Honda at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show

Honda will introduce a revamped Civic line-up, new engines for the Accord and an Accord estate design study at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show

Honda "sexes up" Civic for 2004 It would be wrong for Honda to change the fundamentals of an innovative design. But with the imminent arrival of the next generation Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra, there’s a challenge to be met... Honda has responded with a raft of revisions that take the 2004 Civic up to a higher plane. The net result is a Civic that looks much fresher and more distinctive, is more responsive and more fun to drive, and which is significantly more refined.

More sporty appearance All models gain sharper frontal styling for a more distinctive, sporty look. The 3 door now features a mesh grille, while the 5 door has a new three bar grille in place of the single slat grille; both gain a more prominent ‘H’ mark. The front bumper now has a wider intake with lines that sweep up into the wheel arch. All Civics get new projector style headlamps of either two-light or three-light design, depending on model.

Capturing some of the visual excitement of the Type-R, the Sport grade uses the new front spoiler design from its more powerful sibling together with a unique colour front grille, 3-light projector headlamps, side sill garnish, 205/55 R16 tyres and newly designed 5-stud 16 inch alloy wheels.

At the rear, 5 door models get a new tailgate pressing and rear bumper with a styling motif mirroring that at the front, and a tailgate spoiler is added. Tail-light clusters on both 3 and 5 door models have been restyled.

A more sporty drive Within their size classes, the Civic’s petrol and diesel engines were already at the top of the class for performance, so the line up remains unchanged.

Extensive fine-tuning of the toe control link MacPherson strut / reactive link double wishbone suspension and EPS power steering system for both 3 and 5 door models endow the 2004 Civic with much crisper handling.

All models gain stiffer steering and suspension mounting points, a new variable ratio steering rack, increased steering caster angle – and recalibrated spring, damper and anti-roll bar settings. Values are specific for 3 and 5 door models, as they are for the Sport, Type S and Type-R variants.

And a more comfortable one Improving ride quality and reducing noise levels has been a top priority for Honda engineers working on the 04 year Civic. Upgraded and more extensive noise insulation materials, as well as a front subframe dynamic damper have been employed to quell noise and vibration from all sources. Particular attention has been paid to reducing wind and road noise, engine noise at full throttle – and even the stone chipping sound experienced when driving over loose surfaces.

The inside story: Changes to the spacious cabins have been aimed at delivering a lighter and more elegant ambience with careful co-ordination of colours and textures. Seats are finished in a new fabric and their shape has been improved for greater comfort. There is now more chrome-finished detailing, matched to a new centre console colour of Magnum Silver.

All Civic 5 door models now have self illuminated meters similar to those of the Honda Accord and Civic IMA, while all 3 door models now feature white dials. Most Civics now feature a combined trip / fuel consumption mpg display with an outdoor temperature readout.

Revised Type-R The exciting and iconic Civic Type-R doesn’t go unchanged and new for 2004 are a lighter flywheel and clutch assembly. Reducing inertia makes the engine more responsive and coincidentally shaves 0.2 secs off the 0-62 mph time (now 6.6 sec). There are also new brake callipers that incorporate the Type-R logo for added exclusivity.

Door mirror-mounted indicators, a front spoiler similar to that on Sport models, a front grille unique to Type-R, and three light blue projector style headlamps complete the picture. Inside, there are now red seat inserts and door panels, as well as red headrest aperture, to further emphasise the car’s out and out sporty nature.

The Type R benefits considerably from the NVH (noise vibration and harshness) tuning applied to the whole range.

Sales of the 2004 Civic Type-R begin in February 2004.

New Type S with VSA A new top-of-the-range Civic 5 door model will be available from April 2004. As the name suggests, this 2.0 litre i-VTEC engined sports model incorporates Vehicle Stability Assist, and is designed to counteract understeer and oversteer tendencies through a combination of individual wheel braking and engine torque reduction. The Teves supplied system also incorporates a Drive By Wire (DBW) throttle and Traction Control.

The VSA model has several other dynamic attributes. These include a close ratio gearbox with 6% "shorter" fourth and fifth ratios to benefit acceleration, bigger (16 in) alloy wheels shod with 205/55-Series tyres and correspondingly bigger ventilated front brake discs.

Safety and Environment When the current Civic range was first launched, it set new standards with its ability to combine excellent occupant protection with an unprecedented level of pedestrian safety. Specifically it combined a 4 star Euro NCAP occupant safety rating with a 3 star pedestrian result – a feat which even now, only one other manufacturer has been able to emulate.

Accord's "whispering" diesel Honda’s latest Accord has quickly established itself as one of the best prospects in the "quality" family car class. Early next year there will be a self-developed diesel version to complement respected 2.0 and 2.4 litre DOHC i-VTEC petrol engines. The Accord 2.2 i-CTDi does not disappoint. Measured across a range of criteria, the new unit delivers a blend of performance, refinement and efficiency to compete with the very best in the market. A combined fuel consumption of 52.3 (Tourer 48.7 mpg) and peak torque of 340 Nm at just 2,000 rpm, are both improvements on the benchmark Audi A4 TDi 130 and BMW 320.

Moreover, with an output of 140 PS at 4,000 rpm, it delivers a level of responsiveness and acceleration that together with low engine noise and vibration make for extremely relaxed and comfortable motoring. High torque gives excellent acceleration and responsiveness at low speed for in-town driving, superior responsiveness and acceleration in the mid-range and sustained high speed driving at low engine speeds; it also brings the added benefit of minimal gear changing. 0-62 mph is despatched in just 9.4 seconds (Tourer 10.1 seconds) and 50-75 mph in 11.2 seconds.

This all-round performance is rounded off by low CO2 emissions – 143 and 153 g/km CO2 for the saloon and Tourer, respectively. And it surpasses with ease the stringent Euro IV requirements. That means that Accord diesel company car drivers sidestep the 3% benefit in kind tax penalty that affects many competitors.

Behind these statistics is a specification that includes second generation common rail direct injection, four valves per cylinder, DOHC, variable nozzle turbocharger and intercooler. Particularly significant and of paramount importance in realising the aims of the development programme is a special aluminium, closed-deck cylinder block construction.

The engine was developed by Honda Senior Chief Engineer Kenichi Nagahiro. Mr Nagahiro created the concept of Honda’s pioneering variable valve timing system; he was also responsible for the Indycar engine design and development programme, which in turn led to the current Formula One programme. Now he is the man in charge of the turbo diesel engine project.

Honda Accord Wagon design study A styling exercise on the Accord Wagon was created by Honda Access to showcase the company's range of accessories for the Accord.

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