2009 Honda Civic Si - zero cars

As we arrived at our lunch destination for the all-new Honda Odyssey launch that zerocars attended on Friday, a small, sleek hatch-shape sat tucked in one corner of the large function room veiled in a soft satin cover.
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zero cars

Through lunch my fellow motoring writers and I debated what was underneath, awaiting our prying gaze. Was it a new Type-R, was it a Civic Hybrid hatch, or could it be the long awaited five-door Civic?
The latter soon proved to be the case.
With coupe styling, but hatch practicality, the five-door Civic Si is certainly a good look, having retained much of the Type-R’s aggressively futuristic themes.
Hidden rear door handles mask the rear doors completely from a distance, especially when viewed from a front-side angle (as shown above).

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zero cars

Distinctively different, the Civic Si features many of the same stylistic traits as seen in the Type-R including its unique ‘face’ with the headlamps blending seamlessly with a central glazed panel; triangular front fog lamps, a design motif that is repeated by the integrated exhaust tailpipes positioned at either side of the rear bumper; the aforementioned ‘concealed’ rear door handles; and tailgate glass that is split horizontally by a rear spoiler.
At 4270mm long, 1765mm wide and 1460mm tall, the Civic Si is proportionally not a great deal bigger than its three-door sibling, but clever packaging has allowed the available space to be used quite wisely.

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zero cars

Honda cites issues of difference between the Australian Design Rules and EU regulations as the main reason in delaying this premium model hatch to Australian shores with differences such as windscreen thickness, front three-quarter impact regulations, child seat attach point locations and other slight specification differences as the cause.
It’s a sticking point in many instances for imported cars and indeed something Honda plans to work on with government agencies to make more globally uniform.

zero cars

zero cars

Back to the car in question though we draw focus on a centrally-mounted 50 litre fuel tank beneath the floor that permits useful flat rear footing for rear seat passengers while allowing at the same time increased cargo space of 415 litres (seats up), which can be expanded to 1282 litres via 60:40 split fold rear seats.
Entry and egress is surprisingly easy for a smaller hatch meaning as a five-door, the practicality availed is a step-up from the more sporty three-door model. Unfortunately however rear passenger headroom is a little tight at 956mm.

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zero cars

Features include 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, front fog lamps, rear park assist, ‘magic-fold’ seats (as seen in Honda’s Jazz models), tyre deflation monitors, heated front seats, remote keyless entry with alarm, power windows and mirrors, rain sensing wipers, auto headlamps, cruise control, trip computer, a single CD tuner and push button start.
The Civic Si is powered by a 1.8-litre, i-VTEC, SOHC, four-cylinder petrol engine developing 103kW at 6300rom and 174Nm at 4300rpm via either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission

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zero cars

Honda claims a 0-100km/h time of 8.6 seconds with fuel economy figures of 6.9 litres per 100km (ADR combined) for the manual variant and 7.2 litres per 100km (ADR combined) for the automatic.
With a five-star ANCAP rating the Civic Si includes such safety features as dual front, side and curtain airbags; ABS with EBA and EBD; and ESP with Traction Control - all as standard.

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zero cars

The bad news is however that the Civic Si is of limited availability with supply restricted to 420 units.
Pricing starts at $38,990 (RRP) for the six-speed manual and $41,290 (RRP) for the five-speed automatic.
Metallic paint is an additional $395 with Civic Si available in four colours: Milano Red, Galaxy Grey (M), Alabaster Silver (M) and Crystal Black (M).

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Specifications:
Engine: 1799cc SOHC four-cylinder
Power: 103kW @ 6300rpm
Torque: 174Nm @ 4300rpm
Induction: Multi-point
Transmission: Six-speed(M)/five-speed(A)
Driven Wheels: Front
Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBA & EBD
0-100km/h: 8.6 seconds
CO2 Emissions: 163g/km(M)/172g/km(A)
Fuel Consumption: 6.9 litres per 100km(M)
Fuel Consumption: 7.2 litres per 100km(A)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 50 litres
Fuel Type: 91RON petrol
ANCAP Rating: Five-star
Airbags: Front, side & curtain
Safety: ESP with Traction Control
Spare Wheel: Space-saver
Cargo Capacity: 415/1282 litres
Tow Capacity: 1400kg (Braked)
Turning Circle: 5.54 metres (at wheel)
Warranty: Three Year/100,000km
Weight: 1285kg (M)/1320kg(A)
Wheels: 17 x 7.0-inch Alloy

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2009 BMW 335i Touring Review & Road Test.zero cars

by:mostafa elsakhary

“No, you can’t have an M3, we’ve been through this. We need a practical family wagon for the kids and that’s my final say on the matter.”
Sound about right?
Well, now you can whole heatedly agree, and still have an enjoyable, high-performance European wagon at the same time.
I think in relationship terms you call that a “compromise”.

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zero cars

Seriously though, how many cars out there can you name that present the same amount of exclusivity, capability and versatility as a 335i Touring?
Not even BMW’s direct rivals have a model that can compete on equal footing.
For that very reason alone this car is brilliant. It’s exclusive, but not in that “look at me” kind of way. It’s undeniably fast, but the wife needn’t know that, and when you take it out for a Sunday morning run through the hills, sans children of course, you really can enjoy driving what is essentially the family car - try saying that about your current lugger!

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zero cars

Alhough it certainly is a very elegant looking car, it doesn’t bear any stand-out performance hallmarks, at least to the uninitiated. In fact until you see the twin pipes and badge designation you’d barely take a second glance.
What this means, in simple terms, is that although you’re packing one of the most intriguing sounding and precision performing six-cylinder’s on the planet, most punters won’t see you as being any different to the next 3-series, until, of course, you’re a speck on the horizon.

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zero cars

Yes, the 335i is quick, very quick and not only that but it also manages to balance itself tremendously well thanks to a stiff yet adaptive chassis that makes cornering a lot more fun than the car’s ’station wagon’ orientation would have you believe, and all without being too firm or unforgiving.
The reason for all this speed? A very sweet 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, in-line six-cylinder engine that thrusts the 335i Touring from 0-100km/h in just 5.9 seconds.
Torque delivery is instantaneous with all 400Nm available from just over idle and despite delivering it’s maximum 225kW at 5800rpm, the 335i will rev well into 7000rpm territory before cut-out.

zero cars
zero cars

Throttle to ESP calibration can at times prove a little interesting off the mark, and I did find on two occasions a momentary delay before maximum throttle was delivered, but in most instances power is put to the rear wheels without delay.
Otherwise power delivery is seamless, strong and incredibly linear with so much in reserve that you almost find yourself wishing you could just teleport yourself to a European autobahn tout-de-suite.

zero cars

zero cars

The cabin, or should that be cockpit, is impeccable in terms of its ergonomics with every last feature, switch and control placed perfectly and thoughtfully to the driver’s command.
Not only does this make the car safe and comfortable to drive, but it also helps you develop a feel for what driving a car like the 335i is all about - enjoyment - not something usually associated with a family car.
The panoramic roof too is an absolute delight making to cabin light and airy with very little wind noise. The roof can be enjoyed as a glass skylight, as two tilted glass panels, a retracted glass sunroof or simply closed on those scorching summer weekends leaving you to instead enjoy the dual zone climate control.

zero cars

zero cars

Having said all that though, I must point out that entry and exit to the 335i is a little bit of an ask. The seat’s hip height is quite low slung, and with rather small door apertures, the resulting manoeuvre is one that older folk or people with mobility issues may find tough going.
Similarly rear leg room is also on the slighter side of comfortable. So if you’re a tall family, or parent to lanky teenagers, you may need to strongly reconsider the 3-series for this reason alone (refer picture top-left: driver seat forward, passenger seat aft ward

zero cars

zero cars

Otherwise proportions are ample. The front seats are comfortable, quite supportive too and cargo capacity is adequate for most family’s needs at 460 litres (expandable to 1385 litres). The split-fold tailgate is also a stand-out feature.
It’s a very safe car too with a five-star ANCAP rating, full house of airbags, brilliantly responsive and progressively pedalled brakes, plus all the electronic nannies you could possibly consider helping support your argument all the more.

zero cars

zero cars

So aside from the small issues mentioned, the only other problem I really see with this car is the six-figure price tag.
Now I’m not saying that you don’t get value for money in its basic form, that’s subjective, but when you start ticking the option boxes the 335i Touring very nearly begins nudging C63 Estate territory … but that’s a whole new argument.
If you can keep it simple, and win the battle on the home front, the 335i Touring really is the ideal family performance package, and one car I’m sure most lead footed Dad’s won’t mind liberating for the weekend.

http://zerocars.blogspot.com

Full Throttle in Europe.zero cars

zero cars

zerocars has returned from an epic one week journey in Europe, where our three motoring journalists – Anthony Crawford, Paul Maric and Alborz Fallah, joined by cinematographer Karl Peskett – drove an exclusive selection of the hottest, fastest and most expensive supercars on the market.
During our stay in France, the http://zerocars.blogspot.com/ team had access to the Bugatti Veyron for two full days – the first Australian media outlet to be given such a rare privilege. Aside from driving the world’s fastest car – zerocars also toured the astonishing facility where these engineering masterpieces are built. While at Bugatti, zerocars also released the first glimpse of the yet-to-be-released Bugatti Veyron Hermes for the worldwide motoring public

zero cars
zero cars

Onward to Italy where zero cars was thrown the keys to two of Lamborghini’s hottest cars – the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. The two day drive through the northern Italian Alps and ancient cities such as Milan, Bielle and Aosta allowed the zero cars journalists to really get to know these exotic siblings.
The final destination – Gaydon, England – saw CarAdvice take hold of yet another Australian first, as we were given exclusive access to the stunning Aston Martin DBS for the day. The drive and video shoot was conducted around Aston Martin’s facility in Gaydon and allowed the zero cars team to get intimate with the DBS.

zero cars

zero cars

This one week journey titled “Full Throttle in Europe” was a milestone for zero cars and is a sign of great things to come for the Australian motoring website.