Photo: Car Watch
Even though they have all sorts of problems, we love twin-clutch gearboxes in regular cars. For many years, the Honda Civic has been stuck with a 6-speed auto and a CVT, which could be replaced by an 8-speed DCT. However, this might not happen in all the markets.
Japanese website Car Watch reports from the Honda Meeting 2017, where the black Civic you see was presented. It's called the Dynamic Study, and under the familiar 10th generation Civic body lies a new powertrain consisting of a 1.5-liter turbo engine matched to the 8-speed DCT.
The publication reports that the new gearbox has a torque converter and is about the size of a 5-speed gearbox, though these facts probably came from Honda themselves. Crucially, the new setup promises a 15% improvement in power delivery and 8% better fuel efficiency.
The way we figure it, this is Honda Japan improving the car. Despite launching a year ago, this sedan is only becoming available there in late July, and the Dynamic Study is the preview.
Supposedly, this 8-speed DCT is similar to the one used by the Acura CDX that's being sold in the Chinese market. But this wouldn't be the first time Japan gets better tech than Europe or America. For example, the Fit subcompact came out with full-LED headlights, a 7-speed DCT and hybrid drive, but global models have a CVT instead.
The downside is that Honda was faced with a major recall for the DCT, just like Volkswagen. But twin-clutch gearboxes have a more natural feel than their continuously variable cousins.
Besides the new gearbox, the Dynamic Study also boasts a more rigid subframe that increases torsional rigidity by 25%. Following that, Honda has made changes to the suspension, which probably means making it softer. The drag coefficient of the sedan has been further reduced by 14%, and both the power steering and brakes were re-tuned. So all in all, it's quite different to the 2016 Civic we all know and love.
The publication reports that the new gearbox has a torque converter and is about the size of a 5-speed gearbox, though these facts probably came from Honda themselves. Crucially, the new setup promises a 15% improvement in power delivery and 8% better fuel efficiency.
The way we figure it, this is Honda Japan improving the car. Despite launching a year ago, this sedan is only becoming available there in late July, and the Dynamic Study is the preview.
Supposedly, this 8-speed DCT is similar to the one used by the Acura CDX that's being sold in the Chinese market. But this wouldn't be the first time Japan gets better tech than Europe or America. For example, the Fit subcompact came out with full-LED headlights, a 7-speed DCT and hybrid drive, but global models have a CVT instead.
The downside is that Honda was faced with a major recall for the DCT, just like Volkswagen. But twin-clutch gearboxes have a more natural feel than their continuously variable cousins.
Besides the new gearbox, the Dynamic Study also boasts a more rigid subframe that increases torsional rigidity by 25%. Following that, Honda has made changes to the suspension, which probably means making it softer. The drag coefficient of the sedan has been further reduced by 14%, and both the power steering and brakes were re-tuned. So all in all, it's quite different to the 2016 Civic we all know and love.
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