![]() ![]() The most clever aspect of the design was the use of an additional compensating link which attached to the opposite end of the trailing arms which, unusually, extended forward of their bushings. As with the company’s other contemporary designs, a short, upper lateral link kept camber constant throughout the wheel’s travel, but it mounted directly to the trailing arm and linked it to the body inside the wheel, taking up much less space. Even better, its implementation in the Civic was even more ingenious, with a large pressed steel trailing arm/hub carrier for each rear wheel, with a main lower link used to locate them laterally. If the inclusion of a four-wheel double wishbone suspension was a step above the competition for the Accord, in the Civic, it was an example of sophistication no one else could match at the price point. Adjustable suspensions, turbochargers and digital dashes were not a part of the plan and the most basic Civics had a lot in common with the high-end models, with cylinder heads being most notable area of mechanical divergence. A lot of Japanese cars from this era showed an ambitious spirit, but the Civic was unique in its comparative aversion to gadgetry. Well advanced in its development before a 1985 treaty intentionally devalued the US dollar and exacerbated the Yen’s appreciation, and introduced a few years before the burst of Japan’s bubble, the 1988 Civic was one of the last cars to represent Honda’s traditional approach to new car development before a change in management in the early ’90s reigned in engineers’ zeal. There’s plenty to suggest that this was most over-engineered car to compete in its segment, with no competitor from Japan or Europe approaching the complexity of its chassis design. This would be the last Civic to take this rather expensive approach to create such a diverse–but aesthetically and mechanically unified–lineup. The four basic bodystyles continued as well, with a range based around a three-door once again distinguished by a long-roof and shallow tailgate design, accompanied by an increasingly popular sedan, a tall-boy five-door wagon, and, of course, the CRX coupe. In the process of creating their new subcompact, Honda wound up with a chassis whose fundamentals, with periodic changes in size and other refinements, managed to keep the Civic, Integra and CRV at or near the top of their respective classes until 2001, when a more mundane architecture superseded it.ĭesign-wise, the new car was a basic rehash of the old model, with rounder edges and an even lower profile. And while earlier iterations were more European in concept, with later models becoming increasingly Americanized, the fourth generation balanced all these values together almost perfectly, as did its predecessor.Ĭoming hot on the heels of that car’s success, the new for 1988 Civic continued to capitalize on that car’s reputation for sportiness but with a greater emphasis on solidity and finesse. While certainly a success, it never matched the global sales volumes of either of the Golf or Corolla, and whereas those cars typified small German and Japanese family cars, respectively, the EF Civic brought forth its own unique virtues in a lean package. Honda’s fourth generation (EF) Civic was one of the best ambassadors of this concept, bringing the company’s cosmopolitan ethos to buyers all around the world. ![]() Likewise, while many cars undeniably reflect their national origin, there are others whose unique character makes their identity much more difficult to pin down. (first posted ) There are people who don’t feel any particular allegiance to their given nationality, but rather, claim a more global identity. ![]()
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