| With the amazing debut of the Ford Lynx Ghia, one begins to wonder
if Honda's grasp on the 1.6-liter market would begin to fade. In
terms of market share, it seems that it hasn't happened just yet.
In fact, Honda has maintained a healthy second place in sales for the 1.6-liter
segment despite having a car that is nearly five years old and is becoming
too common to be called different. So what makes the Honda Civic
a big seller then? Why do people keep on flocking Honda's way when
they could get cars with much more features for the same price? I
decided to find out for myself.
Upon arriving at our test site, I wasn't succumbed with any emotion
at all at seeing the Honda Civic. Sure, its lines are generally good
and the overall design isn't all that bad, but it's just that this car
doesn't have the same impact as the Ford Lynx. Visually, the only thing
that makes the Civic different from all the other Japanese (and American)
1.6-liter cars is this 'bug-eyed' treatment. In fact, to some extent,
the bugginess of the Civic's headlamps reminds me of a Japanese anime character.
Upon closer inspection, the headlamps reminded me of a wonderful detail:
all the main lamps are located within a single cluster. The single
cluster headlamp design could be seen in other European cars most notably
the Peugeot 206 and the Mercedes A-class. You could say that the
Civic was quite responsible for starting a design revolution of sorts.
Talking about lamps, the Honda Civic is also one of the first economy cars
to introduce plastic, clear headlamp design: a design now used by all other
Japanese car manufacturers with the exception of the Mazda 323.
The overall body shape and design of the Honda Civic is kind of reminiscent
of the Honda Accord (both current and the past variant), CRV and City.
You could immediately see that there is a family resemblance with this
car, and Honda didn't do anything to hide this fact. It's that grille
treatment common to all Hondas. Another car company based somewhere
in Munich, Germany also has the same treatment to all of its car line-up;
however, unlike BMW, the Honda line looks too generic and bland to actually
evoke any kind of reaction (good or bad) from anyone.
Sitting inside the cabin, and you'll behold (no surprise) a generic
Honda interior. Much like the outside, the inside doesn't evoke any
emotion either. This is probably one of those cars, which actually
remind you how the car looks and feels like from the outside by sitting
in the inside (bland in the case of the Civic, ugliness in the case of
the Volkswagen Polo). Sure, the switches are logically placed and
feel adequate to the touch, but they aren't made with that extra touch
of class or distinctiveness that is present in all other 1.6-liter cars,
even the Toyota Corolla! In fact, a close eye reveals the steering
wheel stalks come straight from the Honda parts bin as it is shared with
the Honda Accord and CRV. However, unlike the Accord, the stalks
lack the same 'sharp snap' feel especially when using the left / right
turn signal lights.
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| Interior is good for
a car of this size. It's about the same size or probably bigger than
the Ford Lynx. Ride is excellent too...the perfect city car? |
|
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| Inoffensive lines of
the Civic are all too familiar in the Philippines. Its clean lines and
the chiseled side line say 'Honda'. And true enough, the Civic embodies
the Honda spirit. |
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| One of the first, if
not, to introduce a headlamp cluster that integrates all the lights (except
fog lights). This is the only differentiating factor of the Civic...the
only reason the Civic looks cool. |
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| It's like watching a
Saturday morning cartoon: the Civic's interior is well-made, egonomically
efficient and well screwed together, but it feels and looks like a Honda.
When will Honda stop re-running the same stories? |
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