Date: August 01, 2005 03:25 Submitted by: Jeff Source: Honda PR (World) Credibility Rating: 10 August 1, 2005 - Honda Motor Europe Ltd. today announced the all-new, eighth generation Civic for the European market. Wider and lower than the out-going model, the Civic retains virtually all the emotional styling characteristics of the concept car shown at the Geneva Auto Salon in March 2005. This new model will make its first public appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005 and sales are expected to commence in early 2006. ... Now THIS is the way the Prius interior should have looked. Look at that instrumentation cluster with a START? button! 2 sunroofs too. Not too sure about that exterior look though especially the front. And some more interior photos. Not too shabby stats over all, although MPG is still worse than the Prius. BTW, only available for the Europe. I wonder what variation of this Honda is going to make for the USA.
hmm. i don't like it. how do you see out the back window with those seats folded up? i like the idea they had with the instrument cluster... but i'd be really distracted by it. there's enough for me to play with on the prius!
i really don't like the way it looks from the front. the interior and the rear are good, i like how the seats fold up and i like the 2 sunroofs.... i still wouldnt buy it though, unless it out-performed the prius on MPG and even then it would take years for me to give up my prius.
I believe that Honda has done a terrific job in upgrading the interior. I've previously driven a 7th generation Civic (2002) prior to my Prius and the 8th gen. looks very europeanish (??). The exterior still doesn't fully gain my support but perhaps that will change if i see it in person. Looks like the civic is no longer just the commuter car.
Wow, I can dig that Civic. That thing is pretty cool. It looks like a miniature Infiniti FX: [Broken External Image]:http://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/veh_gal_fx45_wall_4.jpg Although the front looks like a frickin' Saturn. Push button start - very cool. Damned Europeans get all of the cool stuff.
It more reminds me of the last Alfa Romeos. Looks like the Civic adopts the start button from the S2000, and most importantly, marks the return of a 5dr/hatchback to the Civic line. Still, it may be just more 'boy-racer' like the current SI....did you all note the world rally style six-speed manual? Diesel version is intriquing, if it burns biomass rather than petrol-based oil.
Hmm, it will be sad we'll get none of the cool stuff like dual automatic climate control (as shown). Even the new Yaris/Vitz has automatic climate control, optitron electronic gauges and SKS! But, the Yaris (aka Echo) being the subcompact car here in NA, our chances of seeing any of the 3 items mentioned above is probably zip.
