Two views on the 2004 Honda Civic 2.0 i-VTEC

After completing the four fun-filled legs of the 2003 Honda Civic Media Challenge, I developed a profound respect for the Civic. The Civic 1.6 VTi race cars we used were fast, agile and tough as these were able to last the entire season while being driven to the ground by journalists trying to be neophyte rally drivers. The Philippine STAR team, composed of Brian Afuang, Manny Delos Reyes, Andy Leuterio and myself, capped the overall team championship after a very trying and highly competitive season. In our year end report "STAR Picks" (The Philippine STAR, December 31, 2003), three of us choose the Civic as one of our Top 10 personal picks among the vehicles we evaluated during the entire year. Such is the respect we have for this Honda model.

Imagine our jubilation when Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) announced that they were introducing a two-liter version of the Civic. Thoughts of the late, great bad-boy boy-racer Civic SiR being reincarnated swirled in our motor heads; the new car spanking the wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing Toyota Altis 1.8 and Ford’s bad, bad boy-racer Lynx RS 2.0 to submission. Our mouths were frothing with anticipation when Honda brought us to Subic International Raceway to flog the new Civic 2.0 i-VTEC that some of us couldn’t wait for the pre-test drive activities to end. When we finally got to drive it around the track at speed, we were not disappointed with the Civic’s road holding, cornering, and braking because these were already inherent characteristics of the car and, from what we feel, these were even improved by Honda engineers on the 2.0.

Not that we were disappointed with 155hp 2.0-liter VTEC-equipped DOHC motor, but we were just puzzled. Sure, it had five less horses than the SiR (160hp) but it had better torque with 180Nm coming in at a low 5000rpm and it revved as crazy as the SiR’s engine to the redline, though the 2.0’s a bit lower. We wondered aloud why Honda didn’t offer the new car with a 5-speed manual transmission, even though the standard 4-speed automatic was faultless and seems to adapt to different driving styles. No, I think we weren’t disappointed with the new Civic’s performance because it was still fast. I think we were disappointed because the Civic 2.0-liter became more civilized.

Gone were the raw aggressiveness and the frightening acceleration of the SiR. Gone was the sonorous engine sound that shrieked like a Formula One motor. Gone was the harsh suspension bounce from its sport-tuned suspension. In its place is a quiet, comfortable and deceptively fast four-door sedan now aimed not at rich kids and spoiled brats, but at yuppie-types and spoiled young business executives.

In short, the Civic 2.0 i-VTEC is the SiR’s successor who became matured and well-behaved. It’s as if the SiR was sent to a finishing school and came out as a mild-mannered 2.0 i-VTEC. For me, this is more of a good thing than bad. The new Civic can transport you and your passengers in utmost comfort to your destination, but it can also carve corners and get you home faster after you dispatch said passengers. It also applies to what an old ad flaunted: "it is roomy enough to hold a board meeting, but fast enough to keep it short."

And that, in a nut shell, is the Civic 2.0 i-VTEC’s niche. It does not look as bare-bones aggressive as the Lynx RS but it has enough cojones to run with it. It may look as demure and as classy as the Altis 1.8 but it packs more wallop. And in spite of its civility, it still has more fire than the new Sentra 1.8. It is a young executive’s automatic rocket aimed squarely at the target market’s bull’s eye. – Lester Dizon

Accord Lite or Double EspresSiR? Judging by the people I see driving around in 2.0-liter Civics these days, it’s hard to tell. They look like fairly young, corporate middle-manager types, moving up from their car-planned 1600cc days but not yet quite ready to be awarded the keys to an executive car like the Accord with the all-important reserved parking slot. Neither do the drivers look like Fast and Furious fans, the type that would put gaudy decals and wings on their car; a fairly common sight with the past Civic SiR.

Driving the big-engined Civic reminds of similar analogies. It’s obviously smoother and stronger than the "plain" Civic, but not as high-speed-stable as the Accord. The drivetrain will happily cruise at 150kph all day, and there’s just that hint of small-car lightness with the suspension and wheelbase that reminds you to keep your foot poised on the brake pedal — just in case.

Fellow Philippine Star contributor Manny de los Reyes has the perfect adjective for the Civic, but I think it works with just about every Honda automobile you could drive in this country: sublime. If you like minimalist themes and subtle gestures, it’s easy to have a Zen moment in a Honda. The styling may seem conservative but it never goes overboard, the capable performance never grabs you by the neck to tell you you’re having a good time, and — 90 percent of the time — the build quality justifies the premium you have to pay for a Honda instead of a lower-priced brand. You just get in and drive without worrying about where the seat controls are, where the buttons are for this or that, and whether the car will merit the approval of your social peers. It just does the job and does it well.

Unfortunately, the radio ruins the mood. You could do away with the manual for the car, but not for the radio. It’s too complicated, too look-at-me-trying-too-hard. Bye-bye, Zen moment. It’s almost as if it was put there to sex up the cabin, which to the immature eye looks corny but to the grown-up sophisticate looks subtly purposeful. There’s that hint of old BMW with the blacks and grays of the cabin, and it works rather well unless dozens of buttons, dials, and different colored lights are your cockpit cup of tea. In which case, you’ll probably like the radio.

Is this the successor to the SiR? Yes, it’s got a stronger engine and appropriately tuned suspension. No, it’s not the street racer in sheep’s clothing of before. It chucks away the quarter-mile drag racer of before, trading it for miles and miles of road time. Everybody has to grow up sometime, and what Honda has done to the Civic seems to be at pace with its market, which has probably tired of go-faster looks and noises anyway and moved on to real world concerns like house payments and schooling for the kids.

Driving it to and from Pampanga twice over a weekend for a total of some 400 kilometers, the whole package worked smoothly and competently. No undue noises under the hood, no theatrics from the suspension, no worries. The electric power steering works as advertised, the twin-cam engine pulls with quiet gusto, and the 5-speed automatic shifts up and down with nary a hitch or hesitation. It doesn’t have the cachet or extra refinement of an Accord, but the premium over the cheaper 1.6-liter Civics is clearly evident with the extra performance and smoothness. I was never tempted to flirt with the redline or look for a set of tight corners to hear the sound of squealing rubber, mainly because it exudes an infectious aura of confidence and maturity. Having too much fun with it would somehow seem out-of-character. Sublime, indeed. – Andy Leuerio