bigger frame cross sections and thicker

cross members, typical in open-roof em. The mult is mac mass. At 27.66 pounds, the base &I Sol weighs 172 pcunds mae

H o d CRX replacement shines brightly, but will &el Sol be warmly received by enthusiasts? By J.P. Vettrain0
taste of the 1993 Honda Civic &I Sol in April, ahotUy dm it debuted in Japan. We I d then lbat the del Sol is i.rger.

maepoanrfuldmae
daPMelhmltheCRX it replaced. We discovered it is also softer .mundthecdger,anda td man Qeik. DcJpite its removable top, the new cw had moved the two-p*Ec Civic closer to thcNiaMam. Now it's America's tomtobaskindelSoland whik we've wsrmcd con~ t o t h i s p a h r t , it doesn't ignite the spme passion of its fmbur. In picljsg Honch's dkrbvcbrainmirrdcdsion co.bndoniheCRXand bcd in a new direction. wc'vcfamdthatsuccasis -itsombrndof

than the lightest Civic three-door, even though its wbcelbsse is eight inches shorts. It also weighs 160 pounds mac and is nine inehcsloogath.aa'92CRX. 'IheddCRXHFhas.Lndybecareplaced as HondP's mileage keda by the -civic vx. w men wiu be only two &I Sol models in the United States, &I S ~ I ~afh with its om engine. he S g& the 102-hp 1.5-lim i n l i i four that powas the Civic DX, whik the Si Jbua the 12s-hp w l i m four with (he SiandWscdan. The 1.6 uses H d s lustsomplic.ted VTEC variable timing system. whichwaksonlyonthe intake valves. I~IC luga engine develops peak - 1 6 6 0 0 ~ and 106 lb ft of toque at 5MO rpn, while the I .I lita tops out at 59M) ipm producing 98 lb ft of
torqUC~~rpm.

ThedclSolllao~ HcaWs L*a E m doubk-wishbone suspasion with the rcst of the Civic line. Tbat mtaa m inch more wheel travel lhantheCRX,acwrding to Honda. All del Sols hmslighllystifk?~ Uwn mast Civic d l s . The Si gets still higher springrucs.anda22m antimllharinfnmt. kareahadiscinctions in the chmsii. The S model has 9.4-inch vented disc brakes in front, 7.0-inch drums rear. In place of rear d r u m the Si comes with ~ooda poduct p h m intheSwcsupllioihe 9.O-iih discs. T h e n is shift like this: Cmtinuing no mtilock system availto sharpen the perforable. The Si also has slightly quicker stcaing, mmr focus with a new CRXmightmdnlnm-ketalloy rims d 185160-14 lircs (as oppod to 179 @ auicidc. With eus like the NX#IM) and MX-3 V6, the d l spc- U.S. Eopies are nurly identical. 70-13). Extraequipllrnt adds 132 pounds. From the A-pillars forward the two-seater cialty class is becoming a -win g ~ of c Inside, the del Sol's additional heft shares its stlllct~lreand sheet steel with doesn't necessarily translate into morc me-upmnship. Technology and insrites spiral. and the appul of the cars gets Civic hatchbacks and sedans. Exterior man. If anything. it fetls a bit tighter Uwn increasingly m. So the dcl Sol wiU step p l s tium the cowl b r k arr enlircly dif- the CRX. Yet the &I Sol mains mast of the out of the fray and look for its own path. fwent. You've san p b m g q h bdon, m original's sbcngths. hiving position is exH d s catch @ for this Tug.-like our only aubjstivc rt.tcmcot m styling is cellent. the sbiftcr is p p c d y plrtd d roofed Civic is "carr hre hm." this: The &I Sol looks much better on agowmiesgcoally good. Care-tra fun in America appmntly docs pavement than it does on fdm. Rcactioa htmior design is to the point. The &I I J U II seved young adults in the tar@ mu- Sol's dash is mae coovcnriwnl than I J K wt requite a p o w top a exha pwr on ~ up. Del Sds deaincd f a the &ale$ will wt La, including m CRX owns (ImnittcQy new Rlude's. and a lot more effstivc. Gauged are clusted c M y , similar to the get tbe M y .utonutieTnnsmp a 4 lua wt a seimtifr snmpk). was positive. hitislly-tb 168-hp VTEC engine availL i the CRX, the &I S o l slat8 011 a imbumcnt pod on a motacyck. Switchgem able in Japan. Otherwise, Japanese and Pbacened Civic pladom. Tbc muctm hrs is built into the inskumcnt panel b i l e IS

ALilUWBDX AUOUST 3.1992

about a hand's length from the steering wheel spokes. Some say interior materials Imk cheao and IIOI as refined as Honda's best. We .think they are appmpriate for an open car. The thick caton-jersey seal u p holstery, for example, will pmbably better handle dust, moisture and ultraviolet rays. The pmeftion theme mntinus with a lid
thalliftrupanddownoverlhaudiogcarto

keep dust out. There are other thoughtful touches inside. like a Wcold vents on the anrcr wnsole la lap Light. Locking bii behind the s e a l s are large enough to a f c m dale a l a of CDs a a small The neatest detail of all is the power-operated W i g h t . which dmps down at the touch of ahNnw~thetooisonaoff. H o d has p i a' lot of its markcling plans to the &I Sol's convertible h e design objeaive top. T was minimal air disturbance a buffeting in the cabii. To thal end, engineus u s e d a Cray wqmmputer, extensive wind tunnel testing and mcasuremeMs l i air velocity at the driver's ears when developing the del Sol. Everychiog-fm the rake of the windshield to the b cation of the side mirmn to the wide-based B-pillars --was calculated for minimum air flow. trunk. Storage space is outstanding for a The real payoff from Honda's engi- small convertible. Even with the mof stowed. neering effort comes at speed. With the the del Sol has more mom for baggage than a top on the del Sol is quiet and solid. or as Miata. The power top +on in Japan pdds rigid as any Civic. With the top off there is l lo pauds over the IWI wheels and $1.400 no obvious flex or cowl shake. Even with to the price. Given how well the manual systhe T a r g a - l i design. the effect fmm the tem warks. Americans uen't missing much. driver's seat is very much like a full conHonda has achieved its self-stated goal of vertible. The B-pillar is angled back, so removing "all less-than-fun aspects" fmm nothing inuudes in the driver's normal pe- the convenihle. The &I Sol is the open car ripheral vision. It takes a glance over the totally sanitized, and that will be an amaction a r others,it defeats the plrposc. shoulder to notice the wide bumesses to the for many. F r e a r 4 the small blind spots they create. In any case. the &I Sol's open m f offen Wind intrusion is minimal. Top off and something the old CRX coupe never could. side windows up feel almost like a closed And when it comes to driving. the REW car cabin. With the side windows down, con- delivers most of Honda's best attributes. versatim is easy at 65 mph. The air flow Power comes s&y from both engines. with the \rIEC's bii toaids in climate control as well. as there's but+cularly better temperature control inside the &I Sol ward high rev-with a noticeable buzz. The than in any open car that comes to mind. Si is a spirited performer. pmbably a tick The removable top itself is well executed. quicker than its predecessor. Maximum x m t With a single lever on each side of the car. at freeway speeds demands a downshift, but it locks firmly into the windshield header it's no chore. The shher clicks fmm gcar to and Targa-like bar (which also houses the gear as if the transmission were d i y undcr high-mount LED brake light). In place, the the gmhange. Thc del Sol Si give ups nahaluminum mof panel seems to be as secure ing to the CRX in shaighl-line performance. as a hardtop, yet it weighs only 23 pounds. Through bends and curves, it is cool and One person can remove it alone. although prepared for just about anything. Dynamically. the car is well Joned. with a bit of two make the job less cumbersome. Storage is particularly ingenious. Lining understeer tuned in. On one kvel it is more the rear deck exposes a hinged nck in the wsticated than the CRY. There is noticeuunk.The mof slides into the nck and locks. ably more compliance than in the wvious Slned, mof panel and rack are l i e a secund car. providing a more comfortable ride. deck lid. Lift the deck, then lift the hinged Steering is almost as pleasing. and the del Sol rack immediately below for access to the is less fumed by a bump or dip at an apex or

near an exit. It lakes a cerlain & g m of inep tirude to get the car in serious troubk. On the ocha hand. the same can be said for every Civic H d s built the last live yurs. The &I Sol feels more like a thnedoor Si than the CRY ever did. It's not so eager to cut and dart, going about its business more casually, with less verve. It may pmve more wpabk a fwgiving, and it may be m y to live with. But the del Sd lacks the Ilair. the immediacy, that makes you want to go out and drive when you see a CRY sitting still. H a d a will announce relail p r i m when the &I Sol Raches &akn fhis month. Guesstimates cover the high-S12.MO to high-$15.MO range. The company may keep prices on the low side to minimkc any risk the &I Sol carries. Thc CRX sold well enough in its prime to keep Honda dealen happy, even as it earned cult wvus with a group of aub crossen and club raars. b name had n nice ring. It was no trifling maner to rip up the blueprint and head in a dillerent dimtion. We expeet the del Sol will go over quite well. It's a pleasant car that does exactly what Honda intended. If we have a problem, it is with direction rather than execution. and no one can fault Honda for taking a path it thinks buyen will follow. Often it's a dodge to say a car lacks soul. It can't find much wmng can mean sowith a w h i n e that docsn't thrill them. So maybe it's a dodge to say the Civic del Sol lacks soul enough to charm us the way the CRX did. But we'll still m i s s the CRY.
AUTOWEEK AUGUST 3.1992