Why Honda does not need Superman

With apologies to the Daily Planet and Lois Lane, I paraphrase Ms. Lane’s Pulitzer prize-winning title in a brazen attempt to focus attention to a new car that, in all honesty, probably does not need any more of it. I’m talking, of course, of the new Honda Civic, which made a triumphant return to our gridlocked metropolis early last April.

As I write this, a grime-covered Pearl White Mica Civic 2.0 sits idly in the office parking lot. Why do I need to mention my car-washing habits (or the lack of it)? Because even with dried rainwater spoiling the otherwise gleaming finish of this gorgeous-looking car, the new Civic still reeks of that "special car" aura.

I should know, having driven in recent weeks a succession of special cars like the Nissan Murano and the Chrysler 300C, the impressive new 2.4-liter MIVEC-powered Mitsubishi Galant, as well as a couple of more common cars like the extremely enjoyable new stick-shift versions of the Ford Focus and Toyota Altis Sport.

Still there is no denying that "specialness" that I feel (not me, the car) even when just sitting inside the Civic. Is it the way the sporty (blue!) leather bucket seats hug my torso? Is it the way the Momo-esque leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel feels like it was custom-made for my hands? Is it the space age-y digital two-tiered instrument cluster that makes me want to say, "Beam me up, Scotty!"? Or is it the tres cool paddle shifters teasing my fingertips and making me want to change my name to Jenson Button?

Everywhere you look, everywhere you touch is a visual and tactile delight. We hear so much about "human engineering" and the way it facilitates the man-machine interface but Honda has raised this to an art form. And to a science. Leonardo da Vinci would be proud.

Ever seen (or even heard) of a drop-dead gorgeous handbrake lever? The new Civic has one. Instead of the usual plastic or leather-covered affair, Honda employs a slickly smooth satin aluminum finish that is — again — a visual and tactile spectacle.

But that’s not all to this oft-taken-for-granted device. It’s positioned to the left of the gearshift lever instead of behind it. Plus — and this is the piece de resistance — the handbrake lever is angled in a dogleg so that actuating the parking brake is a simple upward flick of the wrist. No ungainly upward yank of the whole right arm like in most cars. It’s just amazing how Honda never fails to notice even the seemingly mundane stuff and then engineer it to perfection.

I first saw this attention to detail in the 1992 Civic ESi’s gas strut-assisted trunk lid. While most Japanese cars used the much cheaper and space-consuming spring-mounted horizontal metal rods (that usually prevented you from installing speakers with big magnets on the rear deck), the 92 ESi employed expensive dual gas struts to more effortlessly raise the trunk lid — and without consuming any truck space at all.

I was also impressed with that Civic’s use of molded plastic covers on the rocker panels (also known as running boards). Obviously, that part of a car takes the brunt of all the pebbles kicked up by the front tires so the plastic cover is a no-brainer way of protecting it. It makes you wonder why other carmakers haven’t thought of that.

Now imagine that kind of attention to detail being applied to every system and subsystem, every component and subcomponent, every nut and bolt of this new Civic, and you’ve got an automobile that simply shouts with competence and capability.

Having the opportunity to drive brand news cars almost on a weekly basis, I know the difference between the solid feel of any brand new car and the truly solid feel of an impeccably constructed automobile. It’s something you feel in a 10-year-old BMW or Volvo but not necessarily in all brand new cars. But I’m willing to bet that this Civic will feel pretty solid even when its showroom finish has long surrendered to our scorching sun and acid rain.

So now that I’ve waxed poetic about the car, its instrument panel and its handbrake, how does it drive?

Do the words "like a dream" mean anything to you?

Hopelessly biased? Not when you consider a well-proportioned sedan powered by a silky smooth 155-ps DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter VTEC riding on responsive handling front strut/rear double wishbone suspension in the hands of a driver who revels in driving well-proportioned sedans with energetic engines and responsive handling.

Throw in those magnificent paddle shifters, super-communicative steering feel, that rorty engine with the equally rorty sound, and you will feel like Jenson Button. On a qualifying lap. In Monaco. The car just begs you to rev it to redline and attack apexes all day. Now that’s what I call priceless. Too bad the majority of its owners will use it simply for point A to point B transportation. They’ll never know what they’re missing.

At this point, the journalist in me searches for the Kryptonite to this super sedan. All things must have weak point, an Achilles’ heel. Even in small detail.

And this car has its share. Those body-hugging sport seats will probably rub somebody else (wider persons) the wrong way. The brakes are not as inspiring in its dynamics compared to what you get when you press on the accelerator or turn the steering wheel (although it’s not to say that the brakes are weak). The trunk opening is on the small side — something that has afflicted Civics for some time. And last but certainly far from least, that impressive powerplant creates impressive power at the expense of fuel economy. Needless to say, 2.0-liter power begets 2.0-liter consumption.

But in the end, it’s all well worth it. And with a starting price of a stunningly low P767,000 for the 1.8-liter M/T V variant, you get terrific value. As for me, I’d spring for the P1.112M flagship 2.0 A/T S-L model with the paddle shifters, 16-inch wheels and those really effective high-intensity discharge (HID) xenon lamps — if I can afford it. Yep, Honda already has its very own Man of Steel.

Regular Backseat Driver James Deakin put it best when he said I’d opened the floodgates with my column on "Class vs. Crass" last week. Your voluminous reactions were intelligently written and argued and were actually split right down the middle, with some giving the motoring journalists of the Philippines the reassuring pat on the back and others expressing their desire for more in-depth and hard hitting articles. Here are some of the said reactions…

Don’t compare yourself with others. Just go on writing the way you write — simple, honest, relevant, to the point and hard hitting (at times). — Cris Lara

How to improve? Simple enough. I’ve never seen a failing grade for a car evaluated by motoring journalist in the Philippines. — 09206221103

Be as professional as you can be. Keep your pride. We have our own class as Filipinos. Keep it up and keep your heads up! — Ian, Cavite

What that grammatically challenged chap probably meant was that very few local motoring journalists give unbiased, non-car company junket tainted car reviews. — 09178888800

No need to emulate the Americans or the Europeans. We have a different culture and different motoring needs. In my opinion the local motoring press is doing a fine job. — 09194117916

Regarding Mr. Magsajo’s column, that person probably meant that you guys do an independent technical evaluation of vehicles featured and not sound like you’re just reading specs off a handout. Thanks. — 09196776327

Those were just some of the many (!) reactions sent about the topic. All of your reactions have been sent and discussed among the writers of this column. Yes, even those that bashed our competition’s writing style, that we could not print for obvious reasons. (We just don’t stoop that low to resort to putting down the competition, although they do that to us occasionally.) We’ll do our best to share it with our peers from other broadsheets, magazines and television shows, as well. Thanks for your Backseat Driver comments, guys. We’re grateful for the constructive criticism.

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