At the same time, a more upright, sportier steering wheel angle has been chosen. Driver legroom has been enhanced and the pedals are now 978mm from the hip point compared with 970mm in the previous Honda Civic. The front seats also have a greater range of fore/aft and reclining adjustment, while the steering column has both rake and telescopic adjustment, providing more room for taller drivers, as well as improved interior versatility.


Honda Civic Seats

A great deal of thought and work has been invested in creating seats that better fit the body so that passengers sit in rather than on them. The new frames have a higher rigidity and effectively surround the pelvis area with ridges that improve support. An improved urethane material has been used to enhance vibration absorption and the cushions and backrests are now larger.

The driver's seat height has been raised by 50mm compared to the outgoing Honda Civic, resulting in a higher and more comfortable hip point as well as better all-round visibility.


Equipment

The DVD navigation system (standard on EX, optional on SE) features a 7-inch display, voice recognition, traffic-info display, traffic jam detour search, multiple route search and auto time zone adjustment.

Honda Civic can also be equipped with Hands-Free Telephone (HFT) based on Bluetooth technology. Among the numerous functions are call answer, redial, talk back, call transfer and voice command (available in five languages).

ES and EX models of Honda Civic are equipped with automatic headlamps. With the switch set to auto, a light sensor located on the windscreen detects low light conditions so that the headlamps are automatically lit as the car enters a tunnel, a garage or any zone which is dark enough to trigger the sensor. Similarly, there is also a rain sensor that activates the wipers when the first drops of rain fall.

Air conditioning, standard on all models except S grade, now comes with dual zone climate control on ES and EX models allowing the driver and front passenger to set their own personal preferences.

The indicators have a soft touch mode: gently touching the appropriate lever causes that indicator to flash three times before self-cancelling, reducing the burden of turning it on and off when making lane changes, for example.


Honda Civic Load space and storage

In terms of cabin space and practicality, Honda Civic sets new standards in the competitive C-segment. The tandem distance (measured from the hip point of the front seat passenger to that of the rear seat passenger and a key indicator of in-car roominess) is 835mm, a figure on a par with some larger D-segment contenders as well as exceeding some station wagons both in the C and D-segments.

The centrally-located fuel tank mounted just beneath the front cabin floor plays a key role in achieving such spaciousness and the flexibility of the cabin. This arrangement, together with the H-shaped torsion beam rear suspension allows for a much lower rear floor. At the same time this rational layout provides increased body rigidity, enhanced crash protection in all directions as well as improved protection of the fuel tank, since it has complete perimeter protection provided by the floor cross members and the floor frame.

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