Seventh heaven

He loves to drive them, fast and furious, regardless of whether they are the three-door 1.4-litre, the five-door 1.7-litre diesel or the swift 2.0-litre Type R. It just does not matter which model; he loves them all. His only problem is that he does not own his own Civic, but nicks them from the streets of Glasgow and then speeds off, no doubt his heart full of joy.

Police have got their hands on him several times, but whatever they say or do, his passion for the Swindon-built car never lessens.

No doubt his obsession will soon reach greater heights in the next few days when a new range of Civics designed for next year's car buyers start leaving the showrooms for their new parking spaces on the driveways and roadsides of the country.

Since its launch (the latest Civic is the seventh generation) the range has also proved extremely popular with the law-abiding public who seem to like its mix of roominess, economic and high-performance engines, as well as the choice of trim levels.

For example, last year saw the arrival of diesel three and five-door models, while this year saw the debut of a 2.0-litre five-door flagship, as well as an innovative petrol-electric powered four door coded the IMA.

The line-up for next year will have three different body styles, a three, four and five-door, matched to six different petrol and diesel engines. The range flagship is the hot-shot Type R, which has become one of the most popular compact performers not only in Glasgow, but also throughout Europe.

So what can our Glaswegian car thief expect to get his hands on? Well, there will be four three-door models fitted with a choice of petrol engines, 1.4-litre, 1.6-litre Vtec II and 2.0-litre 200Ps i-Vtec, as well as a 1.7-litre turbo diesel, a four-door IMA with a 1.3-litre hybrid engine, and four five-door models fitted with the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre units, a 2.0-litre i-Vtec producing 160Ps, and the 1.7-litre diesel.

Depending on the trim specification, prices for the three-door models start at £10,000 increasing to £16,000 for the Type R, and from £11,000 for the entry-level five-door to £15,000 for the Type S.

Changes see the hatchbacks with a sharper-looking front, the idea being to give it a sportier look. The three-door versions get a mesh grille, while the five door has a three-bar grille instead of the single slat that is fitted on older models.

There are a few other less prominent changes, but a couple that stand out include a more prominent "H" badge, and the new-style headlamps offering either two lamp or three-lamp design, depending on the model, but both providing more wider and forward lighting than on the present cars. Top models also get door mirror-mounted side indicators.

Test driving the new Civic started out from Manchester city centre allowing plenty of opportunities to mix 'n' match with traffic, before heading out on to the motorways and then moving out on to the rural roads criss-crossing The Trough Of Bowland, in Lancashire.

Consequently, there was plenty of spirited driving and the 2.0-litre 200Ps five-door certainly outshone the others when it came to performance and ride quality. However, despite reassurances that the new Civic now provided a much quieter ride than its predecessor, quite a lot of noise still flooded into the cabin while motorway driving although not really enough to drown conversation.

Cabin changes see the arrival of colour co-ordination and new trim textures. Seats are finished in a new fabric and their shape has been improved for comfort. On some models there is now more chrome-finished detail, matched to a new centre console colour called magnum silver, on others there is a new titanium leather interior with a console to match.

Other new arrivals include a back seat centre cup holder and a larger seat-back pocket.

Three-door models have been given a sports steering wheel, and the five-door models have a new four-spoke wheel with built-in audio controls. The Sport grade models have been given red seat inserts and red door panels, quite tastefully matched with black.

All five-door models have self-illuminated information dials, and the three-door models have white dials.

The introduction of a space saver spare wheel means more room for luggage in the boot.

A new flagship five-door will join the range in April. The Type S, powered by a 2.0-litre I-Vtec engine, has also been fitted with stability control to counteract any understeer and oversteer tendencies through a combination of wheel braking and engine torque reduction. The system also includes drive by wire throttle and traction control. This particular model also provides a close ratio gearbox between fourth and fifth, meaning faster acceleration, bigger alloy wheels and larger front brake discs.

There is also a revised Type R, the truly sporty side of the line-up. It will go on sale in February with a lighter engine shaving 0.2 seconds off the 0-62mph dash, now 6.6-seconds, door mirror-mounted indicators, a front spoiler, a unique front grille and three-lamp headlights.

To give some idea of fuel economy, the three-door fitted with the 1.6-litre 110Ps engine clocks 29.4mpg at city driving, 49.6mpg on the open road, producing a combined 39.8mpg. Exhaust emission level is 169gt/km. The five-door version returns 28.8mpg at the city rate, 48.7mpg on the open road, and a combined 39.2mpg. Emission figure is 172g/km.

On-the-road prices of the three-door line-up are £10,000 for the 1.4-litre E, £12,000 for the 1.6-litre SE, £13,500 for the Sport, £13,000 for the 1.7-litre diesel SE and £16,000 for the 2.0-litre Type R. Prices of the five-door models are £11,000 for the 1.4-litre E, £13,500 for the SE; £13,000 for the 1.6-litre SE and £14,000 for the Executive; £14,000 for the 1.7-litre diesel SE, and £15,000 for the 2.0-litre Type S.

Finally, security. Well, our Glaswegian car-snatcher is unlikely to be thwarted for long. Security has not been stepped up from immobiliser, central locking or alarm.

Updated: 10:59 Friday, November 07, 2003