Honda Civic Sport Modulo 2010 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $32,290
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): $3925 for Modulo parts)
Crash rating: Four-stars (ANCAP)
Fuel: Unleaded 91 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 200
Also consider: Mitsubishi Lancer VRX sedan, Mazda3 Maxx Sport sedan

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 2.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

A little titillation can work wonders, especially when the recipient has been around long enough that it is regularly upstaged by more vibrant newcomers. Honda's eight-generation Civic is a case in point.

Honda's nicely proportioned small sedan has been around in its current form since 2006 and remains pleasing to the eye today. If there's a problem, it is the avalanche of updated competition that has rumbled onto the local market since then.

The Civic might still look good, but whether it continues to look the part is another matter. Its well-considered proportions tend to lose some of their appeal as flashier, grossly wedge-shaped creations from other carmakers compete for attention.

Finding a means of steering potential buyers away from funkier rivals is something faced sooner or later by any carmaker. There are numerous ways of warding off the ravages of time, but the familiar ploy of tarting up an ageing design with a stick-on body can often make a car look grotesque. Not so with the Modulo gear that is available on the Honda Civic.

Honda's dress-up brand first came to Australia with the latest City model but has been popular on various Asian markets for some time. As well as the Civic and City, Modulo gear is available for Honda Odyssey and Accord Euro as well.

For Honda owners, the good thing is that Modulo cosmetics are factory sanctioned and the designs have a subtle edge that avoids any aftermarket suggestions. Looking at a Modulo-ised Civic, you are not assailed by an over-enthusiastic brandishing of kit bits trying to make the car look like something it never was. The whole thing is well integrated.

Our test car came with the special Modulo 17-inch alloy wheels replacing the regular Civic Sport's 17-inchers, front and rear aero bumpers, side skirts and a boot spoiler, for an impost of just a little under $4000.

The effect, as suggested, is subtly significant. Without slamming you between the eyes, the Modulo gear makes the Civic unmistakably different and unquestionably more appealing. The seven-spoke alloys sit nicely in the wheelarches and, combined with the reasonably subtle side skirts, help give an impression that the car sits lower than regular Civics.

It makes a suitable dress-up for our Civic Sport, which already comes with the bigger 114kW/188Nm 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine and extra niceties including power sunroof, leather trim and climate-control.

Naturally you wouldn't expect the Modulo gear to do an awful lot for the Civic Sport drive experience, and it doesn't. The 118kW engine comes with variable valve timing and a dual-profile intake camshaft to provide a decent surge of power across the rev range. The test car's five-speed manual transmission, while it is getting a bit outdated in the face of the six-speed manuals being adopted by many competitors, manages well enough. The optional auto remains as a five-speeder too, but it does at least include Grade Logic Control to tune the car in to the vagaries of the road. And the Sport auto's sequential paddle shifters are a nice touch not found in other Civics.

The Sport's steering is an electric variable power assisted system that goes from lock top lock in a swift 2.7 turns but is a tad too light to give that grounded, secure feel. Still, the Civic Sport's 215/45R17 tyres deliver decent grip, even if they don't do any favours for the Honda's MacPherson Strut/double wishbone suspension that can still be caught out at times on sudden, sharp bumps.

The brakes, ventilated discs at the front and more primitive solid ones at the rear, come with anti-lock and electronic brakeforce distribution and do a proper job of hauling the Civic down.

Inside the Civic Sport is where the years tend to melt away. The dash is as impressive and unconventional as ever with its split-level displays (digital speedo on the upper pod, an analogue tachometer in a more conventional binnacle ahead of the driver) and an easily-learned, logical switch layout.

As ever, front and rear legroom is impressive, although the boot is a bit disappointing with a load capacity of just 376 litres and basic, intrusive hinges. The Sport model at least comes with a 60-40 split-fold rear seat.

Although there's the standard lineup of safety equipment -- six airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes, active front head restraints -- the Civic, disappointingly, is only awarded four ANCAP stars.

Overall, there is little about the Honda Civic in 2010 that suggests it gives a lot away to its fresher competition. The cab-forward looks, especially with the Modulo pack, still manage to convey upmarket suggestions, the packaging is still better than most where passenger space is concerned, and the drive is brisk and agile.

In the case of the Honda Civic, the Modulo embellishments help draw deserving attention back to a car that has now been around longer than most, yet still has plenty to offer.

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