Honda’s redesigned Civic launched

One of the most anticipated cars of 2016 is now available in Qatar. Doha Marketing Services Company (Domasco) announced the launch of the 2016 Honda Civic yesterday. The completely redesigned Civic has been turning heads worldwide and has even won the 2016 North American Car of the year award.  This 10th generation Civic has undergone a lot of changes from its earlier iteration with an all-new chassis, body and two new engine options. And then there’s the striking new design. The aggressive front is complemented, if not overshadowed, by the stylish rear. The car is now 50mm wider and that adds to its sporty look. LED DRLs, a cap-less fuel intake and glass antennas are some of the standout features that are standard across variants.  The dimensions of the car have been tweaked to ensure more space inside. The engine compartment has been reduced by 30mm while the cabin sees an increase of 30mm. This means more legroom for the passengers. There are a host of features which include the 5-inch touch screen infotainment system in the LXi variant and a bigger 7-inch one in the EXi and the RS.Now coming to the heart of the matter. There are two new engine options being offered. The 2016 Civic will be available in three variants in Qatar. The LXi, EXi and the performance variant – RS. The LXi and EXi are powered by the new 2.0-litre engine that produces a maximum power of 158hp@6500rpm and 187N-m of torque at 4200rpm. The enthusiast’s delight will be the RS which comes with a 1.5-litre turbo mill that makes 180hp@6000rpm and 220N-m of torque across a wide range of 1700-5500rpm. Both engines will be mated to a new gen CVT which has a taller final gear ratio which helps increase fuel efficiency.    New age features like remote engine starter (which also starts the aircon), electric parking brake, rear aircon vents etc, add to the already loaded creature comforts technologies that the Civic comes with. It also has a walk-away-autolock feature. When the system detects that the key has travelled more than 2.5 metres from the car, the vehicle will be locked automatically as the name suggests.“We knew that the last generation of Civic cars were somehow losing its ground to the competition and this is what we were eagerly waiting for. Those heydays of Civic are back,” said Faisal Sharif, managing director at Domasco during the launch yesterday. The new Civic will start at QR78,000 for the 2.0-litre variant and the mouth-watering RS will touch the QR98,000 mark. The price is on the higher side but Domasco are confident that it won’t be an issue at all. “When you buy a car it’s not just about the price. It’s about the value that the customer sees. We are not going to be the cheapest in the segment but when you look at the features and the technology that the car has, the value for money is exceptional,” said Greig Roffey, head of Sales and Marketing at Domasco Honda. Domasco are offering test drives for the Civic this weekend.