Adventures with the Honda Civic....

Yours truly is just back from an exciting road trip recently filled with thrilling activities to keep us at the edge of our seats, no kidding... for those of you who have been following or even stalking… (ok, not stalking, just kidding) will know I was blessed to be invited to be a part of a road trip with the new Honda Civic that is really a game-changer among its peers in terms of design, dynamic performance, fuel-efficiency, spaciousness, interior quality and safety features.

My adventure began at Le Gardenz restaurant in Balakong,  where we gathered and got to know our new friends from Honda as well as other blogger pals, some whom we were already pretty chummy with and some who are aquaintances.. I love this kind of events as actually it allows us to get to know each other better…

Since I was among the first few there, and was told to choose my car, I spotted the Lunar Silver Metallic Civic was available and quickly “chupped” (booked) the car.. I love silver cars… like my husband… and yes, our cars are all silver…heheheh…

It wasn’t long before the others arrived and soon, I was lucky to get the gorgeous Sunshine Kelly and Aliza Sara as my co-pilots, there were 3 people to a car… 





We had breakfast and got to know who the marshalls, the PR, and who’s who was…, and a little bit about our cars (for the day) and the drive briefing before heading to our designated cars…

The brand new 1.5L VTEC Turbocharged engine is developed under Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology. It is a ‘Joy to drive’ with its dynamic performance and excellent fuel economy.

Did you know Honda Malaysia is the first Japanese mass market manufacturer to introduce a turbo engine in the C-segment. The other engine variant is 1.8L i-VTEC. Both engines are mated with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for a smooth driving experience and is fuel efficiency.

And yes, both variants of the All-New Civic are “Energy Efficient Vehicle” certified.

Did you know also you can actually turn on the engine and cool down your car while waiting to finish your meal / dessert before getting in your car with the Remote Engine Start.. this way, it means you do not have to suffer getting into a hot car on a hot day as the car will automatically be cooled down when you enter the car..

The first drive was to the MAEPs car park, and yours truly here was the person in the driver’s seat.. it sure was a helluva fun since the cars were stocked with mineral water and snacks…. And it was love at first sight with my car, and I fell in love a little bit more when driving this gorgeous babe…

It was lightly raining and so we had a little lesson on the 6 steps on car safety.. the right leg room (where our knee has to be slightly bent when stepping on the brakes or accelerator), right height of the seat, back rest adjustment, head rest adjustment (to avoid our neck getting whip lashed), steering wheel adjustment and the recommended way to hold the steering (hand firmly on 9 and 3 o’clock) and last but not least, the safety belt…and why we should leave the safety belt as it is instead of loosening it…and in case you are wondering, the Civic’s driver seat is very special… it is actually a power seat that can be adjusted 8 ways… amazing huh…..

Then came the thrilling part…. When the professionals showed us how safe the Civic was even when put through a gymkhana activity to show off the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA).. so in other words, when you have to suddenly swerve the car to avoid something, the Civic will quickly regain its stability and slow down itself… and it is also the assurance it won’t be turning turtle…

The Civic’s longer wheelbase and wider body delivers the best in class package. I know I personally love the high quality and soft padding finishing which has been applied generously in keeping with the cool personality and premium character of the All-New Civic, so when the car was swerving wildly during the exercise and we were half shrieking in surprise in the car, we did not bump ourselves anywhere.. hahahah

Once the exercise was finished, and everyone was satisfied, some greedy ones like me (who went for 3 rounds in the swerving car doing its VSA activity) felt like we were on an adrenaline high… seriously, I swear that feeling was more awesome then a roller coaster… but no, we have been warned by the two experts who warns us not to try this at home or even at the “pasar malam”… huhuhu

We then got into our designated cars, this time Kelly took the drivers wheel and drove us to Mitsui Outlet Park where we stopped for a sumptuous Thai lunch at Para Thai there… and indulged in a small shopping spree…. Minus the money and the shopping… (as we only had half an hour to run through the stores.. hehehehe)

We met up at the main entrance after our shopping spree and switched drivers, so Sara took over the drivers wheel and drove us to the Sepang International Circuit where we got to try out Go Kart…

I was nervous as I had never gone on a Go-Kart before and it was thrilling… we had preliminary rounds before the main race.. and what do you know… Sara came first in the Go Kart race….

After we had some pictures taken, we started our journey to the Amverton Cove in Carey Island.. Can you believe it? There was such a magnificent hotel, golf course and clubhouse there…

Sara drove us there at break neck speed… since the SKVE was quite empty and the marshalls encouraged us to test the Civic’s power and ability…

What do you know.. I was busy checking my facebook and Instagram and Sara was going about  140-150 km perhour, but the ride was just so smooth and quiet…. There was barely any sound nor was the ride anything less then smooth and perfect….

Unless you are talking in the car or have the radio or something on, the cabin is very quiet because the Civic interior is fitted with light-weight sound proofing system. This includes underbody covering and high noise isolation door system.

We arrived and check into the hotel.. and headed to our rooms to freshen up… The hotel was just gorgeous and my room was amazing… naturally I was thrilled to get the room and the comfortable king sized bed all to myself…

Dinner was a simple affair with a little bit of BBQ at the “Rabbit Room” there….

Then we headed to the hotel car park to do some comparisons between the old Civic and the new Civic… 

Naturally, the difference was obvious with the new Civic sporting LED lights that was much more sophisticated, whiter and brighter…

Then we also checked out the 7” Advanced Display Audio, created especially to attract the new generation. This makes the Civic very convenient and connected.

You really have to check out the car and you will know what I mean…  There are other amazing features which are also the Civics’ first such as having a Remote Engine Start -as mention above, Walk Away Auto Lock, Electric Parking Brake and Auto Brake Hold

We then headed back to our rooms while some of the other bloggers decided to go sing their hearts out in the Karaoke at the hotel…

Next morning, we woke up and had breakfast at the “Rabbit Room” again before getting into the lead CRVs and sweeper CRV to be taken to a clearing where we got to check out and compare the Civic against two other similar competitors.. 

Yes, believe me, the difference is obvious in the terms of space in the boot and legroom, and of course the classy interior styling and the sleek and stylish curves of the new Civic…. 

Some of us were funny enough to try out the Civic’s boot by getting into it… and yes, it can actually fit up to three people… hahahah

I cannot help but wish I had money for a new car, particularly this gorgeous Civic... unfortunately I am at a bad spot in life at the moment because am surrounded by people who need medical care/attention - my mother, husband and my mother in law, and kids in school and universities.... 

I would really love to bring one of this home… as I really am in love with the Civic… You will be impressed to know that the Civic here is equipped with top class safety features rarely found in similar kind of cars… such as  it has 6 Airbags (Dual Front Airbags, Side Curtain Airbags, and Side Airbags) , Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) , Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) , Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and ISOFIX

We then adjourned to some other extreme sports… a few of us headed to the ATV trail to get on the ATV while the others headed to the paintball area…..

Once we were done, our muscles were screaming from the exertion and we had a group photo taken with the cars before heading back to our rooms to rest, refresh and pack our bags…

We then checked out at about 1pm and I got to drive the car out of the hotel and was given a chance to try out the Civic’s Cruise Control at 130km per hour… , now I was a nervous wreck when the marshall urged us to speed up to 140km as I had never driven any faster then 110km maximum, but the numbers only went up… the car was just as stable and quiet as it is when you were driving slower… 





And yes, so here it was I broke the rules and drove 145km per hour for the first time… hahaha.. and it was kinda amazing.. but no, I am not gonna drive this fast again… not unless I am in the Civic like this… hahaha, where my mind is comforted by the fact that the car is stable has ample safety features in place…..

Halfway in the SKVE, the marshall asked for a driver change in all cars and Sara took over.. we then headed to The Main Kitchen where we had Malay ‘fine dining’…. 

The dishes were pretty good and we just could not finish everything..huhuhu… 



Then we continued our journey to the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) and attended the Malaysian Autoshow 2016 where we also got a glimpse of the new Honda BR-V at the Honda booth which was just at the left of the entrance…

The Honda booth was sure interesting as it also featured an Advanced Technology Corner set up to educate visitors on Honda’s Hybrid system, safety technologies and Turbo engine.

Honda’s latest prototype with Hybrid technology (i-DCD Sport Hybrid) was also on display during the Autoshow.

Some of us took the opportunity to try out and experience Honda’s personal mobility device UNI-CUB β.

There was also the Accord, Civic and City that was there on display at the booth and visitors could actually take advantage of the ongoing year-end bonuses of up to RM8,000 by placing bookings. There were also lucky draws with exciting prizes happening and interesting and lovely merchandise being sold…

For your information, the All-New Civic is available in five colours, Dark Ruby Red Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, and two brand new colours, Lunar Silver Metallic and White Orchid Pearl.

These two new colours on the All-New Civic is said to be eventually applied to other models under Honda Malaysia’s production.

The Civic 1.5L VTEC Turbocharged variant is equipped with a smart monitoring system, giving peace of mind in maintaining the efficiency of the engine performance. This feature will let you know when the car needs its oil change and notify you with an indication lamp on the speedometer on their service status.

This beauty has already clinched the Car Sifu Editors' Choice Award 2016 for Car of the Year and if you have seen it, felt it like I did, you will know it is well deserved and more...

Get your Civic now and enjoy 5 years warranty with unlimited mileage with a service interval of 10,000km.

Prices of the 3 variants are:-

RM113,800 for 1.8S (On-the-road with insurance)

RM127,800 for 1.5 Turbocharged (On-the-road with insurance)

RM135,800 for 1.5 Turbocharged Premium (On-the-road with insurance)

To know more, be sure to check out www.honda.com.my or www.ridethedream.my to discover more about the All-New Civic..

If I was to be so lucky to find a huge chunk of money or get some money left in some inheritance, I would so love to get me one of this beautiful and stylishly sleek Civic in the that Lunar Silver Metallic colour…..

Thank you Honda Malaysia for this amazing opportunity to understand, learn and try out the lovely new Civic… and for the amazing hospitality...