|
The automatic showed its worth in the slalom section, which we took at about 30-40 km/h. Despite the rapid press and release of the accelerator, the gearbox chose an appropriate gear (probably second) and stayed in it. This allowed us to make relatively smooth progress—and have a lot of fun—through the cones. Next came the hairpin, which we took rather gently at first. Again, no problem for the auto, which held its gear all the way through the turn. We hitched a ride during daredevil Michelle Pritchard’s stint behind the wheel. She swung the car through the 180-degree for all it was worth, and the Civic stayed controllable even as the rear tires were screeching near their limit. A short stretch of road followed, which allowed us to go 120 km/h. Quick trips to the redline, accompanied by the VTEC soundtrack, were served up in each gear. The quoted 0-100 km/h is less than 10 seconds, slightly faster than a stock SiR mashed for all it’s worth. The braking feel is also good, assisted by the sticky Yokohama Advan A-460 tires in size 195/60-15. ABS intervenes quite late in the process, only when seatbelt-locking force is called up. Among all the compact sedans, this generation of Civic always had the best-sorted chassis. Where others jiggle and bang their way across humps and potholes, the Civic just glides through them. Perhaps its only shortcoming is a soft setting that sees it bottoming out on really deep ruts. The front McPherson struts and rear double-wishbones were slightly retuned to lessen this tendency and also for better road feel. On the reverse side, the Civic also has the most entertaining handling, with the car remaining relatively flat even with enthusiastic twists on the wheel. |
|
|||
