Honda Civic (fifth Generation)

Honda Civic (fifth Generation)

The fifth generation of the Honda Civic debuted in Japan on September 10, 1991. The new Civic was larger than its predecessor, had a more aerodynamic body and the wheelbase was increased to 257 cm (101.3 inches) for the three-door hatchback and 262 cm (103.2 inches) for the four-door sedan. The wagon was also dropped for overseas markets, while the previous generation station wagon ("Shuttle") continued in Japan. This generation of Civic used lightweight materials to create a fuel efficient economy car. Compared to the previous generation, the cowl was raised, which allowed for more suspension travel. Along with that change the ride became softer than that of the previous generation, which provided a more compliant ride at expense of crisper handling.

In addition, vehicles with the 1.6 L SOHC VTEC 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) engines such as the Si hatchback and EX coupé models found in the United States, provoked popularity of the (relatively) high-performance 1.6 L inline-four segment. In South Africa a unique model with the B18B3 from the Acura Integra RS was specially built to fill the gap left by the absence of the DOHC B16A VTEC engine in the range.