Honda Civic Sedan (1995)

Honda Civic Sedan

The fifth generation of the Honda Civic debuted in Japan on September 9, 1991. The new Civic was larger than its predecessor, had a more aerodynamic body and the wheelbase was increased to 257 cm (101.3 inches) for the three-door hatchback and 262 cm (103.2 inches) for the four-door sedan. The wagon was also dropped for overseas markets, while the previous generation station wagon ("Shuttle") continued in Japan and Europe.

At its introduction in, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award for the second time.

This generation of Civic used lightweight materials to create a fuel efficient economy car. Compared to the previous generation, the cowl was raised, which allowed for more suspension travel. Along with that change the ride became softer than that of the previous generation, which provided a more compliant ride at expense of crisper handling.

In addition, vehicles with the 1.6 L SOHC VTEC 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) engines such as the Si hatchback and EX coupe models found in the United States, provoked popularity of the (relatively) high-performance 1.6 L inline-four segment. In South Africa a unique model with the B18B3 from the Acura Integra RS was specially built to fill the gap left by the absence of the DOHC B16A VTEC engine in the range.

Coupe

Trims available in the two-door coupe body style, introduced for 1993, were the DX (EJ2), EX, and EX-S (EJ1), for the United States Domestic Market (USDM), and the DX, DX "Special Edition" (EJ2), and Si (EJ1) for the Canadian Domestic Market (CDM). The coupe, built in both Canada and the United States, was also exported to European and Japanese markets. A left-hand drive version of the Civic Coupe was released as a limited edition in Japan, imported from the United States, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Honda Primo dealer network in 1994.

DX: The DX was the base model equipped with all-manual features, driver's side door mirror, rear defroster and power brakes. The 1995 Canadian-only DX "Special Edition" added an AM/FM cassette player, wheelcovers, centre armrest console, clock, power steering, and power mirrors.

EX/Si: The USDM EX/CDM Si included an AM/FM cassette player and upgraded sound system, cruise control, wheelcovers on 14-inch (360 mm) wheels, clock, 9K tachometer with 7.2K RPM redline, moonroof with tilt feature, power steering, and dual body-coloured power mirrors and door handles. The USDM EX also received power locks and windows. Dual air bags and optional ABS with rear disc brakes distinguished the USDM 1993-only EX-S model.

Hatchback

Introduced in 1992, trims available in the hatchback body style in the U.S. and Canada were the CX, DX, VX (EH2) and Si (EH3), however the VX and Si models were discontinued in Canada after model year 1993, while the DX was discontinued after 1994. With a total interior room (passenger and luggage) of 90 cu.ft., the hatchback was classified by EPA of U.S. as subcompact.

CX: The economical CX was the base model equipped with all-manual features, and power brakes. In the U.S., it came with the 8-valve 70 hp 1.5L D15B8 engine and manual transmission. With 42/48 miles per gallon (mpg) (city/hwy) [revised to 2008 EPA rating: 35/43 mpg city/hwy] or 40/47 mpg (city/hwy) [revised to 2008 EPA rating: 33/42 mpg city/hwy], the CX was the second most fuel-efficient Civic model of the fifth generation, after the VX. CX models in Canada came with the same 16-valve 102 hp 1.5L D15B7 engine as in the DX model, but could also be ordered with automatic transmission which also came with power steering. The 1995 CDM CX models (colloquially and/or unofficially known as the "CX-Plus") added the rear wiper/washer as a standard feature, and could be ordered with side mouldings and manual passenger-side mirror.

VX: Fitted with the same manual transmission as the USDM CX, the VX was identical to the base model CX except that it gained improved fuel efficiency through a 92 hp 1.5 L (d15z1) VTEC-E engine yielding 48/55 mpg (city/hwy) [revised to 2008 EPA rating: 39/49 mpg city/hwy] or 44/51 mpg (city/hwy) [revised to 2008 EPA rating: 36/46 mpg city/hwy]. In Canada, it was rated by Transport Canada fuel consumption estimate: 4.7L/100 km city and 4.3L/100 km hwy. Other added features were an 8K tachometer with redline at 6K RPM, lightweight 13-inch (330 mm) aluminum alloy wheels, as well as additional front & rear under-body trim additions to improve aerodynamic flow. The VX was also equipped with an aluminum alternator bracket, an aluminum front driver's side engine mount, and a lightweight crank pulley. In addition, the instrument cluster of the CX and VX featured a shift indicator light that would notify the driver when to shift upwards in order to achieve optimum mileage. To this day, the CX & VX models are lauded as one of the only gasoline-powered cars that rival the fuel economy of today's hybrids and diesels. In the March 2010 issue of Car & Driver for example, it mentions its long-term test car, a 2009 VW TDI Jetta with 6-speed dual-clutch auto transmission, got worse fuel mileage (38 mpg) than their 1992 Honda Civic VX test car (which got 41 mpg) and 2000 Honda Insight hybrid (48 mpg).

DX: The more powerful DX (pictured), with a 102 hp (76 kW) 1.5 L D15B7 engine, manual passenger side mirror (after '92), tilt steering, intermittent wipers, side mouldings, rear wiper/washer, and rear cargo shelf as standard equipment. Despite the higher hp powerplant, the DX returns real-world mileage of 38 city / 45 hwy.

Si: The Si model replaced rear drum brakes with discs, added a power moonroof with tilt, cruise control, a dashboard clock, a 9K tachometer with a 7,200 rpm redline, plastic wheelcovers on 14 inch wheels, power side mirrors (body coloured, beginning in 1993), body-coloured door handles, and a 125 hp (93 kW) 1.6 L single-overhead cam D16Z6 VTEC engine with manual transmission. It enabled the car to hit 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 16.3 at 86 mph. VTEC activated on the intake side and not the exhaust side, which was the result of the spark plug blocking the area where the cam follower would be. In 1994, rear speakers and optional ABS were also added.

In other markets (Japan, Peru) the Si received the 1.6 D16A9 DOHC non-VTEC engine, with 130 PS (96 kW). At this time, however, the Si was not the most powerful variant of the Civic sold elsewhere: In Europe, Honda also offered the Civic VTi, which featured a 160 PS (118 kW) B16A2 engine, and the JDM SiR, SiR-II, and SiR-S carried an even more powerful B16A engine, which made 170 PS (125 kW). Japan also received a VTi model with a 1.5 litre engine similar to the D16Z6, with 130 PS (96 kW).

In European markets the trims available were the DX (EG3/1.3 L; 75 PS Engine code:D13B2), LSi (EG4/1.5 L 90 PS Engine code:D15B2), VEi (EG4/1.5 L SOHC VTEC-E 92 PS Engine code:D15Z1), ESi (EG5/1.6 L SOHC VTEC 125 PS Engine code:D16Z6), and VTi (EG6/1.6 L DOHC VTEC 160 PS)

Sedan

Trims available in the USDM sedan body style were the DX, LX (EG8) and EX (EH9), while the CDM models were branded slightly differently as the LX, LX "Special Edition" (1994-95), EX (EG8) and the EX-V (1992-93) (EH9). In Japan, a four-door sedan was introduced called Japanese: Civic Ferio, sold at Honda Primo dealerships, while a more upscale version was called the Honda Domani sold at Honda Clio. In Japan, the "Ferio" name was used from 1992 until 2006 on all sedans, regardless of trim packages installed.

The USDM DX/CDM LX was the base model, and equipped with all-manual features and power brakes. The Canadian-only LX "Special Edition" added an AM/FM cassette player, wheelcovers, center armrest console, clock, power steering, dual power mirrors, and air conditioning. The USDM LX/CDM EX included an AM/FM cassette player, cruise control, center armrest console, clock, tachometer, power steering, and power windows, locks and mirrors. For 1994-95, the USDM LX had wheelcovers on 14-inch (360 mm) wheels with 175/65 sized tires; in 1992-93, the wheels were 13-inch (330 mm) with 175/70 tires. On the USDM EX/CDM EX-V, Honda added the VTEC engine, a power sunroof, body coloured mirrors (beginning 1993), rear sway bar, ABS, upgraded stereo, and deluxe wheelcovers.

The four-door wagon was not updated for this generation platform, and continued to use the previous generation internationally until February 21, 1996, when it was replaced by the Honda Orthia and Honda Partner sold only in Japan.

North America

All DX and LX models used the D15B7 a 16-valve SOHC engine rated at 102 bhp (76 kW; 103 PS) and 98 ft·lbf (133 N·m) of torque. DX and LX models were aimed towards the economy conscious market. The USDM CX models had the D15B8 which is an eight-valve non-VTEC engine rated at 70 bhp (52 kW; 71 PS) while the CDM models came with the D15B7. The VX had the D15Z1 (VTEC-E engine) capable of 92 bhp (69 kW; 93 PS). The USDM EX, CDM EX-V, and the Si had the D16Z6 SOHC VTEC engine (125 hp (93 kW)).

Other markets

In Europe the DX has the D13B2 (hatchback EG3), the LSI has the D15B2 (hatchback EG4, sedan EG8) and D15B7 (coupé EJ2), the VEi has the D15Z1 VTEC-E (hatchback EG4 and sedan), the ESi has the D16Z6 (hatchback EG5 and sedan), and the VTi had the B16A2 (EG6/EG9).

In Japan, as well as a few other export locations, the VTi was offered with two different motors: the B16A2/3 (160 PS DOHC VTEC) and the D15B (130 PS SOHC VTEC). The D15B shares the same head as the US Civic Si (D16Z6) but features a unique block, crank, and rods. the car shared the 1.5 L displacement of the other D15 blocks, but the rods were the same length as the D16's (137mm) and a better rod to stroke ratio (1.63) rather than the normal D15's ratio of 1.59. Despite this, the crank and bearing sizes were not the same.

In the Middle East the EX has the D16Z9 (sedan EH5) and the VTi (hatchback & coupé, EJ2) has the B16A2\3 engine.

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