There were many hybrids launched in the last year but our VOTY 2023 goes to the Honda Civic RS e:HEV.
The 11th generation Honda Civic is one of the best driver’s cars out there for its price. The 1.5L turbocharged engine is punchy and there’s enough equipment and tech in there to keep the average Malaysian customer happy for many years. But Honda is not one of those brands that settles ‘just enough’. They introduced the RS e:HEV model a little after the turbocharged models came and boy is this one impressive.
By now, Malaysians are accustomed to the ‘e:HEV’ hybrid system, which allows the petrol engine to serve as efficiently as possible, either as a range extender or to drive the wheels directly at higher speeds. The Civic’s e:HEV is a little different from the City’s and HR-V’s. That’s because it comes with a larger 2.0L petrol engine, which enables not only a higher powertrain output but also a much smoother transition when the engine starts.
The new Civic RS e:HEV also comes with a fully digital display, which is a first for Honda in Malaysia. For a first attempt, we have to say that Honda absolutely nailed it. The graphics are crisp and you can even minimise the amount of information displayed so you just see your speed and energy output (a tacho wouldn’t have worked on this hybrid system). They’ve even got a Tesla-like system that shows where other vehicles are on the road in relation to the Civic. It’s unlike anything even premium vehicles offer in Malaysia at the moment.
ABOUT VOTY 2023
The Allianz DSF.my Vehicle Of The Year (VOTY) Award ceremony is the first and only vehicle award event in Malaysia that does not hand out paid awards, nor does it charge winners or participating brands any fee whatsoever. Winners are allowed to use the VOTY event logo free of charge in all marketing materials. Event attendees are not even charged for their seat at the award presentation. All car manufacturers that operate in Malaysia are invited to participate free of charge. All they have to do is let our judges test drive their nominated vehicles.
The nominated vehicles must have been launched in Malaysia in the last 12 months and cannot be a localised minor facelift (body-kits, stickers, wheel upgrades, etc). All judging is independent and is put down to a vote before the winners are selected. Car manufacturers are not informed if they are winning or not before the event.
