Overview Released in February 2012, the Honda FB4 Civic Hybrid was a small sedan. Manufactured in Suzuka, Japan, the FB4 Civic Hybrid had a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 17 kW electric motor – powered by lithium-ion batteries (previously nickel-metal hydride units) – that drove the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission. The […]
Category: Review
Review: Honda FK2 Civic Si (2009-11)
Overview Released in April 2009, the Honda FK2 Civic Si was a small, five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Swindon, UK, the front-wheel drive Civic Si was powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine that was mated to either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. Please note that the FD1/FD2 Civic sedan has been reviewed separately. R18A1 […]
Review: Honda FB2/FB3 Civic Sedan (2012-16)
Honda FB2.I and FB3.I Civic Sedan (2012-14) Overview Released in February 2012, the ninth-generation Honda Civic sedan range initially consisted of two Japanese-built sedan variants, the VTi-L and Sport, which were powered by 1.8- and 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines respectively. In July 2012, however, the Japanese-built sedans were replaced with Thai-built vehicles – marketed by […]
Review: Honda ES9 Civic Hybrid (2004-05)
Overview Released in March 2004, the Honda ES9 Civic Hybrid was a front-wheel drive sedan. Manufactured in Suzuka, Japan, the Civic Hybrid was powered by a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 10 kW electric motor which was positioned between the engine and the continuously variable transmission. LDA engine and electric motor The 1.3-litre LDA […]
Review: Honda FK2/FK3 Civic Hatch (2012-16)
Honda FK2.I and FK3.I Civic Hatch (2012-14) Overview Released in Australia in June 2012, the ninth generation Honda Civic hatchback was manufactured in Swindon, UK. The front-wheel drive Civic hatchback range initially consisted of VTi-S and VTi-L variants which were powered by 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, followed by the VTi-LN in January 2013. In April […]
Review: HSV E-Series W427 (2008-09)
Overview Released in August 2008, the HSV E-Series W427 was a high performance, rear-wheel sedan. Manufactured in Elizabeth, South Australia, and finished by HSV in Clayton, Victoria, the W427 was powered by a 7.0-litre LS7 V8 petrol engine – also used in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – which was mated to a six-speed Tremec TR6060 […]
Review: HSV Z-Series SV6000 (2005)
Overview Released in August 2005, the HSV Z-Series SV6000 was a rear-wheel drive, performance sedan. Manufactured in Elizabeth, South Australia, and finished by HSV in Clayton, Victoria, the ClubSport was powered by a 6.0-litre V8 petrol engine that was mated to either a six-speed Tremec T56 manual transmission or four-speed 4L65-E heavy-duty automatic unit. Based […]
Review: HSV AH VXR (2006-09)
Overview Released in October 2006, the HSV AH VXR was a three-door, hot hatch. Manufactured by Opel in Antwerp, Belgium, the front-wheel drive HSV VXR was powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that was mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Z20LEH engine The Astra VXR’s 2.0-litre Z20LEH petrol engine had a cast iron […]
Review: HSV VX SV300 (2001-02)
HSV VX.II SV300 (2001-02) Overview Released in September 2001, the HSV VX Series II (VX.II) SV300 was a rear-wheel drive, performance sedan. Manufactured in Elizabeth, South Australia, and finished by HSV in Clayton, Victoria, the SV300 was powered by the Callaway-developed 5.7-litre C4B engine and solely available with a heavy-duty six-speed T56 manual transmission. The […]
Review: HSV VN SV5000 (1989-91)
Overview Released in September 1989, the HSV VN SV5000 was a limited-production performance sedan. Manufactured by Holden in Elizabeth, South Australia, and finished by HSV in Notting Hill, Victoria, the SV5000 was powered by a 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine that was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The HSV SV5000 could be identified by its […]