Now into its second generation, Acura’s entry-level model, the 1.7EL, is essentially a restyled, more powerful and better-equipped version of the redesigned 2001 Honda Civic sedan. Both the Civic sedan and 1.7EL are built in Honda’s Alliston, Ontario plant.
Like its predecessor the 1.6EL, the 1.7EL is sold only in Canada. In the mid 90’s, Acura determined that Canadians, with their smaller disposable incomes and taste for smaller cars, would be attracted to a subcompact luxury car – something Americans would shun. Acura was right – the EL is now their best-selling model in Canada.

The new 1.7EL is about the same length as the previous model, but the cabin has been lengthened, creating more passenger space, particularly for rear passengers – rear passengers have 49 mm (2 in.) more legroom. In addition, the rear floor is now flat and the backrest angle has been increased. However, the 1.7EL is still a fairly narrow car with room for only two adult passengers (or three children) in the back seat.

To make entry and exit easier, the front seats have been raised by 30 mm (1.2 in.) and the rear seats by 25 mm (1 in.). As the roof is 45 mm (1.8 in.) taller, there’s a net gain in front headroom of 10 mm (0.4 in.) in models without a sunroof.

The 1.7EL has a more luxuriously-finished interior than the top-of-the-line Honda Civic LX sedan – luxury touches include wood trim on the dash, console and doors; chromed door handles, lock buttons, handbrake button and shiftgate; and leather-covered steering wheel and shifter handle. The standard cloth seats on the Touring model use a high grade cloth material, and the front seats are well-bolstered for support when cornering. Premium models have leather upholstery.

The dash was designed to be easy to reach: the control panel protrudes outward, and three vertically-positioned dials (for fan speed, ventilation and temperature control) are located on the extreme left of the centre control panel, very close to the driver’s right hand.

An AM/FM/CD player is located on the top of the control panel, and the dash includes a covered storage compartment; buttons for air conditioning, defroster and recirculation; a 12 volt power outlet; and two covered cupholders. Behind the floor shift lever is another small storage bin with a sliding cover. The driver’s seat has a height-adjustable seat cushion, and a handy folding armrest.

For 2001, the power window buttons, power mirror buttons and ignition switch are illuminated for easier visbility at night. To prevent theft, the floor-mounted release for the trunk and the gas cap are lockable with a key, and the rear folding seatbacks are also lockable.

Rear passengers have a pull-out cupholder in the centre console, but no map pockets, centre armrest or height-adjustable head restraints. 60/40 split folding rear seats provide ‘pass-through’ capability for long items from the trunk.

The trunk (365 litres) is eight percent bigger than last year and has a wider trunk opening for easier loading. Underneath the trunk floor is a large cavity which houses the temporary spare tire, but there’s also enough room to store small items. The trunk can be opened with an interior trunk release or a remote key fob, but it doesn’t have a keyhole.

The 1.7EL is equipped with Honda’s redesigned 127 horsepower 1.7 litre four cylinder engine with a revised VTEC-E variable valve timing system. (This engine is offered in the Civic Coupe Si but not in the Civic sedan). The revised VTEC-E system uses a camshaft lobe to open only one intake valve below 2500 rpm and a second lobe to open both intake valves above 2500 rpm. This provides more power at higher rpms while improving fuel efficiency by a surprising 11%.

Though the 1.7 litre engine has the same horsepower as last year’s 1.6 litre engine, it has 6 to 8 percent more torque at lower engine revs for improved throttle responsiveness (114 @ 4800 rpm compared to 106 @ 5500 rpm).

The redesigned engine now has direct ignition instead of a distributor, and some new lightweight plastic and magnesium components. Oil change intervals have been stretched to 8000 km, coolant change intervals to 96,000 km, and the platinum tip sparkplugs don’t need to be changed until 176,000 km!

The standard 5-speed manual transmission has also been revised for smoother shifts and quieter operation, and the four-speed automatic transmission features changes which increase fuel economy by 3% for a total of 14%.

The EL’s low hoodline and large side windows provide excellent forward and lateral visibility, and the rear deck, though high, is not as high as in many sedans, so it provides adequate rear visibility.

The passenger cabin is quieter than in the Civic, perhaps because it has more sound insulation. Under hard acceleration, the engine is ‘buzzy’, but under all other conditions, it’s a very quiet, unobtrusive engine. Cruising on the highway at 100 km/h, the engine revs at a comfortable 2500 rpm. The four-speed automatic transmission changes very smoothly, even under ‘kick-down’ – this is one of the best automatic transmissions in the small car class.

Performance tests conducted by AJAC, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, produced a 0 to 100 km/h time of 9.0 seconds, an 80 to 120 km/h passing time of 7.2 seconds, and a 100 to 0 braking distance of 44.9 metres (147 ft.) – all about average for this class. The engine’s weak point is that maximum torque is not reached until 4800 rpm which means that the engine is ‘rev-happy’. And with a full load of passengers and cargo on board, the engine strains going up long hills.

The 1.7EL offers excellent fuel economy for a ‘luxury car’. Equipped with the automatic transmission, Transport Canada rates the 1.7EL at 8.0 l/100 km (35 mpg) in the city, and 6.0 l/100 km (47 mpg) on the highway. Equipped with a standard manual transmission, those numbers are only slightly better: 7.7 l/100 km (37 mpg), and 6.2 l/100 km (46 mpg).

The EL still has a fully independent suspension, but the front suspension has been changed to a MacPherson strut design instead of a double-wishbone design. This was done, in part, to save space at the front of the car so the passenger compartment could be extended. Over the kind of moderate bumps you’ll find on any city street, I found the suspension a bit firm for a ‘luxury’ car, but just fine on the highway. The new MacPherson strut front suspension offers better damping than the previous wishbone suspension which was quite harsh over sharp bumps. The EL’s body feels very tight, the steering is quick and responsive, and handling is quite nimble – the EL’s standard 15 inch tires are larger than the Civic’s standard 14 inch tires and have better grip.

As mentioned, 2001 1.7EL’s are available in Touring and Premium trim levels. Except for leather upholstery and a power moonroof, Touring models are equipped almost exactly the same as the uplevel Premium models.

For a base price of $21,500, the Touring model includes a five-speed manual transmission, AM/FM/CD stereo with four 30 watt speakers, air conditioning, cloth seats, interior wood trim, variable-assist power steering, front and side airbags, 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks, four wheel disc brakes with ABS, and 15 inch tires with alloy wheels.

Also standard are power windows, heated power mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry with power trunk release, cruise control with steering wheel mounted control buttons, tachometer, intermittent wipers, height-adjustable driver’s seat, driver’s folding armrest, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, tilt steering column, micron air filters, 12 volt power point, two front map lights, digital clock, two front cupholders and two rear cupholders.

Standard safety features include five three-point seatbelts with front pre-tensioners, two height-adjustable front head restraints and two fixed rear head restraints, driver and front passsenger airbags and side airbags with seat sensors, front knee bolsters, child-proof rear door locks, three rear child seat safety anchors, ignition immobilizer, and anti-theft system.

1.7EL Premium models, priced at $23,500, add leather seats and door trim, heated front seats, power moonroof with sliding sunshade, and front and rear courtesy lights.

A four-speed automatic transmission ($1000) is the only option on both Touring and Premium models.