CleanMPG Reviews the 2012 Honda Civic HF

[xcel]

Ok, so we have just begun the drive(s)!

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Sept. 19, 2011

2012 Civic HF Sedan at dusk - $19,455 to start, rated at a respectable 29/41/33 city/highway/combined mpgUS and more to be revealed in short order. I promise

The Civic now in its ninth generation can be described in automobile circles as the Honda stalwart. Sure the Accord has built the company but it is the Civic that worldwide has sold approximately 18-million units with almost half of those (8.9 million and counting) sold here in the US.

When considering the Civics history, previous generations have earned accolade after accolade including a number of "Car of the Year" awards from Japan, Canada and the US plus Import "Car of the Year", "Automobile of the Year", named to C&D’s Ten Best list six times and even named the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Car of the Year as late as 2006. The NG powered Civic GX has been named Greenest Car by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy for a number of years as well.

While the awards are trophies, it is the quality and reliability that kept customers coming back decade after decade. One of the most prestigious and telling is that the ninth gen Civic is currently being built at Honda’s award winning Greensburg, Indiana manufacturing facility. This site is one of only three plants in the world to earn the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Platinum Plant Quality Award and received the honor less than three years after the start-up of mass production in October of 2008.

Unfortunately, the all-new design has not been well received with somewhat condescending reviews and initial new car model sales that would have to be best described as middling. Even in my own few minutes behind the windscreen, the interior plastics are as hard as I have ever touched, the control stalks are a far cry from Honda’s usual “Best in Class” tactile feel and operation, and the exterior does not exude the same aesthetically pleasing taste as the current crop of competitive compact offerings.

This is not what we have come to expect from an institution in the automobile industry otherwise known as the Civic. The most damaging report had to be CR’s who have in the past rated the Civic as “Recommended” but due to lengthy stopping distances and poor handling, the all-new Civic was relegated to the back of the highly competitive compact class pack.

With the past and present awards and miscues discussed and out of the way, let us talk about what the Civic does so well.

2012 Honda Civic Safety is Still Highly Regarded

The 2012 Honda Civic sedan received the highest possible safety rating of “TOP SAFETY PICK” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) under its more-stringent testing guidelines implemented this year.

All TOP SAFETY PICK vehicles must also include a standard electronic stability control system. The Civic earned the highest-possible score of GOOD in all four ratings, including the more rigorous roof-strength test.

The 2012 Civic uses a higher percentage of high-strength steel (now totaling 55 percent) contributing to reduced weight, enhanced safety and higher levels of overall body rigidity. In addition, Honda’s acclaimed Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure using a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment.

Standard safety equipment includes Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control (TC); an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS); Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) with Brake Assist (BA); side curtain airbags; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; a driver's front side airbag; and a front passenger's side airbag with an occupant position detection system.

2012 Honda Civic HF Powertrain

The powertrain in the 2012 Civic HF is borrowed directly from the regular 2012 Civic with a re-engineered 1.8L I4 providing 140 HP and 128 lb-ft. of torque. Attached to the power plant is a is a 5-speed AT. While some (including myself) would have begged for an even taller ratio’ed 6-speed, the setup currently allows the HF to spin at miserly 1,880 RPM at 60 mph which is very competitive in the compact class. In fact, only the Cruze ECO with the tall 6-speed MT is able to undermine the Civic HF with a calculated 1,805 RPM at 60 mph figure.

In addition to the tall ratio AT, the HF provides better fuel economy with a reduction in aerodynamic drag and reduced rolling resistance courtesy of the 15” Bridgestone Ecopia EP20’s. And just like the regular Civic’s, the HF includes an Eco mode that softens throttle output for a given input, its 5-speed AT shift mapping is reconfigured to provide earlier upshifts and the climate control's upper five fan speeds (of a total of six) are lowered incrementally and other climate control system characteristics are altered based on the conditions.

2012 Honda Civic HF Interior

A two tiered dash houses the instruments and is both expansive and easy to comprehend. The full-color Multi-Information Display (i-MID) provides access to other information screens and customizable features, including personalized wallpaper. While a bit over the top, maneuvering through the various menu’s on first try seemed kludgey but after 10-minutes, selecting a menu or setting is as easy as opening and closing a door.

As discussed previously, the interior plastics are harsh and the control stalks feel less expensive than previous generation Civic’s. Improved component integration however has increased the Civic Sedan’s passenger volume to 94.7 cu. ft. over the 2011 Civic Sedan’s 90.9 cu. ft. of passenger volume allowing a new found “feeling of spaciousness” not felt in the previous generation. This may be the most endearing addition to the 2012 Civic and a pleasant surprise for those thinking this is just another compact sedan.

The trunk receives a similar treatment adding another .5 cu. ft. although I have yet to open it to see how much more or less usable it is.

2012 Honda Civic HF Exterior

The HF has a more Aerodynamic appearance and Cd than the previous generation Civic sedans thanks in part to its sleekly angled windshield. The new front end incorporates an odd bumper bulge while a soft body line begins beneath the lower air intake wrapping around to the lower doors and swooping up to meet the rear below the rear taillights. Hidden aerodynamic features include flat-bottom construction, more aero panels, Honda’s standard aero strakes, rear decklid spoiler and the previous generation Civic Hybrid’s plate like 15” alloys to help the Civic HF achieve its excellent EPA fuel-economy of 29/41 mpgUS city/highway.

While not an aggressive appearance, it does show signs of Civic lineage and one you can drive for a few years not thinking you missed out on the latest design craze.

2012 Honda Civic HF First Drive

As for now, the 8.2 miles shown below occurred at rush hour to a local Assessor’s office in the middle of Gurnee, IL. While the interior/exterior may be lackadaisical, the engine and tranny still has some of that “Good Ole” Honda magic applied and I look forward to placing more miles on it tomorrow.

Now this I like


69.1 mpg (non-calibrated) over a nasty 8.2 mile city/suburban RT drive route
complete with numerous stop lights and stop signs every 1/3 of a mile.

I will have more later but it is a start and hopefully something we can all look forward to with an odometer study, aFCD FE calibration and an all-highway push to be completed over the next few days.

Wayne

[RichXKU]

Interesting to see a +/- fuel icon on a gas only car. Strange.

As always, looking forward to the rest of the review!

[Carcus]

Hypermiled to near 70 mpg on an 8 mile loop...... isn't that well into hybrid territory?

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Is it FASable then?

[xcel]

Hi Carcus:

Well into hybrid territory but until we get some calibration results, it could mean anything. The previous 4 eighth gen Civics I have driven included aFCD’s with a 2 mpgUS under report of the actual which I hope Honda continued with the HF. Nice to know you are actually doing better than the display but we will not find out until later this week. I did top it off and saw another 2.5 gallons beyond first click so at least its actual cap is probably somewhere around 15 gallons actual vs. the 13.2 gal. spec.

Sean, yes, it is FAS’able.

A little highway last night and this morning plus a few tidbits.

62.4 mpg over a 30.7 mile RT drive.

I drove to my parents home last night and drove the harsh entry curb edge into their sub that unsettles just about everything else. The Civic with the smallish 15’s took the corner bump with less impact than I feel in my Accord and the Accord is about the best I have driven through this particular corner of anything I have driven! Regular road imperfections and expansion joints however will shake you up a bit. Strange how the HF’s suspension can swallow the really rough section while normal road imperfections are readily noticeable?

While traveling down the highway, the Civic HF appears top lack solid sound insulation allowing quite a bit of road noise to intrude. I suspect since they were targeting the Elantra’s weight, they stripped it to the bone. And regarding its weight, it is very light as I could push it around the drive without even trying. A testament to the Bridgestone Ecopia’s also. The 12 Civic HF with its 5-speed AT weighs just 37 more pounds than the featherweight Elantra GLS with the MT which is really saying something!

Handling… I do not know where CR’s got their info from but the Civic HF with the low RRc Ecopia’s at placard handles excellent. I was taking corners well beyond .5 g’s and there was not even a squeal. The 12 TCH I was driving last week would complain loudly at similar entry and exit speeds while on dual lane outside radius turns.

So what do we know so far? The HF has a decent on-center feel, it feels light and tossable and goes where you direct it. The suspension is superb under harsh jolts but on small ones, a bit over damped for a comfortable ride. It does not handle as good as the 12 Focus with the 18’s but my early impression is that is handles better than the Cruze ECO and Elantra GLS w/ the 15’s before the limits of traction have been breached. I will do some of that testing in an empty parking lot tomorrow.

No BlueTooth. Cars today should come standard with this and the Civic DX, LX and HF do not include it. In addition, you have to move to the EX to receive an outside air temperature indicator. Come on Honda, this kind of stuff is arriving on base Fiesta’s and Yaris’ nowadays so get with the program already

About all for now but I have to say I could live with this car if it had Bluetooth and the outside air temp indicator. I do miss the HQ control stalks of the previous gen or like those found in the current 12 Elantra or 12 Corolla. I would also much rather experience softer dash plastics like that that comes on the 12 Focus, 12 Elantra or 12 Cruze. While Honda was probably readjusting the Civic’s suspension to improve handling after CR’s roast of the LX, the engineers could do little with the hard interior plastics. I am guessing on the suspension tuning but I found the HF to be a much better handler nearing its limits than CR’s experienced with the LX.

Wayne

[herm]

Bluetooth seems to be disappearing from everything except car radios and smartphones.

[PaleMelanesian]

Watching this closely.

I'm guessing this has the same towing limits as Honda's other automatics - 35 mph and 50 miles max.

[Carcus]

" Strange how the HF’s suspension can swallow the really rough section while normal road imperfections are readily noticeable? "
----------------

Wayne,

Have you ever had an "in detail" conversation with any Honda/Toyota engineers about suspension tuning (camber,castor, toe-in) vs fuel economy? I wonder if on the 'mpg emphasis cars' they are sacrificing some of their higher speed handling qualities with a more neutral set-up for lower rolling resistance. If you're somebody who spends the majority of time at lower speeds (city driving) you may not notice. But I took a gen ii Prius on a 70+ mph test drive on a gusty wind day a couple of years ago and it drove like I was hearding cats.

Also, is a tire pressure check always part of your pre-test inspection?

[xcel]

Hi Carcus:

The fuel efficient automobiles we drive are more than likely set close to 0 toe and thus the squirrely feel at higher speeds. That said, this changes from one trim to the next as well. The 17’s on the Prius or the 16” alloys on the Elantra change the vehicle dynamics in such a way that you would think you are driving an entirely different automobile.

Saying all that, anything over .5 degrees off 0 will harm a sub-compact/compact’s FE more than it would an SUV so I am sure the suspension and Fuel Economy engineers are talking with one another about this.

Tire pressure is always checked and surprisingly, the STI and G. Schmitz guys arrive within + 2 psi and that is on warm tires. I will take them up on Day 2 or 3 as the cars feel mushy at placard.

Herm, cars simply need Bluetooth to keep people from reaching for their phones which is probably illegal in half the states by now. And the lack of an outside temp indicator... I can understand it in a $12,000 sub-compact but not in a $20,000 + main stream offering.

Wayne

[jpleong]

Originally Posted by xcel

And the lack of an outside temp indicator... I can understand it in a $12,000 sub-compact but not in a $20,000 + main stream offering.

And the fact that it comes standard on the Insight-base, too.

JP