The Civic Tourer offers striking looks, eye-catching proportions and class-beating luggage space. Adrian Killham, the car’s project leader, discusses Honda’s latest creation.
By Nargess Banks
What were the design challenges for creating the long silhouette of the Tourer?
The length of the car has only increased by 235mm, and it’s all in the rear overhang, so we haven’t changed the wheelbase or anything up front. The angle of the rear tailgate has become a bit more upright. The combination of the extra length and balance has worked well – people will notice the distinctive silhouette on the road.
How did you achieve a class-beating cargo with so little extra length?
We surprised ourselves with this! The rear axle beam on the Civic Tourer is a very small package, and the fuel tank isn’t at the rear but under the front seats, so you get all this space. This is a Honda unique feature, and a huge engineering challenge, but it gives us so much more freedom in the rear. The Tourer’s rear seats can go right down onto the floor, creating 1,668 litres of cargo space. And we offer the Honda Magic Seats where you can pop the cushion up like a cinema seat so you can get a pram or a wheelchair in.
Why did you decide to introduce the class-leading ADS rear adaptive damp system, offered on certain trim levels, on the Civic Tourer?
We believe the system is a world’s first as it is only on the rear axle – other manufacturers tend to put it on all four wheels. The rear suspension is essentially doing all the work with the Tourer so we can get 80% of the benefit of a four-wheel system at 50% of the cost because it is essentially only half a system. It offers great value for the customer.
How does the system work?
It measures the body’s motion. So if you put a load in the back and the car is bouncing, the system will automatically change the valve inside the damper and control the body movement.
How will it benefit the customer?
The driver can select one of three modes – Comfort, Normal and Dynamic – from the instrument panel to alter the driving dynamics. For a rough surface to feel smooth you select the Comfort mode, or for a firmer and sportier drive you would select Dynamic so the car will stiffen up and become more responsive.
How do you see Honda’s unique place in the market now and in the future?
We have our racing heritage – this fantastic history of winning. Formula One is back on, we have a model of the upcoming NSX supercar and the Type R is now being developed around the Nurburgring circuit – all for 2015. It’s going to be an exciting future.
