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The two-tiered instrument cluster works extremely well - allowing the driver to focus on the road ahead


The steering on the Civic is direct and quick – the car turns in very nicely indeed. The steering wheel itself is like a work of art – if all the manufacturers start making steering wheels this good then renowned aftermarket suppliers like Momo had better start worrying. With that said, I would still prefer a good rack and pinion though. There are times, albeit few and far between, when it seems like you can catch the microprocessors in the electronic power steering, quite literally, asleep at the wheel. Whereas this phenomenon lasts only about a second until the processors wake up again, it can be disconcerting in the middle of a corner.

What works extremely well, however, is the two-tiered instrument cluster. Ordinarily, I would prefer clear and well laid out analogue gauges, although in this case, both the tachometer and the speedometer are in clear view without having to take your eyes off the road. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, the steering mounted paddles allow you to keep both hands on the wheel – creating a combination that makes it easy to concentrate on the driving experience.

The only flaw in the layout on the paddle shift automatic is perhaps the position of the gear indicator. This tells you what gear you’re in, vital information to say the least, but it’s offset to one side and is too small. In many instances, it was obscured from view by the steering wheel.

The Civic with its new age and evolved dash design has a slightly video game feel, and the steering mounted paddles reinforce this feeling – this is a definitely a car that lends itself well to the novelty of paddle shifts.

One final observation regarding paddle shifts. There’s often been a debate between whether the paddles should be mounted on the steering column so that their position is fixed, or whether they should be mounted on the steering wheel so that they move with the wheel giving the driver the ability to change gears mid corner without having to remove his or her hands from the wheel. In the case of the Civic, the paddles are mounted on the steering wheel, and with its quick ratio and small steering size, this works very well.
 
The steering on the Civic is direct and quick. The steering wheel itself is a work of art
   

Paddle shift vs. manual

Just to distinguish between Ferrari’s paddle shift transmission or BMW’s SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox), and the one on the Honda Civic – both the Ferrari and the BMW have semi automatic or sequential manual gearboxes, whereas the Honda Civic has a standard torque converter automatic with the option of paddle shifting.

In the case of a Ferrari or BMW, the computer blips the throttle on every downshift ensuring that revs are perfectly matched when the lower gear engages. This novel experience continues to be quite a lot of fun, at least for the first 60 minutes. I can’t say the same for up shifts however, at least not on a BMW 645CI SMG – while downshifts are smooth and enjoyable, up-shifts are slightly hesitant at anything less than 6000 RPM.

On the automatic Civic in S mode, both up and downshifts were surprisingly smooth, even though it’s missing a blip while downshifting. Downshifts can be performed coming into a corner, even at fairly high RPM, ensuring reasonable drive coming out of the corner. This is clearly a feather in the cap of the Civic’s transmission, unlike some others that first give you the option of choosing a gear but then overrule your command in a very patronizing manner. The Civic will even allow you to hit the limiter at the top end, which is not to say it won’t provide any security to its engine either – it won’t let you downshift if you run the risk of over revving the engine, it’ll also automatically shift to first when you come to a standstill.

At the end of the day, however, the automatic just isn’t as involving as the manual. Additionally, quicker shifts can be achieved by using the manual rather than the automatic in S mode. The shifts on the manual may not have the rifle bolt precision as Honda’s sports car, the S 2000, but it’s manual gearbox is a joy to use nonetheless. In my opinion, if there’s one character trait that helps distinguish one car above the other, it’s a direct, short shift manual gearbox. The joy of going up the gears in a well-sorted car can in no way be matched by flicking a paddle on one side of the steering wheel, regardless of how much it makes the driver feel like Michael Schumacher. Moreover, the thrill of mastering the evasive art of a perfect downshift while matching revs by heel-and-toeing can in no way be equaled by a silicon chip that does the same.

This is not to take away from the technological tour de force that is a paddle shift gearbox. We now live in a world where computer chips give us the luxury of the perfect downshift by the flick of the paddle. This translates to a great deal of comfort in the real world of endless traffic jams. In the automatic Civic, you can enjoy the best of both worlds – you can leave the Civic in the purely automatic ‘D’ mode when you’re commuting back and forth from work, and shift to ‘S’ mode when you come across an inviting piece of road.

All things considered, serious drivers should still go for the manual – it’s a much more involving and complete experience. We need to keep in mind, however, the decades of development enjoyed by todays’ manual transmissions. The paddle shifts of today have been around for far less time and their pace of development has been tremendously quicker. It’s safe to assume that these will continue to get better with time. As it stands currently, the paddle shift is more of a convenience device than a sporty one.