The first Civic left the conveyor in 1972. Two years earlier, the Clean Air Act was first passed in the United States, and a year later the oil crisis erupted. Under these conditions, a small front wheel drive car with a fuel efficient engine was doomed to success. It was produced in 3, 5-door versions, as well as in the station wagon for the US market (Wagon). The carburetor engine of 1.2 l, 54 hp, was installed on the 3-door. and, later, 60 hp The 5-door Civic received a 1.5 l / 69 hp engine. In 1973, the Honda Civic ranked third in the prestigious European Car of the Year competition, and a year later it became the best imported car in the United States.
Since 1974, the Civic began to install the CVCC series of engines, the main feature of which was pre-chamber ignition, which allowed the engine to work on a lean mixture, and therefore reduced the content of harmful substances in the exhaust and improved efficiency. As a result, the Civic was the first car positioned by Honda as a “mass vehicle” and became the first serious claim that Honda was one of the world's leading automotive manufacturers. In the future, Civic not possessing outstanding qualities, quickly acquired the status of a reliable and unpretentious car.
In 1979, the second generation of the Honda Civic appeared, and a year later, the CVCC II began to be installed on these cars, adding both efficiency and power. The next update did not have to wait long. In 1983, the new Civic family was born. Together with traditional sedans and hatchbacks, the CRX sports version was first offered to customers for the first time. The fourth generation of the popular subcompact was shown to the public in 1987. For Honda, this year was marked by the victory of the Williams-Honda team in the Formula One Cup.
The mass consumer from formula technologies got an independent suspension for all wheels and a new 16-valve engine. In 1991, the next, already the fifth Civic family with modern smooth contours, made its debut. The fifth-generation Honda Civic is either a three-door hatchback with a spectacularly trimmed short trunk, or a sedan (and with a wheelbase longer than the hatchback), or a two-door coupe for the American market. The interior is simple and concise. It is quite comfortable seats, very low landing. The rear is quite spacious, the seat folds up in cars with all body types.
The wheelbase of the Civic V sedans was 50 mm longer than the hatchbacks. The engines are exclusively sixteen valve and regardless of the power and working volume (1300, 1500 or 1600 cubic cm) have a “firm” pleasant revival after 4500 rpm. Even the “basic” carburetor of 1.3 liters with one camshaft is characterized by good elasticity and quite decent firing. In 1995, there was also a major modernization, as a result of which the aggressive four-door sedan and six-generation three-door hatchback were introduced to the automotive world. These cars differed from the previous generation with large almond-shaped head optics.
The sixth generation Honda Civic Coupe looks different from the fifth generation coupe in the shape of headlights, bumpers and a false radiator grille. But at the same time in the "reporting period" was released and another Civic - the so-called English. When in 1995, the fifth generation of cars were removed from production, the British did not want to part with them and after the modernization began to produce the "fifth and a half" Civic in parallel with the "sixth"! Moreover, the English Civic differed from the two "system" generations in both body type and interior.
The Honda Civic of the 90s was equipped with sophisticated suspensions: on the front - on double wishbones, on the back - multi-link. Unlike cars with engines of 1.3-1.5 liters, the more powerful 1600-cc versions had a rear anti-roll bar (there is a front stabilizer on all cars) and stiffer springs and shock absorbers. In 2000, the new, seventh, generation of Civic cars was awarded the title “Japanese Car of the Year 2001”. The model has an elegant appearance, as well as a spacious and comfortable lounge. Luxury Mod Civic - Honda Domani with a five-door hatchback body - is sold only in the Japanese market.
The exterior design is distinguished by the integrity and elegance of the forms: a wedge-shaped body, a characteristic grille, large convex headlights, a flashy rear part of the body. The seventh-generation Honda Civic is distinguished by high-quality trim and panel fittings, the gaps are less than half and in some cases reduced to almost zero. To increase the interior, while maintaining a compact size, the body is equipped with: a shortened front overhang, a reduced engine compartment and a raised steering gear.
Due to the transfer of the exhaust system resonator to the rear of the body, the designers managed to make the floor in the cabin completely flat, which did not affect the noise and vibration insulation. The model is equipped with: airbags, shockproof beams in the doors. In order to maximize protection, the body is galvanized on both sides, the bottom is treated with an indelible mastic coating. To please customers, they changed the shape of the front seats: they became noticeably wider, more spacious, and the side support rollers — not so expressive, but very comfortable. And in general, almost everything in this car can be safely described in one word: comfortable.
For sedans there are two engines. One is of 1.4 liters capacity of 90 hp, the other is 110-strong volume of 1.6 liters. Both units are 16-valve, but if one camshaft is used in the first, the more powerful engine has a twin-shaft head, and with the camshaft timing system VTEC II.
Honda Civic Type R appeared on the Japanese market in 2001. The car was equipped with a four-cylinder 16-valve DOHC VTEC K20A with a capacity of 215 liters. from. Its total weight is 1190 kg. On the Civic Type R installed 17 inch aluminum alloy wheels, dual airbags, ABS, power steering, spoiler, brake light and power mirrors. From the beginning of 2002, a new version of the Honda Civic Type R for the European market began to be produced, based on the three-door Civic 3 Door of the 7th generation.
The power of the two-liter i-VTEC engine installed on it is 200 liters. c, maximum speed of 235 km / h, acceleration to hundreds of 6.8 seconds, vehicle weight 1270 kg. Spoilers integrated into the bumpers and the tailgate and specially profiled false thresholds help to press the Honda CivicType-R to the road bed.
Bridgestone RE040 low-profile tires (205/45) are mounted on 17-inch alloy wheels with seven dual-spoke spokes, in the gaps between which you can see impressive brake discs (300 and 260 mm in diameter, respectively) on both axles. Gearbox - manual 6-speed. When choosing a Civic Type R, a European car enthusiast must be prepared for the lack of electric seat adjustments, the sunroof, cruise control and side airbags. Power takeoff air conditioning is found only in the list of options. There, for the sake of weight savings, the audio system and rear head restraints are also included.
Compensation for all the hardships of automotive civilization are: bucket seats, a three-spoke sports steering wheel, gear lever with a titanium casting knob and instruments with a silver-white dial. To order, you can add a picture of sports five-point safety belts. All this racing attributes do not prevent the Honda Civic Type-R from being a full-fledged 4-seater car. Salon with a flat floor is so spacious that an increase in the size of the front seats does not constrain the rear passengers.
They only need to learn one simple rule: the entrance / exit is always through the right door. The volume of production of Civic in 2002 amounted to about 600 thousand cars. In January 2004, the Type R manufactured at the Honda Motor Co. in England for the Japanese market has received new headlights, new taillights, a new shape of the front bumper and changes in the interior. Note also that there is a racing version of the Honda Civic Type R. It has some differences from the production model.
For example, Dunlop SP Sport tires (“slick” or with a “rain” tread pattern) 200/580 R15 have a smaller outer diameter, which makes it possible to better realize the pulling force that is so important in highway-ring races without reworking the gearbox. Under the bottom of the car, a protected gas tank enclosed in an aluminum casing and a “straight-through” exhaust system made of stainless steel with a “single-barrel” branch pipe are detected, which contributes to an increase in engine power that runs on 98-m gasoline.
Together with the gears of the modified form, the air filter with increased throughput and the new control processor, this provides an increase of 20 “horses”, transforming into an additional 15 km / h of maximum speed. The two-liter “four” also received an aluminum pan with a system that prevents the oil from escaping from the crankshaft with strong lateral accelerations in turns. Do not lose speed in the corners of the racing Honda CivicType-R will help and self-locking worm-type differential. In the event of a slip of the unloaded drive wheel, it will prevent the loss of torque on the other.
At the same time, such a differential (in contrast to the “professional” disk differential) does not require frequent adjustments and forgives the driver for mistakes in management. In the event of a slip of the unloaded drive wheel, it will prevent the loss of torque on the other. At the same time, such a differential (in contrast to the “professional” disk differential) does not require frequent adjustments and forgives the driver for mistakes in management.
In the event of a slip of the unloaded drive wheel, it will prevent the loss of torque on the other. At the same time, such a differential (in contrast to the “professional” disk differential) does not require frequent adjustments and forgives the driver for mistakes in management. Improving the stability and maneuverability of the car also contributes to the replacement of the engine pads, silent blocks of the suspension and anti-roll bars with tougher ones.
The camber of the wheels is made negative (“house”) to increase the contact area of the loaded tire in the turn, and the clearance is reduced to 70 mm by installing a set of springs and adjustable shock absorbers by the German company KW. Modifications to the brake system are limited to replacing the pads and brake fluid with special racing ones. The refinement of the Honda CivicType-R cabin transforms it into a Spartan single cockpit. Powerful safety cage made of chromansil pipes, MOMO three-spoke steering wheel, carbon seat- “bucket” by Konig with a five-point harness and the complete absence of sound-proof materials.
Initially, only the Suzuka plant in Japan was engaged in the release of the Civic, now this car is produced in 11 countries of the world. The largest number of Civic produced at the factory Swindon, UK. 4-door sedans are assembled in Japan, USA, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The 5-door hatchbacks produce the Suzuka and Swindon plants, and the Wiltshire plant is the only one that assembles the popular three-door version. In 2005, Honda began production of a new generation Civic at the British factory in Swindon, Wiltshire. And at the end of September of the same year, the last legendary Civic Type R, which was not made anywhere else in the world, rolled off the assembly line of this plant. Since 2001, 35,000 of these cars have been produced. The production version of the latest generation Civic was preceded by the appearance of the coupe Honda Civic Si Concept at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2005.
Then, in March, the 5-door Honda Civic Concept, designed for the European market, was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show. The family of front-wheel-drive Honda Civic cars of the last generation is distinguished by the original interior layout, which ensures them to be the leader in its class in terms of spaciousness of the cabin. onto the cars . The new improved 1.6-liter gasoline engine is equipped with a variable valve timing system VTEC, which increases its power to 110 hp. In this case, the engine has less weight and compact size, greater environmental cleanliness and efficiency.
Improved torque at low and medium rpm provides greater elasticity and excellent engine performance. For the first time on the mass vehicles destined for the European market, electric power steering is established, which gives an advantage in terms of improving the smoothness of work. The eighth generation Honda Civic was restyled in 2009. Recall that each of the eighth body styles of the Honda Civic has an individual design, and, consequently, updates to the sedan and hatchback are very different. The front bumper of the sedan has gained a sharper aggressive shape.
Slightly embossed lines in the continuation of the bonnet line, along the headlights and further to the middle of the bumper make the front part more expressive and emotional. Before restyling, the air intake in the middle part of the bumper harmoniously narrowed to the bottom, and in the new version it aggressively expands in opposite directions. Along the edges there are niches for fog lights (now they are round) covered with a black mesh.
By the way, the grid appeared in the grille. It is difficult not to notice and increased in width "chrome" above the grid. Restyled Civic also received new taillights with more prominent outlines of brake lights. Against the background of its predecessor, the updated version noticeably freshened up. The interior has also undergone some changes. The "space" design of the front panel with two-story instruments remained unchanged. A tachometer was placed in the center, and the speedometer, together with the engine temperature and fuel quantity indicators, moved up to the very edge of the windshield.
In addition to the already existing splendor of futuristic forms, a touch was added - a shiny insert in the doorway, stretching from the handle of unlocking the lock, along the door and to its very edge. But the handle of the glove compartment has lost its silver color. Representatives of the company claim that new materials are used in the finishing materials, and the seats have a more comfortable profile for the riders. For all configurations added AUX line out and remote trunk opening function with a key. The restyling did not affect the technical part.
The updated Honda Civic, as before, is equipped with the i-VTEC petrol engine with a volume of 1.8 liters and 140 hp. A choice of 6-speed manual transmission and 5-speed "automatic". On the Civic with automatic transmission in the top-end Executive configuration, there are steering-wheel petals for manual control. Now a few words about the restyled hatchbacks.
He lost the transparent grille, and instead acquired small air intakes with a mesh on both sides of the “H” badge. In the back of the car updates are less noticeable, but still present. Changed the color scheme and the internal design of the rear lights.
Along the way, with the five-door hatchback, the three-door Type S was also updated. Instead of a transparent grille, it received a lining from the charged version of the Type R. Inside the restyled hatchback, the changes are not so fundamental. Another plastic trim front panel, and upholstery as well as in sedans received new versions of fabrics.
In the expensive versions, the list of standard equipment was supplemented with rear parking sensors and a USB port for connecting external multimedia devices. Hatchbacks with manual transmission were equipped with a special signaling device for optimal gear shifting. The robotic “mechanics” i-shift has undergone significant refinement. And most importantly - the hatchback began to aggregate the usual machine. The car has a high quality finish and fit panels.
