Yume no chikara is Japanese for having the ability to make your dreams come true, or as Honda puts it: the power of dreams.
This is the strategy behind a company whose vehicles are winning numerous awards around the world — the most recent going to the newly launched Honda Civic, which was voted the best car at the international Detroit Motor Show last month.
Honda South Africa wants a bigger slice of the vehicle sales pie and it is going about it in an aggressive manner. It is cutting prices, giving higher specifications, improving service plans and offering more model variety. I can see the company achieving its targets, not only because of what it’s offering, but because it has that clinically faultless Japanese ethos behind it.
The new Civic looks far more appealing than the rather staid model it replaces, and as a compact sedan, it certainly is spacious. With tall occupants up front, there is ample room for two, even three, adults at the back with a surprising amount of legroom.
The styling at the front is where most of the design changes are noticeable, especially the sharply sloping windscreen and bonnet and the upmarket turn indicators in the door-mounted side mirrors.
The overall design is uncluttered, and manages to look sufficiently modern without being radical.
The interior of the car is comfortable and the entire model range bene-fits from a high specification list that includes an MP3 compatible front-loader CD/radio, electric windows all-round, air-conditioning, ABS, dual front air bags and electronic brake force distribution with brake assist.
The dashboard is two-tiered with the speedometer in the upper panel, which Honda decided to raise in height so that drivers wouldn’t have to look very far down to determine their speed.
There are three models in the range (the LXi, the EXi and the VXi), all powered by a 1,8 litre engine that pushes out 103kW of power and 174Nm of torque and available with either five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.
Prices range from R165 900 to R205 000 for the automatic VXi, which comes equipped with leather upholstery, a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, six airbags and 16-inch wheels.
The comfortable ride is further enhanced by the McPherson struts up front and the double wishbone arrangement at the rear. The eager-to-please engine makes both the manual and the automatic fun to drive.
The nought to 100kph sprint is said to be achieved in 8,9 seconds and fuel consumption is about seven litres per 100km.
All-round, this is an impressive vehicle and one can appreciate why Honda is dreaming big and why Honda South Africa CEO Hiroaki Shibata sees the new Civic as “the benchmark in the compact sedan market”.