The Honda Civic is a household name in America, easily one of the most popular compact cars of all time. However, it's pretty unusual in Germany. So when Auto Bild did a complete teardown of a 2018 hatchback, we were curious what they found.
The Civic hatch is a relatively new model to the U.S. market, but it's the Honda of choice in Europe. Both continents get their units produced at the Swindon factory in Britain, at least when it comes to 2018 models. So the German review is highly relevant.
We were a little worried about the powertrains because Europe had both a 1.6-liter diesel and a 1.0-liter turbo in this car. But the reviewer mentions a 1.5-liter with 182 horsepower, so it's the familiar VTEC Turbo. That's not to say there aren't going to be differences, mainly for the sake of meeting emissions targets.
As Honda fans will know, the 1.5-liter is a relatively new engine and has been a little controversial. People are worried about the new injection system and what it could mean for carbon buildup. There have also been reports of oil dilution causing premature wear. But the engine Auto Bild took apart looks spotless on the inside, and they couldn't find anything wrong with it after 100,000 km or about 62,000 miles.
Likewise, the CVT was in excellent condition, though the Germans apparently don't like how it works on the Autobahn. They say it's too much like a cruiser, which is unexpected when the horsepower numbers are pretty much class-leading. Also, the adaptive suspension isn't comfortable enough.
I used to love the photos of complete car teardowns by this German magazine when I was a little lad. And I'm glad they're still doing it. Pretty much all the Civic's parts are cleaned out and displayed in an orderly fashion, from the pistons to the airbags and the suspension arms. You can also catch glimpses of how the Civic is put together.
It's fair to say that the Civic has now failed in Europe. Honda has sold its remaining EU car plant in England to a logistics firm a couple of months ago. The one in Turkey that made sedans is also closed. Most likely, the company will focus exclusively on EVs while also offering some efficient powertrains in the crossovers that remain relatively popular.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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