Within its larger skeleton, Honda has used the space to improve occupant and pedestrian crash protection, while upping interior volume
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Within its larger skeleton, Honda has used the space to improve occupant and pedestrian crash protection, while upping interior volume and cargo carrying capacity to make its compact car even more useable, and comfortable, to the average consumer. (Photo: American Honda)
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and cargo carrying capacity to make its compact car even more useable, and comfortable, to the average consumer. There is little visual difference between the Hybrid model and the conventionally powered Civic; super smooth body panels and a slippery shape are common to all Civic Sedans. The Hybrid merely gains a lip spoiler on its tail, and lightweight, low-drag wheels similar in style to those found on the Insight.
Both the old car and new car use a 1.3-liter inline-four with iVTEC variable valve timing backed by Honda's IMA hybrid system, however, while the general descriptor remains, it's the details underneath that make the difference. Before we get into the details of the electric motor, let's have a quick glance over at the gasoline engine specs: it now produces 95-horsepower and 91 lb-ft of torque, which is a reasonable figure for an engine so small. By comparison, that's a whole 15-horsepower more than the engine
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| Both the old car and new car use a 1.3-liter inline-four with iVTEC variable valve timing backed by Honda's IMA hybrid system. (Photo: American Honda) |
included in larger Toyota Prius, and a serious step forward from the current 2005 Civic Hybrid, although if placed side-by-side to the more powerful Accord Hybrid it would appropriately lag behind by at least a furlong.
Honda was able to extract such power from the tiny engine, while keeping fuel economy and low emissions in mind, thanks to a new three-stage i-VTEC variable valve timing system, plus a massive friction reduction project. The new system uses hydraulics to couple and uncouple five five-rocker-arm assemblies allowing the car to have three distinctive profiles, each maximizing performance without sacrificing economy. Also interesting is that the new engine features a cylinder deactivation system that shuts down all four cylinders when coasting or during mild deceleration by sealing the valves shut to reduce energy losses in regenerating power. Ion-plated piston rings, aluminum die-cast pistons and ultra finely ground cylinder walls reduce friction.
