New Styling Honda Civic 2010

The 2010 Honda Civic styling is unchanged, though if you pop the hood on an Si model you’ll see the color of its plastic engine shroud is now black instead of silver. This eighth-generation Civic was introduced for model-year 2006, bringing to the small-car field an artsy sense of design inside and out. No rival has quite matched it for sophisticated good taste, and Honda kept the look contemporary with some “mid-cycle” updates for model-year 2009. These are evident on the 2010 Honda Civic and include slightly sharper definition to the grille and lower front bumper. Headlights and taillights transitioned to trendy clear turn signal lenses with amber bulbs, and several models got new alloy wheel designs. Although it doesn’t have the longest body in the class, no compact competitor has a longer wheelbase than the Honda Civic four-door sedan. This 106.3-inch span between front and rear axles defines the space available for the passenger compartment. In wheelbase and overall body length, Civic’s two-door coupe is about two inches shorter than the sedan. That’s in keeping with a jauntier demeanor that sacrifices rear-seat room to swoopy styling; the difference is driven home by a roofline a significant three inches lower than the sedan’s. Don’t expect the Civic to change much in size when the all-new model debuts for model-year 2011. What that ninth generation Civic will look like, however, is Honda’s closely guarded secret.

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

2008 was pretty good for the Honda Civic Hybrid. As the original Insight was but a distant memory and the Accord Hybrid faded into obscurity, the Civic was the lone hybrid in Honda's portfolio. The 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid is the highest-mileage member of the Civic family. Its four-door body style delivers the same practicality as the basic Civic sedan, but delivers EPA fuel economy ratings of 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway, and 42 mpg combined. As for a life-justifying reason to exist, being a mileage king isn't a bad start.

Another strong point is the Civic Hybrid's price. At only a $3100 premium over a similarly equipped Civic EX-L, one can imagine buyers making the step up to the Hybrid-L (at $24,850) to benefit from the significant mileage improvement over the non-hybrid's 26/34 mpg. (At $2/gallon, the fuel-savings payoff driving 15,000 miles per year is about 9 years; half that if the price of gas doubles.)

A third consideration is that while the 2010 Insight borrows nameplate awareness and brand equity from the first-generation Insight -- a car that has acquired cult-like status in some car circles -- the new Insight is slotted below the Civic in terms of price, starting at under $20,000. The least expensive Civic Hybrid starts at about $23,650, but is considered a more "premium" small car offering many more features including four-wheel disc brakes (the Insight's rear brakes are cost-efficient drums) and the availability of a leather interior.

Additionally, the Insight is about five inches shorter, two inches narrower and has a six-inch shorter wheelbase compared to Honda Civic Hybrid, so the Insight offers less passenger room.

The 2009 Civic Hybrid receives a few tweaks underhood as well. The 1.3-liter I-4 carries over for 2009, but it's rated at 110 hp, 17 more than in 2008. Through Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system, it's aided by a 20-hp electric motor, which works in one of five different ways (one method allows the Civic Hybrid to run on electric power alone, but not from a standing start. The extra horsepower, larger motor, and aerodynamic snout help earn the Civic Hybrid an advantage on the highway - it's rated at 45 mpg, while the Insight is certified at 42 mpg.

© Source: automobilemag
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Honda Civic Type R Championship White

For enthusiastic drivers, the Honda Civic Type R never fails to delight and testing the Championship White version was merely an excuse to do it all again. It is also another opportunity to tell anyone who will listen, just what they are missing.

The Championship White paintwork is simply icing on the cake and seeing it in the car park, it does indeed look like some sort of confection. As the name suggests, the emphasis is on white, including the 18-inch Championship White alloys, through which can be seen the Type R brake callipers and come complete with a red Honda logo on the hubs.

Apart from that, the Honda Civic Type R Championship White is distinguishable by body-coloured bumpers, door mirrors, rear spoiler and what is described as lower side, sill garnish. The rear skirt incorporates the two triangular tailpipes and the low, front skirt somehow manages to miss scraping speed bumps. Contrasting smoked chrome finish can be seen on the door handles, fuel cap, badges and an exclusive Type R plaque.

But what does the Championship White represent? Way back in 1992 a certain Ayrton Senna had a hand in developing a race performance version of the NSX, Honda's answer to the Ferrari. The result was the Honda NSX-R and the first Type R was born. It was finished in Championship White paint and the Red 'H' emblem in honour of the first Honda F1 car to win a Grand Prix in 1963, the RA272.

Although the newest version of the Honda Civic Type R, or CTR as it is known in certain circles, went on sale in 2007, the Championship White GT has only just been made available to order (January 2009) and is priced at £20,140 OTR or £21,540 with satellite navigation.

The 'normal' Honda Civic Type R, if you can call it that, is well specified with switchable, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), powered and heated door mirrors, drilled aluminium sports pedals and foot rest, an alloy gear-knob that is very cold to the touch, rake and reach adjustable steering column and driver's seat height adjustment. The GT version adds cruise control, folding mirrors, automatic headlights and wipers, front fogs and dual curtain airbags front and rear, to go with the front and side airbags.

© Source: carpages
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