 rating adds three horsepower for a total of 271 and six pound-feet of torque for 254.

Civic: A new grille and front bumper, revised taillight lenses, and a sporty three-spoke steering wheel are the major changes. The Civic hybrid now has stability control and, though it may dim the car’s green aura slightly, a leather interior option.

Element: Honda will restyle its flower-delivery van with revised sheetmetal and upgraded interior amenities and electronics. The platform and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine remain unchanged.

Fit: An all-new and larger Fit hits in October, up about two inches in wheelbase and overall length. Inside, there is more room in the five-passenger, five-door cabin. A 1.5-liter four makes about 120 horsepower, and the front strut, rear torsion beam suspension is hung on a stiffer unibody and has been retuned for better ride quality but with the same lively steering as the previous Fit. Sounds phat.

Odyssey: Honda’s minivan gets an output restatement for models with cylinder deactivation; horsepower goes up three to 244 and torque goes up three pound-feet to 245.

Pilot: All-new for 2009, the seven-passenger Pilot returns slightly larger, a bit roomier (especially in the second- and third-row seats), significantly stiffer, and with more rectilinear styling. Another 2.9 inches were added to the wheelbase, but the overall dimensions remain almost the same. The 250-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 has an enhanced cylinder-shut-off mechanism that adds 1–2 mpg to the EPA ratings.

Ridgeline: The grille and some interior amenities are new. The V-6 is retuned with a new camshaft profile for more low- and midrange torque, and the transmission ratios are now taller for better fuel economy.

CRV: Unchanged

S2000: Unchanged

Source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/what_s_new_for_2009_car_news/browse_by_make/honda_car_news

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid Caught Testing - Minimal Changes

The changes are so minimal that I am just going to provide the link to the other photo's.
Link;
http://jalopnik.com/398624/2009-honda-civic-hybrid-sedan-gets-a-face-lift

Changes Expected for the 2009 Honda Civic?

Changes? Sure. Big ones? Nope! And how could you? When the current bodystyle of the Civic came onto the market, it threw the competition on its ear (2006-2007 Honda Accord included). Honda has raised the bar so high in this segment that I'd hate to be the one responsible for 'one-upping' this one. Expect some minor mid model changes to the front head lights and rear tail lights with some added colour choices (with the subtraction of others). The Si is rumoured to have a new intake manifold, but that should be it. Frankly, I can't blame Honda for not wanting to mess with the formula that has made this car so successful.