2012 Honda Civic launched in Malaysia!

 Today (12/7/2012) marks the launch of the 9th generation Honda Civic in Malaysia! It comes with two engine choices, a 1.8 and a 2.0, where the 2.0 has the S and Navi variant. Based on the studio shots of the all-new Civic, it looks stunning, but it loses a bit of flair when compared to its 6 years old predecessor. Eventhough this Civic headed to the more angular side, the aggressive-looking 17-inch alloy wheels certainly helped in elevating the overall 'emotion' of the sporty-oriented Civic.

Some say the rear of this Civic has a tad of hint of the Mercedes C-Class, and I couldn't agree more. A facelift exercise for the taillights will definitely be a welcome since the current design doesn't actually go well with the rest of the car, especially the light cluster on the tailgate which looks like an afterthought. In a nutshell, the Civic is still a looker, but just take it as a mid-life crisis for the Civic...

The 1.8S variant comes with an i-VTEC engine which produces 141PS @ 6500rpm and 174Nm @ 4300rpm, while the 2.0S and 2.0Navi has an i-VTEC engine which churns out 155PS @ 6500rpm and 190Nm @ 4300rpm, mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. Surprisingly this time around, Honda Malaysia decided to bring the Civic Hybrid into the market at the same time with the petrol variants. The IMA system + i-VTEC engine in the hybrid produces a combination of 82PS @ 5500rpm and 172Nm from 1000-3500rpm, mated to a CVT transmission.

Let's go back to the petrol Civic. Being a 2.0S, it has tons of extras such as auto levelling headlights, HID headlights, side mirror with turning lights, leather seats, 8-way driver powered seat, cruise control, smart entry with push-start button, paddle shift and side airbags. 2.0 Navi is the top-of-the-line variant for the Civic by having features like Hands-free Teelphone System (HFT) and a 6.1-inch touchscreen with integrated reverse camera. All Civic comes with ECON button, i-MID (intelligent-Multi Information Display) and motion adaptive Electric Power Steering.

 Civic Hybrid has Hill Start Assist as an extra safety feature compared to its petrol-engined counterparts. Both petrol and hybrid has Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) as standard, a creditable mention. However, the hybrid should've come with 6 airbags instead of only 4 considering its pricing of RM119,980, which is more expensive than the 1.8S at RM115,980. The 2.0S is selling at RM131,980 while the 2.0 Navi at RM136,980, all OTR price.

Good news, a service interval of 10,000km is applied for the all-new Civic, and Civic also get a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty just like the facelifted City. Civic Hybrid also get a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty for its IMA battery.

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