• All-new 11th gen Honda Civic makes 9 PS more power, 20 Nm more torque
• 182 PS / 240 Nm is highest in the world for a Civic sedan, identical to US market
• Thailand- and Indonesia-spec cars make 178 PS / 240 Nm

Just launched today with a starting price of RM 125,634, the all-new 11th generation 2022 Honda Civic FE is now sold exclusively only with a 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo engine paired to a CVT-type automatic transmission.

As such, the starting price is now a lot higher than before, up from RM 109,326 (SST-exempted price). The previous entry-level naturally aspirated 1.8-litre i-VTEC that was available with the 10th generation (FC) Civic has since been discontinued.

However when compared only between VTEC Turbo variants of the Honda Civic, prices are now RM 553 pricier, up from RM 125,081.

Also Read: ASEAN's most powerful, 2022 Honda Civic (FE) launched in Malaysia: priced from RM 126k

As before, the Honda Civic is locally-assembled (CKD) at Honda Malaysia’s plant in Pegoh, Melaka, and thus qualifies for full SST exemption until 30-June 2022.

The VTEC Turbo engine retains the same L15B7 engine code but it now makes 9 PS more power and 20 Nm more torque.

The CVT has also been improved, and the difference is very noticeable. It’s now a lot more responsive, and although it’s a street car, the transmission’s software even has a track mode of sorts - not the kind that you can select, but it’s built-in into the shift mapping, which pulls data from the vehicle’s steering angle and wheel speed sensors to figure out what kind of driving conditions the car is in and adjusts accordingly.

The headline-grabbing 182 PS at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,700 - 4,500 rpm is not only the most powerful in its class, but it’s also higher than our neighbours in the rest of South East Asia gets.

For reference, the previous Civic FC makes less power and torque, but the peak values are achieved earlier in the rev range, 173 PS at 5,500 rpm while the 220 Nm torque is sustained longer, holding from 1,700 – 5,500 rpm. You win some, you lose some.

Thailand for example, gets only 178 PS and 240 Nm, achieved at the same engine speed – 6,000 rpm for the former and 1,700 – 4,500 rpm for the latter.

Indonesia, which imports their Honda Civic from Thailand, shares the same specifications as the Thailand market model.

Singapore, which taxes cars not just on their CO2 emission but also power output, has an even sadder 129 PS and 180 Nm output.

Also read: Malaysia’s Honda Accord makes more power than Thailand’s – 11 PS/17 Nm more, why?

Honda Motor’s Large Project Leader (LPL) for the 2022 Honda Civic FE Mr. Tomoyuki Yamagami explained that output for the Thailand market Civic has been reduced slightly to make it compatible with E85 gasohol fuel – Thailand’s petrol-ethanol mix of bio-fuel.

All petrol-powered passenger cars sold in Thailand must be able to run on at least E10 (10 percent ethanol mix) petrol. Cars that can run on E85 enjoy a 5 percent lower excise tax, depending on their CO2 emission.

In theory, E85 ethanol fuel can produce more power on a race car, but on a regular street car running on identical components as a regular petrol-powered car, it’s not so straightforward.

The Thailand market Civic has a claimed fuel consumption of just 5.8-litre/100 km, with a CO2 emission of 139 g/km.

The Malaysian market model, with its higher power output, consumes 6.0-litre/100 km for the E and V variant with 16-inch and 17-inch wheels respectively, and 6.3-litre/100 km for the RS variant with 18-inch wheels. We don't have the CO2 emission figures for the Malaysian specs car.

Since Malaysia has no E85- or CO2-based exhaust emission tax, we get to enjoy the highest possible output.

Whether is this something to be proud of or not is another matter altogether, because it just goes to show how far behind Malaysia is compared to the rest of the world, which no longer place as much importance on power output.

Also read: Review: 2022 Honda Civic FE – Forget baby Accord, it’s on par with the 3 Series

Our local Civic’s output is same as the US. The differences in values on their brochure (180 hp) is due to differences in measurement methods, as the US use SAE net horsepower, while PS is equivalent to Europe’s DIN hp.