Honda has been developing some incredible technological upgrades for its entire lineup of vehicles, but let’s concentrate specifically on the most recent iteration of the Honda Civic. As one of the nameplate’s most popular passenger cars, Honda has seen immense pressure to not only keep their Civic models up to date, but to also outfit them with new components and technology that perform better than the Civic’s chief rivals. If you’re the owner of the 9th generation version of this compact car, or intend to purchase one soon, it’s best you know what science went into making the car so that you can better utilizes its advancements.

Only in market release in the United States since April 2011, the new version of the Civic has a number of available options for customization by the manufacturer. That doesn’t even include the list of aftermarket upgrades available for this model of vehicle, as the Civic is repeatedly among the most modified and customized cars in the world. Honda offers Civics that operate conventionally (on gasoline alone), as well as alternative versions for hybrid operation (fairly common nowadays) and natural gas operation (quite unique). The Civic HF sees 41 miles per gallon on the highway, which is up there in terms of fuel efficiency.

Almost all versions of the 9th generation Civic are outfitted with the new iMID system, also known as the Intelligent Multi-Information Display. The iMID provides instantaneous user-friendly readouts on a variety of statistics, including cumulative mileage, time and date, efficiency standings, and music system information for compact discs, the radio, and more. Though not included on the base version of the Civic, on all other models this new digital display makes for a more intuitive, hands-on driving experience, forgoing older dials and knobs for computerized interaction.

Honda continues to market and push its Eco Assist capabilities as well, and will incorporate this technology into the Civic despite the fact that it’s operated solely using gasoline. Similar to an aftermarket performance chip that can boost a Civic’s fuel efficiency by saving the car up to 4-7 miles per gallon in fuel expenditure, Eco Assist will offer up to a 10% fuel economy improvement once installed across the Civic lineup. The science here, again, is based on interaction between car and driver. The Eco Assist system will provide information alerting the driver to more fuel efficient methodologies, preventing unnecessary fuel waste. Once this system is paired with additional aftermarket upgrades so commonplace on Civics, even gasoline-powered models will be substantially more fuel efficient than most of their competitors on the market.

Though other technologies may seem more standard on the Civic, such as 5-speed automatic transmission in most models, and a powerful i-VTEC engine (1.5L) and lithium-ion battery in hybrid versions, overall the combined operation of all technologies in relation to the vehicle’s more aerodynamic build has resulted in a more fuel efficient, responsive compact car.

Tags: civic science, Honda Civic Models, performance chip, technology used