Everything has changed, however, with the introduction of the eighth generation Civic. Along with a host of improvements that come along with a new Civic – bigger and intelligent power plants, more interior space – comes a new look, a different approach to cabin design and a renewed commitment to safety.

We got to try out the new features of the new Civic during a half-day swing in the sleek roads of Palawan. Not known to many, Palawan has some of the best roads in the country with its long flat stretches on the countryside as well as uphill climbs and winding roads that are carved from mountain sides.

Our group of 14 motoring journalists arrived in Puerto Princesa early Monday morning. After a warm welcome by Honda Cars Philippines Inc. president Takashi Sekiguchi and a short briefing on the driving do’s and don’ts, we were each assigned to different Civic variants for the 120 kilometer ride. This writer was paired with the Philippine Star’s motoring editor, Dong Magsajo – and luckily, we were assigned to drive the top-of-the-line 2.0 liter Civic.

At first glance, most would mistake the Civic’s styling to that of the Accord. Both are hunky with clean lines that make them a real looker. What’s better, the colors that new Civics come in would make anyone look even better – not that our tandem needed help in improving our looks. But definitely, the new Civic made us feel at least six times better looking than Angelina Jolie’s beau.

Driving through the flat plains of Palawan, the 155ps of the 2.0 liter iVTEC engine of the Civic pulled the car to unbelievable speeds with ease. But that’s not surprising with a Honda, what made the drive surprising was the fact that Honda seemed to have finally solved the problem of road noise. While cruising at a fast pace along Palawan’s concrete highway, road noise was at a minimum and wind noise was almost zilch – take note, our average speed was a bit over 80 miles per hour (do the math).

Another great feature of the new Civic is its new drive-by-wire throttle, which sends signals from the gas pedal to the engine electronically. The paddle shifters on the steering wheel also proved very exhilarating giving it that Formula 1-feel. Both electronic systems (throttle and shifters) worked great with minimum time-lag compared to other high-end European models.

One feature that I personally have an aversion to is Honda’s new approach to the dashboard—the instrument panel was split into two levels. Speed, fuel level and engine temperature information are displayed (via digital screen) on the top cluster with the secondary information, such as engine RPM (analog dials) and the like – in the lower cluster. Some people like it but I find it a bit confusing.

The Civic’s commitment to safety goes even deeper with the new car. Side impact protection has been fortified and the front end has been designed to be more "pedestrian friendly." A study shows that pedestrians involved in a frontal collision with the car suffers less injuries than with the older car. But this is still not a good reason to run over your worst enemy.

Fuel economy is truly amazing. Through the 120 blazing kilometers that we drove, we only consumed a little over 13 liters of fuel.