Honda Civic [ ZOOM ]

A commonplace among automobile manufacturers is the goal of 'exceeding customer expectations.' Seems to me if the marketing department were doing its job right, that would never happen, but it's still a noble goal, nebulous as it may be.

It's perhaps more easily achieved at the low end, what my Dad used to call 'just wheels,' where thrifty buyers are looking for just a good hamburger, hold the Bearnaise. Put a couple of mushroom slices on it, and they're in hog heaven.

A spontaneous outburst by my driving and deportment coach confirmed my own suspicion that Honda has succeeded with excess in the case of its humblest creation, the Civic. 'This is a Civic?', she exclaimed as we got under way for a test drive. Having already admired the skill of application of the silver paint, she averred that the interior was at once commodious enough and handsome enough to suggest something more in the Accord neighborhood than the bargain basement.

They're doing fine work up there in East Liberty, Ohio, where they make Civics, and back in the homeland, where they design them.

The Civic got a complete makeover for the '96 season, so there's not a great deal new for '97, except the praiseworthy move to 14-inch wheels across the line, and one extremely interesting bit of engineering legerdemain.

It was the latter that piqued my curiosity. Honda Civics come in basically three series Ð the sedans as the increasingly fancier DX, LX and EX, hatchbacks as CX and DX, and coupes as DX, HX and EX. We focus today on the HX coupe, which is promoted as the family mileage champ, featuring a 'lean burn' version of the 1.6-liter, all-aluminum 4-cylinder engine that motivates the entire Civic line.

DX-level cars get a 106-hp rendition of this powerplant, while EXs have the tricky camshaft arrangement that constitutes what Honda calls VTEC, here tuned for 127 hp, a hefty amount for a streetable little mill.

The HX also has a VTEC, but this one is tuned more for economy and recirculates exhaust gases to squeeze as much energy as possible from each quantum of fuel. It achieves 37/44 scores on the EPA rollers with the standard five-speed manual transmission. No slug, it produces 115 hp, more than the basic non-VTEC powerplant, and 104 foot-pounds of torque, one more than the entry-level machine.

But what really sets the HX coupe apart is the available continuously variable transmission (CVT), offered as an optional alternative to the standard 5-speed manual or the 4-speed automatic available for DXs and EXs.

The concept of the CVT dates back to the 19th century, the dawn of the automotive era. It is an appealingly simple notion, which, like most such, is fiendishly difficult to engineer for mass-market applications. The device has been used for decades, but not widely. The Dutch company DAF began making microcars with what it called a Variomatic back in the '50s. Subaru marketed its little Justy with one in this country for a couple of years, but gave it up.

A CVT as usually conceived consists of two or more pulleys, one running off the engine, the other connected to the driving wheels. By linking the two with a belt Ð in Honda's case, a steel belt sourced from The Netherlands Ð and providing a mechanism for independently changing the diameter of the pulleys, a very wide range of torque multiplication ratios can be effected. The point is to let the engine run at a fairly constant rpm, and, optimally, at its most efficient point.

Seamless flow of power It's almost secondary in engineering terms that such an arrangement provides a seamless flow of power from idle to the highest speed of which the vehicle is capable, with none of the sag between gears that even the best automatic transmissions still manifest. Of greater importance is doing away with the parasitic losses encountered with a conventional torque converter.

An automatic clutch is attached to the output shaft so that the pulleys can stay engaged for instant response when the vehicle is stopped.

Driving one is similar to what one experiences in an electric car. When I backed out of my garage, I heard a muted screeching sound, rather like an electric motor turning very fast. Upon engaging the Drive position on the floor-mounted shifter, I didn't feel the customary surge of engagement, even though Honda claims to have built in a little 'creep' to make it seem more familiar. I found that the Civic could hold only the slightest grade at idle with the brakes off.

I found myself waiting for gear changes that never came, a pleasant sensation, however strange. Noise level in forward gears was no different from that with a conventional automatic, and vibration was less.

Honda's execution of this concept seems brilliant, but there remains the nagging question of durability, as with any cutting-edge technology. The CVT was introduced last year in Japan, where it has captured 75 percent of automatic sales, according to a Honda spokesman. The same Honda rep said the company has not even attempted to promote the CVT here because there is no need to Ð Civics of any kind are that much in demand. With only a few thousand CVTs on the road, it's impossible to gauge the longevity of this design, which is carrying far more power than a passenger-car CVT ever has before. But if anybody can do it, Honda can.

Acceleration was peppy, if not exhilarating Ð 0-60 came in the high 9-second range without abusive techniques. There was a little stumble just off idle. I couldn't determine whether this was clutching or a little hesitancy often associated with exhaust gas recirculation. It went away as the engine shot toward its 7,000-rpm redline.

On one slick slope, I noticed that the CVT provided a sort of traction control by pretty well keeping the front wheels from breaking loose despite urgent throttle stomps. Nice bonus.

Gas mileage was as good as advertised; I got 35.5 mpg on regular unleaded, taxing the engine and drivetrain a bit more than an average commuter would. EPA estimates are 34 city, 38 highway.

There was plenty of flight deck room for a burly 6-footer. I could tell by visual inspection that accessing the secondary seating positions would require more athleticism that I have to give and would be rather torturous anyway. The rears do fold down, though, and are lockable, to protect trunk cargo. The baggage area is a respectable 11.9 cubic feet with thigh-high liftover.

Underpinnings seemed wimpy Ride quality was only fair. The Civic had a hard time with seriously nasty surfaces, and felt as if it was running out of suspension travel too soon, even when compared with others in its class. I'd take a bit more stiffness in exchange for a better sense of control. Handling was quite respectable, thanks in no small measure to 14-inch alloy wheels shod with 185/65 all-season rubber.

The front-disc, rear-drum brakes had to manage without antilock backup (ABS is standard on EX-level Civics), but could be modulated sufficiently well even in high-rate stops on wet pavement. Dual airbags are standard, along with side guard door beams.

The included 4-speaker, 80-watt AM/FM radio had decent sensitivity and enough power for me. It was clear and undistorted, though lacking in presence.

The CVT costs roughly $200 more than an automatic transmission, or about $1,000. Base price on a Civic HX coupe so equipped is $14,400. The tester also had air conditioning ($799) and floormats ($75). Total, with freight, was $15,669, cheap, alas, by today's standards, for a car that is far more than 'just wheels'.

Alan Vonderhaar welcomes email: alanv@bigfoot.com

Published Nov. 16, 1996.