Civic 04 Drivetrain

Drivetrain

* Choice of 1.4 litre SOHC or 1.6 litre SOHC VTEC II (3, 4 and 5 door models), 1.7 litre SOHC or 1.7 litre SOHC VTEC II (Coupe), 160 PS 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC (5 door), and 200 PS 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC (Type-R) petrol engines
* 1.7 litre common rail, direct injection diesel (3 and 5 door)
* Some of the best fuel economy-performance combinations in their class
* Choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic with Grade Logic Control (2.0 5 door and diesel 5-speed only, Type-R 6-speed manual)
* Civic IMA 4 door represents first application of petrol-electric technology on an established, mainstream platform – combined consumption of 4.9 l/100 km, CO2 emissions of 116 g/km

Civic 3, 4 and 5 door ranges are available with two aluminium alloy based, four-cylinder petrol engines: a 90PS (66 kW) 1.4 litre SOHC and a 110 PS (81 kW) 1.6 litre SOHC VTEC II. 3 and 5 door models are also available with a 100 PS (74 kW) common rail, direct injection diesel.

New for the 2004 model year is a 160 PS 2.0 litre i-VTEC engine fitted to the 5 door model, while the highly advanced, petrol-electric Civic IMA 4 door goes on sale across Europe from late 2003 (detailed in a separate chapter).

The Civic Coupe offers a choice of two aluminium alloy based four-cylinder petrol engines: a 120 PS (88 kW) 1.7 litre SOHC and a 125 PS (92 kW) 1.7 litre SOHC VTEC II.

In the high-performance Type-R derivative, an exciting 200 PS (147 kW) 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC unit (please see the Type-R chapter for details). It is part of Honda's family of engines featuring Variable Timing Control (VTC) and, while closely related to the Honda Stream's engine of the same capacity, it makes its debut in the Type-R in 200 PS specification.

1.4 SOHC and 1.6 SOHC VTEC II
The 1.4 and 1.6 litre engines have been developed to improve mid-range torque, fuel consumption, driveability and emissions performance, rather than boosting maximum output.

Strong torque delivery provides greater flexibility during everyday driving while fuel economy figures are some of the very best in the class. The 1.4 litre produces 90 PS at 5,600 rpm and peak torque of 130 Nm at 4,300 rpm, the 1.6 litre 110 PS at 5,600 rpm and 152 Nm at 4,300 rpm. Combined consumption for the 3 door 1.4 is 6.3 l/100 km and for the 1.6 litre 6.6 l/100 km.

1.7 SOHC and 1.7 SOHC VTEC II
While output of the less powerful engine is boosted by 15 PS (11 kW) (compared to the previous 1.6i LS), the engineers have primarily sought improvements in mid-range torque, fuel consumption, refinement and reduced emissions.

Better torque delivery has brought greater flexibility during everyday driving and helped improve economy. Compared to the equivalent 1.6 litre engines of the previous Civic Coupe, the 1.7 SOHC's peak torque rises from 139 Nm at 4,600 rpm to 152 Nm at 4,500 rpm, while that of the 1.7 SOHC VTEC II is boosted from 144 Nm at 5,400 rpm to 153 Nm at 4,800 rpm. Flatter torque curves also mean that both engines pull more strongly across the rev range, particularly between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm.


Maximum output of the 1.7 litre SOHC engine is 120 PS (88 kW) at 6,200 rpm up from 105 PS (77 kW) at 6,200 rpm. The 1.7 SOHC VTEC II unit produces the same 125 PS as its predecessor, but at 6,300 rpm rather than 6,600 rpm.

160 PS 2.0 litre i-VTEC engine
Now widely used throughout the Honda range, i-VTEC technology matches strong fuel economy and cleaner emissions with high output and strong torque characteristics over all speed ranges. This 2.0 litre engine is a similar unit, albeit more powerful, to that fitted in the CR-V. It produces 160 PS (118 kW) at 6,500 rpm and torque peaks at 179 Nm at 5,000 rpm, for fast and refined motoring; in particular, mid-range torque ensures brisk and effortless acceleration in top gear. 0 to 100 km/h in the manual-only model is dispatched in 8.5 seconds, while top speed is 208 km/h.

For greater detail on i-VTEC technology, please refer to the Type-R chapter in this pack.

1.7 common rail direct injection diesel
The Civic 3 and 5 door CTDi models feature a DOHC, four-valves-per-cylinder engine which offers refined power delivery matched to outstanding fuel economy. The Isuzu-sourced engine features a number of Honda-unique items including the fuel filter and accelerator position sensor. Power output is 100 PS at 4,400 rpm, but more significantly, the peak torque of 220 Nm is delivered at just 1,800 rpm for superb flexibility.

In the common rail design, a pump brings the fuel up to a high and consistent pressure within the common rail from where is passes to the fuel injectors. The direct injection of the fuel into the combustion chamber can then be very precisely monitored, enabling the exact amount to be delivered for maximum efficiency. In addition, the variable nozzle turbocharger provides greater flexibility and efficiency by allowing the boost pressure to be varied according to demand.

Transmissions
All models, with the exception of the IMA, CTDi and Type-R can be specified with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic with Grade Logic Control. The Civic IMA and Civic 3 and 5 door CTDi models feature their own unique 5-speed manual transmission. The Type-R is equipped with a 6-speed close ratio manual gearbox that perfectly complements the Civic flagship's high performance engine.

Automatic transmission with extended lock-up
The compact automatic transmission, with incorporated Grade Logic, is a sophisticated, four-speed electronic constant mesh unit. It features a torque converter lock-up which is operational over a greatly extended speed range, benefitting fuel economy by around 3 per cent.