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2012 Honda Civic Sedan On Sale In Australia

Honda has announced Australian release of the all-new 2012 Civic Sedan range, following its unveiling at last year's Detroit Auto Show.

The new Civic is available in three variants, kicking off with the manual $20,990 VTi-L and topping out

Mike Stevens

07:1728 February 2012

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2012 Honda Civic Sedan On Sale In Australia

Honda has announced Australian release of the all-new 2012 Civic Sedan range, following its unveiling at last year's Detroit Auto Show.

The new Civic is available in three variants, kicking off with the manual $20,990 VTi-L and topping out with the $35,990 Hybrid model. In between, you'll find the $23,990 automatic VTi-L, and the $27,990 Sport automatic.

The debut of the ninth-generation Civic marks the deletion of the VTi variant, while the price of entry into the line-up has fallen by $2000. The price of the Sport has also fallen significantly, with the previous model priced at $32,290.

Engine Range

Engine options for the regular models include Honda's 1.8 litre i-VTEC petrol engine, delivering the same 104kW and 174Nm of torque as the current model. This engine is offered with the entry-level VTi-L.

Moving up to the mid-range, Honda has slotted its 2.0 litre i-VTEC four-cylinder into the Sport variant, delivering 114kW and 190Nm of torque - a small jump in torque (up from 188Nm), but no change to output.

Fuel consumption for the 1.8 litre engine is listed at 6.8 l/100km in manual form, and 6.7 with the five-speed automatic.

For the 2.0 litre engine, available with the five-speed auto only, fuel consumption is significantly improved. Where the same engine returned 8.4 l/100km in the outgoing model, the new model lists figures of 7.5 l/100km.

In Hybrid form, the Civic is powered by a 1.5 litre petrol engine paired with Honda's tweaked Integrated Motor Assist system, producing a combined 82kW and 172Nm.

Honda says the revised IMA system will deliver more go under hard acceleration than before, recharging the lithium-ion battery pack through both the engine and the regenerative braking system.

Features

Standard features across the new Civic range include an 'Intelligent Multi-information Display', cruise control, auto climate control, Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free phone, steering-mounted controls and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Other standard features include USB and iPod connectivity, ECON Mode with Eco Assist speedometer display, and body-coloured door mirrors with integrated indicators.

In VTi-L form, the Civic is offered with 16-inch alloy wheels, while the Sport gets 17-inch wheels and the Hybrid gets 15-inchers.

Sitting above the VTi-L, the Sport also scores an electric sunroof with tilt and slide functions, along with auto-on/off headlights, rain-sensing wipers and leather seats (fabric in the VTi-L and Hybrid).

The Hybrid picks up an aerodynamics-improving duck-tail spoiler (we reckon it should be on the Sport too), along with its own unique IMA Hybrid grille design and blue accents to the headlights and taillights.

Across the regular petrol range, the new Civic offers 440 litres of rear storage space, while the Hybrid's battery pack limits rear storage to 351 litres.

Standard safety features include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), six airbags, ABS with EBD, Honda’s G-Con technology and Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering.

Advanced seat belt reminders are fitted to all seats. Pretensioners are fitted to the front seat belts to reduce slack in the event of a crash.

The new Civic was also awarded a 5 Star ANCAP crash-safety rating this week.