Current Civic - Facelift

[anonymous-user]

I had a nose around Honda dealer the other day & have a test drive in 1.6 SE diesel tourer on Monday. Looks a good deal with 2.5k off & interest free etc..
Are there any confirmed plans to launch a new version or will the latest be around for a fair time please?

[AmitG]

I understood that there is going to be a mild facelift soon. New bumpers, new headlights with integrated DRLs, some different trim inside, and new infotainment system. No powertrain changes.

It might be worth either holding off, or ensuring that the deal is very good.

What did you think of it?

[anonymous-user]

Delayed the test until today,,, was quite impressed really & the deal looks pretty good. I think it was 2.5k off & 0% interest pcp etc..
I tried the diesel tourer - living the dream! but it does what I want. Will sleep on it but I'm torn between this & rather illogical choice of Auris estate Hybrid..

[AmitG]

Of those two, all other things being equal, I would personally go for the Honda. It's more of a driver's car, and I much prefer the styling.

The Auris is great, but less fun to drive, and the general interior quality is not as good as the Honda IMHO.

[AmitG]

Looks like there is indeed a facelift.

http://www.honda.co.uk/cars/comingsoon/civictourer...

I also noticed that the Insight and CR-Z have been completely dropped from the Honda UK website. Previously they were listed, but only available as special order.

The Accord is still on there.

I should get out more

[anonymous-user]

I guess that's why the offers are so good in the 'January Sale', not advertised as the 'Pre-Facelift' sale!!!
I didn't go for it in the end, delaying a while as the Octavia Estate soldiers on..

[B.J.W]

AmitG said:

Deerfoot said:

It`s probably this that has resulted in Honda being in the position it presently in.

The UK range is poor to say the least.

Very much so.

I believe that the UK range is now down to 3 cars: Jazz, Civic and CR-V. No Insight, no CR-Z, no Accord. These models are listed on Honda's website, but according to my dealer they are special order only and are basically unavailable.

I really liked the the Civic Tourer, but the only auto available is the aforementioned petrol version, and by modern standards it just doesn't cut it. I'm sure it's ultra reliable but I can't justify it. And it's not cheap.

There's no hybrid, which I found surprising - what happened to Honda's market-leading hybrid tech? It's available in the US; why not here?

It's really sad I wanted to do business with them, but there's just nothing in the current range that works for me.

All new Jazz summer 2015
Revamped Civic, including sport spec
Type R
HR-V compact SUV - all new model, and What Car's most anticipated launch of 2015
CR-V Revamped
NSX

Plenty of interest here for prospective customers......?

[Deerfoot]

B.J.W said:

All new Jazz summer 2015
Revamped Civic, including sport spec
Type R
HR-V compact SUV - all new model, and What Car's most anticipated launch of 2015
CR-V Revamped
NSX

Plenty of interest here for prospective customers......?

To be fair, if you`d have looked at the range a while back it was poor.

Old Jazz (while the new car was available elsewhere in the world)
No Accord replacement
No Civic Type R (had not been available for years either)
No S2000 replacement
No NSX
Discontinued CR-Z (Honda missed a great opportunity with this car IMHO)
Hybrid technology that is way behind rivals such as Toyota (the last Insight was not a patch on the Prius)
No representation in the large SUV sector.
No FR-V replacement (the MPV market in Europe is hardly insignificant is it?)

In fact apart from the CR-V Honda UK were left with an out of date Jazz and the Civic. Their dwindling market position is down to a lack of aspirational models in their range.

Edited by Deerfoot on Tuesday 3rd February 08:19

[B.J.W]

Deerfoot said:

B.J.W said:

All new Jazz summer 2015
Revamped Civic, including sport spec
Type R
HR-V compact SUV - all new model, and What Car's most anticipated launch of 2015
CR-V Revamped
NSX

Plenty of interest here for prospective customers......?

To be fair, if you`d have looked at the range a while back it was poor.

Old Jazz (while the new car was available elsewhere in the world)
No Accord replacement
No Civic Type R (had not been available for years either)
No S2000 replacement
No NSX
Discontinued CR-Z (Honda missed a great opportunity with this car IMHO)
Hybrid technology that is way behind rivals such as Toyota (the last Insight was not a patch on the Prius)
No representation in the large SUV sector.
No FR-V replacement (the MPV market in Europe is hardly insignificant is it?)

In fact apart from the CR-V Honda UK were left with an out of date Jazz and the Civic. Their dwindling market position is down to a lack of aspirational models in their range.

Edited by Deerfoot on Tuesday 3rd February 08:19

Fair enough, but your comments were only made in November....

I personally feel that there is a place in the market for a large Honda Saloon - a premium alternative to the Audi/BMW/Mercedes stranglehold, and distinct from the Mondeo/Vectra/Avensis. The problem with the outgoing Accord was that Honda priced an average car at 5k over where it should have been. Sales of Accords are strong at the moment because of the run out price reductions. The latter price point is where Honda should have been from the start. Having said that, look at the struggle Ford are having with the Mondeo. Granted, there's a new model, but it's still more to lease than the equivalent 3 Series (the undisputed market leader in the family car sector). I think a lot of car marques are going to have a rethink on their larger car strategy given the way the market has evolved.

I took a look at the Civic a month or so back. It's a smart bit of kit, and I would definitely consider one over a 1 series (for example) - and that's from someone who has never bought a Honda previously.

[Deerfoot]

B.J.W said:

I personally feel that there is a place in the market for a large Honda Saloon - a premium alternative to the Audi/BMW/Mercedes stranglehold, and distinct from the Mondeo/Vectra/Avensis. The problem with the outgoing Accord was that Honda priced an average car at 5k over where it should have been. Sales of Accords are strong at the moment because of the run out price reductions. The latter price point is where Honda should have been from the start. Having said that, look at the struggle Ford are having with the Mondeo. Granted, there's a new model, but it's still more to lease than the equivalent 3 Series (the undisputed market leader in the family car sector). I think a lot of car marques are going to have a rethink on their larger car strategy given the way the market has evolved.

I took a look at the Civic a month or so back. It's a smart bit of kit, and I would definitely consider one over a 1 series (for example) - and that's from someone who has never bought a Honda previously.

I agree. The Accord was vastly overpriced. I bought mine used at a fraction of the price new at only 3 years old. An equivalently aged/specced etc 3 series or A4 was around £5,000 more. The trouble Honda had (and will continue to have) is that for many the Honda badge / brand isn`t as strong as the German competition.

B.J.W. said:

Fair enough, but your comments were only made in November.....

Fair enough, but that comment could`ve been said in 2012 and would still have been pretty accurate.

I wish Honda well, having owned a few of their cars now I appreciate the engineering that goes into them. First though, they need to get customers to buy them and presently I think they`ll struggle to get people through the door.

[B.J.W]

Deerfoot said:

B.J.W said:

I personally feel that there is a place in the market for a large Honda Saloon - a premium alternative to the Audi/BMW/Mercedes stranglehold, and distinct from the Mondeo/Vectra/Avensis. The problem with the outgoing Accord was that Honda priced an average car at 5k over where it should have been. Sales of Accords are strong at the moment because of the run out price reductions. The latter price point is where Honda should have been from the start. Having said that, look at the struggle Ford are having with the Mondeo. Granted, there's a new model, but it's still more to lease than the equivalent 3 Series (the undisputed market leader in the family car sector). I think a lot of car marques are going to have a rethink on their larger car strategy given the way the market has evolved.

I took a look at the Civic a month or so back. It's a smart bit of kit, and I would definitely consider one over a 1 series (for example) - and that's from someone who has never bought a Honda previously.

I agree. The Accord was vastly overpriced. I bought mine used at a fraction of the price new at only 3 years old. An equivalently aged/specced etc 3 series or A4 was around £5,000 more. The trouble Honda had (and will continue to have) is that for many the Honda badge / brand isn`t as strong as the German competition.

B.J.W. said:

Fair enough, but your comments were only made in November.....

Fair enough, but that comment could`ve been said in 2012 and would still have been pretty accurate.

I wish Honda well, having owned a few of their cars now I appreciate the engineering that goes into them. First though, they need to get customers to buy them and presently I think they`ll struggle to get people through the door.

All good points

2015 is an important year for Honda, no argument there.

The new Jazz will be a competitive car when it is launched, and with a different pitch to the outgoing model I can see it attracting new customers over and above the existing demographic.

Branding is key, but as you said, attraction triggers place it left of field of the usual German offering. From a personal perspective, I would not have considered a Civic previously, but it would make my shortlist when compared to an A3 or Golf. Nissan have proved that the compact SUV market is buoyant, so the HR-V (which What Car have awarded their most anticipated new car of 2015) is going to be a direct competitor to the leader in this segment and I can see it making a significant dent when it comes to signing on the dotted line....

Honda just need to bring out an S2000 replacement (albeit 6 years after the last model departed)