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Meet Honda's shock new hatch

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Hello new Honda Civic!
Hello new Honda Civic!
The new generation Honda Civic will be officially launched at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September. This sporty hatch is set to rival the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Renault Megane.

Honda kept most of the radical looking Civic concept car's design cues for the production version. Its interior and fascia design reflects the radical design departure with a digital speedometer display.

The car has an overall length of 4.25m, is 1.76m wide and stands 1.46m tall. Furthermore luggage space is better than before and is measured at 456 litres.

At first Honda will make the Civic available with three engine options. The entry-level model will get a 1.4-litre i-DSI unit with a power output of 60 kW.

Next in line is a new 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine which employs an "intelligent" i-VTEC system.

This system switches the valve timing for maximum efficiency during takeoff and acceleration to achieve powerful performance with good torque output, and then delays intake valve closure timing during cruising and other low-load conditions for enhanced fuel economy.

Honda claims that the use of the valve timing control system gives this engine the performance of a 2-litre engine but the economy of a 1.5-litre unit.

With the new i-VTEC engine, intake valve closure timing is delayed to control the air intake volume, allowing the throttle to open wider under low-load conditions for a major reduction in pumping loss of up to 16%.

Overall, the new engine delivers an output of 103 kW and maximum torque of 174 Nm.

The Civic will also be available with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel unit which develops 101 kW and 340 Nm of torque.

What's more is that a sizzling Type R model is also on the cards for later in 2006.

However, this performance model, with an expected power output of about 185 kW, will only be available as a three-door.

A Type S model featuring 147 kW of power will rival cars such as the Golf GTI and Megane Sport.

  • There is no indication yet when the new Civic will be available here
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