New Honda Civic - thoughts?
Discussion
I have a new Type R as a demo / test drive over this weekend.
Personally, I love the looks. I don't think you can have too many wings, vents and scoops.
I've got a few fast cars but it's amazing to be going so fast, so easily, in something that has 4 doors, a big boot and can reasonably (almost) be called a sensible car. My wife took it to Tesco's this afternoon to make sure she was comfortable in it.
This demo car is in Sonic Grey where I would really only want a red one, but so far it's been an enjoyable day.
Personally, I love the looks. I don't think you can have too many wings, vents and scoops.
I've got a few fast cars but it's amazing to be going so fast, so easily, in something that has 4 doors, a big boot and can reasonably (almost) be called a sensible car. My wife took it to Tesco's this afternoon to make sure she was comfortable in it.
This demo car is in Sonic Grey where I would really only want a red one, but so far it's been an enjoyable day.
Took a test drive of a 1.5 auto Prestige today. Dealer was great, they basically gave me the keys and told me to enjoy.
The handling is seriously brilliant. I drove hard on country roads, sharp turns etc. and simply could not shake it. Really impressive and great fun.
Performance is good. The CVT works very well. But I get the impression that the engine has a big flywheel or something. You release the accelerator and apply the brake and you feel yourself fighting against the engine for a good half second or so. It's a bit unnerving. Maybe I've just been spoilt by the Toyota hybrid systems, which work completely differently. But it felt a bit odd.
NVH was not that great. At motorway speeds there is quite a lot of wind noise. Bumps and potholes are dealt with quite well, though.
The interior is functional but it felt disappointing. Obviously I had seen the interior before the test drive. I thought that on the open road I might learn to live with it. But it does look and feel a bit cheap. The steering wheel controls are particularly bad. The centre console quality is OK but the touchscreen is too small and Honda have clearly saved money by removing a load of physical buttons and auxillary displays. I know that with Hondas you are buying a drivetrain and the interior basically comes for free but I think I would struggle to look at it every day and feel good. And the non-Prestige models come with cloth trim which I really didn't like.
So it's a mixed bag. I could see myself in it. But the problem is that in Sport Plus spec this is a £27k car. To me, the overall package just doesn't feel like £27k. If the NVH and interior were better I could justify it.
Reluctantly, I think I am going to decline.
The handling is seriously brilliant. I drove hard on country roads, sharp turns etc. and simply could not shake it. Really impressive and great fun.
Performance is good. The CVT works very well. But I get the impression that the engine has a big flywheel or something. You release the accelerator and apply the brake and you feel yourself fighting against the engine for a good half second or so. It's a bit unnerving. Maybe I've just been spoilt by the Toyota hybrid systems, which work completely differently. But it felt a bit odd.
NVH was not that great. At motorway speeds there is quite a lot of wind noise. Bumps and potholes are dealt with quite well, though.
The interior is functional but it felt disappointing. Obviously I had seen the interior before the test drive. I thought that on the open road I might learn to live with it. But it does look and feel a bit cheap. The steering wheel controls are particularly bad. The centre console quality is OK but the touchscreen is too small and Honda have clearly saved money by removing a load of physical buttons and auxillary displays. I know that with Hondas you are buying a drivetrain and the interior basically comes for free but I think I would struggle to look at it every day and feel good. And the non-Prestige models come with cloth trim which I really didn't like.
So it's a mixed bag. I could see myself in it. But the problem is that in Sport Plus spec this is a £27k car. To me, the overall package just doesn't feel like £27k. If the NVH and interior were better I could justify it.
Reluctantly, I think I am going to decline.
Yes, it's the 1.5 turbo engine.
Having slept on it, maybe I was a bit too harsh. There is a lot to like about the car. Performance is very good. Handling is amazing. It has some of that old-school Honda feel, where you feel properly connected to the machine and the road. I can't describe it well but perhaps you know what I mean. I love the looks, while appreciating that others won't. Apart from the interior, it feels solid. The TFT instrument cluster is great. It's built in the UK.
The Sport+ costs a lot, but in its defense, it comes with things like LED headlights and a proper opening sunroof, which are optional extras on its competitors.
But my criticisms stand. I think I could be persuaded, but I will wait to see what the dealer can do.
There appears to be very little UK availability. The sales person said that the unpopular colours could be delivered this month and for everything else there was a 20 week wait. Not much in between. So presumably there is a big pool of Civics in "you'll never sell that, mate" colours that they need to shift, and for everything else you have to get a build slot, and given that nearly all the Civics that Swindon makes are going to the US, you are going to have to wait some time.
I'm not waiting 20 weeks for a Civic unless the deal is mind-blowing.
Having slept on it, maybe I was a bit too harsh. There is a lot to like about the car. Performance is very good. Handling is amazing. It has some of that old-school Honda feel, where you feel properly connected to the machine and the road. I can't describe it well but perhaps you know what I mean. I love the looks, while appreciating that others won't. Apart from the interior, it feels solid. The TFT instrument cluster is great. It's built in the UK.
The Sport+ costs a lot, but in its defense, it comes with things like LED headlights and a proper opening sunroof, which are optional extras on its competitors.
But my criticisms stand. I think I could be persuaded, but I will wait to see what the dealer can do.
There appears to be very little UK availability. The sales person said that the unpopular colours could be delivered this month and for everything else there was a 20 week wait. Not much in between. So presumably there is a big pool of Civics in "you'll never sell that, mate" colours that they need to shift, and for everything else you have to get a build slot, and given that nearly all the Civics that Swindon makes are going to the US, you are going to have to wait some time.
I'm not waiting 20 weeks for a Civic unless the deal is mind-blowing.
evsky said:
AmitG there is stock of every colour in the Sport Plus - and in the Prestige the longest you'll wait is until the end of March.
The sales person you spoke to may not have wanted to sell you the car lol.
That's entirely possible The sales person you spoke to may not have wanted to sell you the car lol.
My guess is that they wanted to shift some of their existing stock on a 67 plate.
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