ALL NEW HONDA CIVIC REVIEW

Honda seems to have timed it perfectly. With crude oil prices touching record highs, all carmakers are looking for ways to squeeze the most out of their engines. Honda believes its Hybrid is the way forward. It is a slice of the future, and it is here in India.

This ‘Made-in-Japan’ Civic Hybrid will retail at Rs 21.5 lakh, nearly twice the price of a regular Civic auto. Thus, we’re skeptical that many people will latch onto Honda’s green bandwagon. But if you care about saving the planet, you’ll now be able to buy one at your nearest Honda dealer. Question is, will you spend Honda Accord money for a Civic? What if we told you that the Hybrid is 54 percent more fuel-efficient in the city than a regular Civic? Or that it pollutes less than its petrol brother? Read on.
 
At the heart of this car lies a 1.3-litre i-VTEC-enabled 94bhp four-cylinder engine. It uses a relatively simple Single Over Head Camshaft (SOHC) that opens and closes eight valves, and has two spark plugs per cylinder. Ninety-four bhp sounds like too little to propel the Hybrid’s 1,290kg and so it is supplemented by a system that Honda calls the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). It is a 20bhp ultra-thin brushless DC motor sandwiched between the petrol engine’s flywheel and the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Apart from providing motive power, the IMA also acts as a generator that charges the battery when you lift off the throttle, when you brake and at other times in the driving cycle. An Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) stores electric power in a rather compact Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack that’s mounted behind the rear seats and controls the flow of electricity to and from the electric motor. Let’s see what it’s like.

Slide into the low driver’s seat, and you’ll be greeted by the same dashboard as the Civic we know. But twist the key and you’ll notice the first of many differences. Left of the tachometer, is a set of gauges that tell you how much charge is left in the battery, the levels of assist from the electric motor and the amount of power you are regenerating. Twist the key, and nothing. The Hybrid has no starter motor. Instead, it relies on the electric motor to crank the engine. It starts with a barely noticeable shudder, and quickly settles into a very quiet, very Honda-like idle.

Slot the gearlever into D (there is also a Low mode to help the stepless CVT on slopes, as there is no conventional torque converter to boost the torque), tap the throttle, and the zest with which it moves off the line is surprising. The electric motor provides maximum torque from zero rpm, and so, in town, it always feels brisk. Throttle response is almost instant; in fact, if it weren’t for the battery charge meter, you wouldn’t think there is so much ‘out of the ordinary’ stuff happening under the hood. It’s when you accelerate hard that you notice this car’s horsepower deficiency, which is compounded by the rubberband effect of the CVT. 

Flat-out performance isn’t too electrifying. The Hybrid takes 13.45 seconds to get to 100kph from rest, not bad considering it has a 16bhp and 50kg disadvantage against the regular Civic auto, but who drives flat-out all the time? More important is how the Civic’s driveability is retained. Proof comes from the 20-80kph acceleration times, which are just a second off the regular Civic auto’s time. And so, in town, this car is a delight to drive, especially when you are subconsciously counting pennies. As expected, the 40-100kph time is about three seconds off the regular Civic, because this calls for more power and the Hybrid’s 16bhp deficiency tells.

However, you’ll soon ignore the urge to accelerate hard, and  concentrate instead on how to squeeze the maximum out of each drop of fuel. This is a car that rewards when you read and anticipate road and traffic conditions. See a traffic light, apply gentle pressure on the slightly wooden brake pedal, so the regenerative brakes can charge the battery. Accelerate smoothly away from the lights so the less expensive form of energy does the work, and coast down bridges as far as possible. You get the advantage of full motor assist only when the battery meter is showing four bars of charge or more, so you need to maintain that level by driving smoothly. Hard acceleration eats up battery charge very quickly. You also need to drive the car for a minimum of 30 minutes a month to charge the NiMH battery, which will last for the life of the car if you do this. If you don’t, the battery’s service life will go down, and the battery may get permanently damaged. 

 The advantage of the IMA system really shows when you tank up. Our back-to-back tests with a Civic auto showed the IMA to be far more efficient than the 1.8-litre engine. The electric motor assist and the auto-shutoff feature help the Hybrid return 4.4kpl more in the city than the Civic auto. On the highway, the difference is smaller, because the electric motor has less of a role at higher speeds. The Hybrid gave us 14.04kpl against the auto’s 11.9kpl. It’s still not as efficient as some of the modern diesel engines we have though.

The rest is almost the same. From the outside, the only changes are the alloy wheels (which are more aerodynamic), a tiny aerodynamic lip on the boot lid (that helps reduce drag), and the Hybrid badge. This similarity to its regular cousin is possibly another negative of this car. You would like some individuality when you’re paying double, wouldn’t you?

The Indian Hybrid doesn’t get the ultra-low rolling resistance tyres that are on Hybrids abroad but Goodyear Eagle NCT 5s as on the regular Civic. Strangely, Honda recommends the same tyre pressures too, possibly to maintain ride quality. Ride is slightly stiffer than the regular Civic, but not so much that it is uncomfortable.

On the inside, the changes are even fewer. Apart from the battery meter, this Civic gets steering-mounted audio controls but does away with the audio controls in the rear centre armrest and the reading lights for rear passengers.  Interior space remains identical to the regular Civic, but boot capacity is down substantially from 405 litres to 294, because the battery pack sits behind the rear seats.

Tech saving every drop
A hybrid car combines the practicality of a petrol-powered car with the incredible efficiency of an electric. This Honda Civic is a series hybrid that charges itself. You can’t charge it through a wall socket. The Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system converts energy normally wasted during petrol engine operation to electric current, that is stored in a battery pack behind the seats.

The Civic Hybrid uses a 1.3-litre i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine connected to a electric motor and a continuously variable transmission. A Nickel-Metal Hydride battery stores electricity for the electric motor. The primary source of power is the petrol engine and the electric motor provides additional power and electric regeneration capability.

At low speeds and for low- speed cruising, the petrol engine is idling, the electric motor does most of the work. In fact, between 1100 and 1400rpm, it is the electric motor that does all the work. Under acceleration, the electric motor assists the petrol engine, which means the engine has to work less and consume less fuel. The petrol engine works by itself only when you cruise at high speeds.

The Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system also has an auto shut-off feature, where the engine shuts off completely when you come to a halt (like at a traffic light). Get off the brake, and it automatically starts up. This helps save even more fuel.

The auto shut-off works because of Honda’s upgraded three-stage i-VTEC with Variable Cylinder management system. In addition to the standard VTEC’s cam timing change for low and high engine speeds, this system has a cylinder deactivation feature that cuts fuel consumption. According to Honda, it also helps reduce pumping losses by 66 percent and improve electrical regeneration capability 1.7 times.

The Hybrid also has a dual scroll aircon system that reduces the load on the petrol engine by using a combination of engine power and electric motor power to drive two compressors. When the engine is in auto shut-off mode, the electric motor-driven compressor keeps the cabin cool.  

Honda Civic Hybrid
Width	1750mm
Front track	1495mm
Rear track	1520mm
Trunk volume	294 litres
Rear interior width	1320mm
Ground clearance	165mm
ENGINE
Fuel	Petrol
Installation	Front, transverse
Type	4-cyls in line, 1339cc, Multi-point fuel injection
Bore/stroke	73/80mm
Compression ratio	10.8:1
Valve gear	SOHC, 2 valves per cyl
Power	94bhp at 6000rpm
Torque	12.3kgm at 4500rpm
Power to weight	88.37bhp per tonne
Torque to weight	17.67kgm per tonne
Specific output	70.2bhp per litre
Electric Motor
Type	Permanent magnet DC motor, brushless
Installation	Between petrol engine and CVT
Power	20bhp at 2000rpm
Torque	10.5kgm at 0-1160rpm
Motor width	70mm
IMA Electric power storage
Battery type	Nickel Metal Hydride
Output	158 volts
Rated capacity	5.5 Ah
Transmission
Type	Front-wheel drive
Gearbox	Continuously variable transmission
Construction	Four-door saloon, monocoque
Weight	1290kg Wheels15 x 6J, alloy wheels
Tyres	195/65 R 15, tubeless Goodyear Eagle NCT5
Spare	Space saver, 125/70 D15
Suspension	Front, Independent, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar / Rear, Independent, double wishbones, anti-roll bar
Steering Type	Rack and pinion, power assisted
Type of power assist	Electric
Turning circle	10.6m
Brakes Front/Rear	Ventilated Discs / Solid discs
Anti-lock	Standard

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