Car: Honda Civic 1.8 range
Prices: £16,355-£20,310 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 9E-11E
Emissions: 152-165g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 8.9s / Max Speed 127mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 42.2mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, VSA
Dimensions: [5dr] length/width/heightmm 4250/1760/1460mm
REV HEAD
Our Rating: 7.4 / 10
The 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine is well suited to Honda’s high-tech Civic. Steve Walker reports…
Historically, Honda have never been too keen on diesel. Forget the fact that their 2.2-litre i-CTDi engine is available in models from across their range and has been widely hailed as a triumph by commentators. It was, after all, only a couple of decades ago that the top brass from the big ‘H’ were resolute in their opinion that diesel had nothing to offer over good-old unleaded. Such a conviction might seem misguided with hindsight and in context of a modern European car market increasingly besotted with diesel cars but to be fair, Honda were in possession of some of the world’s finest petrol engine technology at the time these views were prevalent. They still are and in the 1.8-litre Honda Civic, i-VTEC petrol power continues to make a strong case for itself.
How could Honda have known of the huge leaps forward that diesel engine technology would make over such a short period? It took almost everyone by surprise when diesel cars transmogrified, over the space of just a few years, from fume-belching clatter wagons into highly efficient technological showcases oozing with mid-range torque. In the end, any lack of foresight that there was didn’t matter much. Honda eventually turned their renowned engineering expertise to the problem of diesel and came up with the 2.2-litre i-CTDi engine which went straight to the head of its class. Today’s Civic benefits from that unit as well as the 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol we feature here. Despite the diesel’s capacity to grab the headlines, the petrol option has undeniable charm that dates back to old-school Honda.
Honda VTEC petrol engines are characterised by their high-revving performance and the i-VTEC 1.8 in the Civic is the latest incarnation of that line. It produces its maximum output of 138bhp at a lofty 6,300rpm, inviting the driver to hold each gear and explore the upper reaches of the rev range to achieve the quickest progress. The reward for flirting with the red line is a charismatic high-pitched growl and an 8.9s 0-60mph time but the beauty of the i-VTEC technology is that for the 90% of the time when most drivers don’t feel like putting the hammer down, it remains relatively subdued and economical.
The 1.8-litre engine pours its power on smoothly and you can still make good progress without letting the revs rise up towards 6,000rpm. There’s 174Nm of torque being generated at 4,300rpm and combined fuel economy of 42.2mpg is very good for a 1.8-litre family hatchback (Vauxhall’s Astra 1.8 manages a 10.1s 0-60mph time and returns 36mpg). The i-VTEC system achieves its impressive results through the art of variable valve timing and lift. The engine incorporates twin sets of cams to intelligently adjust the valves which control the volume of air entering the engine. During acceleration or other high engine loads, the high-output cams work to boost performance but when you’re just pottering around, the fuel economy cams take over to maximise efficiency. This also has benefits in terms of emissions, with the 1.8-litre engine’s 155g/km CO2 output being lower than some smaller cars with smaller engines.
The Civic 1.8 i-VTEC is available across most of the entire trim level range, which means SE, ES, ES-GT, EX and EX-GT versions of the car in five-door form or you can also go for the sportier three-door Type-S with this engine. All variants come with power steering, a height adjustable driver’s seat, remote keyless entry, central locking, a rear spoiler and twin chrome exhausts. Once you’ve settled on a trim level, there’s a choice of 6-speed manual or i-Shift semi-automatic gearboxes.
The Civic offers a really good driving position with firm side bolsters in the seat for support and the headrest hovering just behind your cranium. The pedals feel well weighted underfoot and there’s a large foot rest area to give the left peg a break from clutching duties. The power assisted steering is very light and direct, greatly simplifying low speed work. That said, there’s little feedback through the wheel and things can get slightly twitchy on the motorway because of this steering sharpness. The gear lever flows around the standard six-speed gearbox with finger-light ease but
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