THE HONDA CIVIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CORNERSTONE OF HONDA and its automotive heritage since its introduction way back in 1973.  Since then, it has garnered recognition and acclaim as Honda's spirit of innovation.  It has, more importantly, remained the one of the company's top sellers, rolling off more than 16 million units worldwide, 7 million of them in the United States alone.  Throughout the past seven generations, each new model has set the standard in packaging, fuel economy, styling, fun-to-drive performance and safety.  And little has changed with the eight generation model, set to debut in 2006.

For the 2006 model year, the all-new Civic benefits from an extreme transformation of both design and dynamics.  Under the hood, there are all-new engines and three new body styles (two slated to enter the US market), representing one of the most diverse vehicles in the industry.

At a glance, the 2006 Honda Civic is ten steps further up the design tree.  It's longer and wider than its predecessor, gaining 3.2 inches of wheelbase in the process.  However, it sits lower and coupled with shorter overhangs and a wider front and rear track, it makes the 2006 Civic more aggressive and distinctive.  Built on an all-new version of Honda's Global Compact Platform, the all-new Civic gains 35 percent better torsional rigidity for improved dynamics.  In addition, sound insulation has improved with better construction technologies.  At the front corners, the independent MacPherson struts incorporates new geometry for stability.  At the back, the all-new Double Wishbone adds a longer stroke and improved positioning of the dampers.

Under the rakish hood sits Honda's next-generation inline-4s headed by its new 1.8-liter i-VTEC.  With dual overhead cams and 16 valves, it generates 140 horsepower and can be mated to either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic.  For speed freaks, Honda will carry on the same 2.0-liter i-VTEC inline-4 with 197 horsepower and a 6-speed manual transmission.  The Hybrid Civic will complete the line with a 1.3-liter i-VTEC inline-4 with a 15 kW electric motor good for a combined output of 110 horsepower.

The 2006 Civic will also have improved standard features for both comfort and safety.  Most models will gain the use of four wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD attached to a set of grippy 205/55 R 16 tires, while the Si model will add a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) and 215/45 R 17 wheels into the mix.

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