With two variants being offered in the drive - the proven 1.8-litre i-VTEC with 141PS/173Nm and new 1.5-litre turbocharged direct injection VTEC engine with 173PS/220Nm, the latter was the favourite among motoring writers.
With Kota Kinabalu as the start point and winding mountainous roads of the Kinabalu highlands as the test ground, the turbocharged Civic easily set a new benchmark for a family car that has been re-invented for quicker drives and high visual appeal.
Ride comfort is still maintained but handling is now a few notches up.
The use of a continuously variable transmission that is tuned to shift like an automatic transmission with torque converter, makes fast driving exciting and fun.
That’s all for now from Sabah. Look out for our full test report soon.
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