The Japanese-built models – MA1 (1.5-liter), MA2 (1.6-liter), and MA3 (1.6-liter 4WD) – were produced with
double wishbone suspension whilst the British-built model, HW, were produced with
MacPherson struts. Engine choices were: • 1.4 Liter (SOHC twin carb) with at 6,300 rpm (Europe) • 1.5 Liter (SOHC 2-barrel carb) with at 6,000 rpm (Japan) • 1.5 Liter (SOHC DPI) with at 6,000 rpm (Europe) • 1.6 Liter (SOHC twin carb) with at 6,300 rpm (105 PS in Japan) • 1.6 Liter (SOHC MPI) with at 6,300 rpm (120 PS in Japan, Australia) • 1.6 Liter (DOHC MPI) with at 6,800 rpm (130 PS in Japan; European models without catalyst: 130 PS DIN with manual transmission and 124 PS DIN with automatic transmission) • 1.8 Liter
turbodiesel with DIN at 4,300 rpm (
Peugeot-supplied engine in badge-engineered
Rover 200) The four-door saloon was offered with four-wheel drive in Japan, a system later shared with the Civic-based compact SUV, the
Honda CR-V. The Japanese range received a facelift in February 1991, when the twin-cam ZC engine was also added to the JZ-Si model. The facelift included new taillights and a more upright front design, with more bulbous headlights. The Concerto was based on a platform which was shared with the popular
Civic. Just like the five-door Integra it replaced, it offered more features than the Civic and was aimed at a more prestigious section of the market. The styling of the Concerto reflected an influence from the
Honda Ascot, most notably the six-light window treatment of the
greenhouse.
Concerto TD For France, Italy, and
Portugal only, markets where diesel engines were essential offerings, a turbodiesel Concerto was made available late in the model's life. In France, for instance, Rover's 200/400 series outsold the Concerto by a ratio of five-to-one, with diesels representing 80 percent of Rover sales. This model was a toe in the water for Honda, their first diesel-engined passenger car (aside from the 1993
Honda Jazz, a rebadged Isuzu only available in Japan). The Concerto TD, however, was a badge-engineered
Rover 218 SLD Turbo and thus has completely different sheetmetal from Honda's own Concertos. Introduced in August 1994, it was only available as a five-door liftback. In addition to the different appearance and interior (including the Rover's wood trim), the TD has Rover's
MacPherson strut front suspension rather than Honda's typical
double wishbone setup as used on petrol-engined Concertos. The only difference was emblems and hubcaps. As with the Rover 218 SLD, the Concerto TD was fitted with Peugeot's 1.8-liter
XUD7 engine. While arriving very late, several years after the range had been replaced in Japan, its mission appears to have succeeded: the TD version represented 94 percent of French Concerto sales in 1995. Production ended in October 1996. ==Replacement==