Honda Civic 2006 Review

Spearheading the new Civic lineup, the Civic Sport is powered by a 114kW, 2.0-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine.

The 2.0-litre engine pumps out 114kW at 6200rpm and 188Nm of torque at 4200rpm.

It's the last figure that is most important.

In comparison, the lamented VTi-R's smaller 1.6-litre donk cranked out an amazing 118kW at 7600rpm - but not nearly as much torque (just 148Nm at 7000rpm).

Last sold in 2000, the high-revving VTi-R was more powerful but nowhere near as "driveable", with considerably less torque that was available only at high revs.

Torque is the muscle that makes driving larger, more powerful cars that much easier, requiring less gear changes and making short work of steep hills.

Other models in the new Civic range get a 103kW 1.8-litre power plant, apart from the petrol-electric Hybrid.

Our test car was 2.0-litre Civic Sport equipped with optional five-speed auto that includes steering wheel-mounted gear shift paddles.

A five-speed manual is standard.

The buttons are okay for cruising around but it is easy to lose track of them once the driver's hands start to move around the wheel, especially during enthusiastic cornering.

The best system sees the buttons fixed to the steering column itself where they don't budge.

Australia misses out on the space age hatch, but the new sedan holds its own as a slick, smart looking unit.

It's longer, lower and wider than the previous model, with a raked aggressive stance.

Like the rest of the range the Civic Sport is a four-door sedan, despite its sporty pretensions.

It has a reasonable sized boot and rear seat that splits 60/40 for longer loads, with a "dive down" feature that allows the seats to lie flat.

The interior is dominated by the two-tier instrument cluster, with a separate high mounted speedometer.

It means your eyes don't have to stray far from the road to check what speed you're doing, something we find ourselves doing a lot.

Safety is taken care of with front, side and curtain airbags, plus ABS brakes and new electronic brake force distribution system that acts on left and right sides independently to prevent rear-end steer during emergency braking.

Like most VTEC engines the Sport likes to rev and really doesn't come into its own until around the 4000 to 5000rpm mark.

Performance is strong but unconvincing.

We'd like to see how the five-speed manual peforms.

As well as change paddles, the transmission features a sport setting that keeps the revs on the boil - good for performance but not so good for economy.

Handling is good but not spectacular, especially on the limits.

Fuel consumption for the auto as tested is rated at 8.0L/100km.

Cruise control is standard but the Sport gains a number of extras, including a sunroof, leather seats and steering wheel, front foglights, twin tailpipes and 16-inch alloys with 205/55 profile rubber.

Honda Civic Sport is priced from $29,990. Automatic transmission adds $2000 bringing the price to the same figure as the Hybrid.