Honda's customer research revealed that while customers of the outgoing model found the car useful in everyday life, they would also appreciate a more compact and sportier body to match the handling that has also been one of the main attributes of Honda's C segment car in Europe.

Honda therefore worked to blend the good handling and performance exhibited by the previous generation, with spacious interiors and almost seamless functionality. The result is a new range of C-segment contenders with compact external dimensions and a large, spacious cabin for comfortable, economical motoring.

Matsumoto concludes by saying that he and his team have achieved what they set out to do. "We have developed a car that epitomises all these core values. And in doing so, have created the Civic that provides new value for our European customers and that remains on the leading edge of change."



EXTERIOR DESIGN - HONDA CIVIC

"I wanted to break with conventional methodology, to achieve a breakthrough in design that would make all other cars look like they were from the last generation"   
Yoshiyuki Matsumoto

To have a stronger footprint on Europe's roads and to raise the quality of Honda's design in the European market, the Civic needed to be more individual and have stronger style. It had to be completely different from other cars on the road.

The new Honda Civic does have undeniable presence. Possessing 5-door functionality with coupe overtones, its wedge shape and 'cab forward' look suggest strong dynamic performance. There are plenty of distinctive features, from the unique 'face' with the headlamps blending seamlessly into a central glazed panel; triangular front fog lamps (on ES and EX models) ­- a design motif that is repeated by the integrated exhaust tailpipes positioned at either side of the rear bumper ­- 'concealed' rear door handles, that add to the sense of coupe styling; and tailgate glass that is split horizontally by a rear spoiler.

The general trend within the motor industry is for new model ranges to be larger than their predecessors, but the new Honda Civic is an exception: at 4,245mm long and 1,460mm tall, it is shorter by 30mm and lower by 37mm - but in order to create a more dynamic stance and to deliver better handling, overall width is up from 1,715 to 1,760mm and both the front and rear tracks have been increased from 1,468 to 1,504mm and from 1,469mm to 1,510mm, respectively.

Uniquely in its segment, Honda Civic features a centrally-mounted 50-litre fuel tank beneath the floor, an elegant approach that affords excellent protection in the event of an accident and also permits a useful flat rear floor, so improving both passenger and load space, and contributing to a best-in-segment luggage compartment volume.

Multiple reinforcement measures in both the cabin and platform have delivered a number of benefits including more accurate steering and chassis response, and enhanced rear-end stability.

Honda Civic has also been made more aerodynamically efficient by fitting an undercover extending from bumper to bumper.

Good driver visibility is of paramount importance, and often overlooked, but of the utmost importance is windscreen wiper efficiency. The new flat blade wipers and high pressure washers both contribute to this goal.

Ensuring good rearward visibility is equally important and the rear windscreen's curved design makes water run off naturally.

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