06 Civc ES 1.8
Discussion
Nothing fancy...
2006 1.8 i-VTEC Civic ES in super boring grey. Bought it 2 years ago, got a decent deal on it (hence having to compromise and settle for a resale silver). Given its age and minimal miles I guess it was a second car for the first owners and they moved it on because they simply never used it. They must of done 4k a year tops in it. Needless to say we do over double that in it now.
Its a decent steer and still looks unlike most other cars on the road. Its got a Jap Manga space-ship shuttle thing going on and a wonderful interior with great ergonomics. Handling is ok, steering is reasonably direct. I am quite sick of it though!
Despite doing hours and hours of research on these cars and knowing all the faults (soft paint, crap brakes, rattly interiors, woeful rear suspension, hesitant engine etc) I still bought one because I loved how it looked (heart won). To be fair, the test drive put to rest a lot of my fears. I thought the engine picked up well, sounded kinda sporty and there wasn't a single rattling interior trim piece. I even though the stiff ride wasn't so bad!
2 years on though the interior hasn't worn so well. Mechanically its as smooth and drama free as it was when we got it but Inside, we find new squeaks, vibrations and rattles weekly. The interior looks great but in an effort to achieve those curves and swoops they've clearly only left 50p in the budget for the plastics. Lots of natty, hard, scratchy plastics. The centre consoles is very flimsy, flexing under any kind of load. The stiff jiggly ride even vibrated the centre console free from its mounts! Arm rests on the door flex and groan when you rest on them. The many overlapping panels rub together, squeaking as they do. The plastics around the gear gate creak when you take corners (as the centre console flexes torsionally), we have a folded up business card wedged under the air bag cover on the steering wheel to stop it resonating, the drivers seat creaks every time you accelerate, the wipers groan when they operate, the plastic visor covering the rev counter is made from plastic so soft, even a micro fibre scratches it....
And theres more!.... the rear suspension sounds like a load of loose scaffolding poles on any road that isn't buttery smooth and the car crashes into any kind of abrupt depression in the road, rewarding you with a loud, hollow thonk. The engine is droney at high speed cruise and harsh when pushing on. Minimal sound proofing means you can hear it all the time. Wind noise is thankfully quite good, but its hard to tell for sure over the almighty din the tyres make. I don't go much over 70 now because I can't take listening to that characterless drone for hours on end. Over 3500rpm the engine really makes itself heard and not in a good way.
Talking about the engine, its reasonably frugal, we're getting 35mpg (measured fill up to fill up by me) out of mixed driving and nearly 40 is achievable in summer on a long run. Its quite a tractable engine, despite being mostly gutless, it doesn't complain too much if you stick it in 6th and drive around. It will accelerate in 6th, from 30mph no problem but you do have to work it to get a decent shuffle on. Good job it so willingly heads for the red line. On paper it sounds half decently quick, but in reality it feels anything but. I guess the fact you can hit over 70 in second gives the decent 0-60 times. The cam on this engine switches from normal to eco at either 50% throttle or 3500 rpm. The change at engine speed is unnoticeable but if you floor it from low down there is a slight dip and hesitation as the cam switches. It also tramlines a bit.
Good points though are.....
Auto lights and wipers actually work a treat
Excellent driving position and driver controls
Cruise is good
Panoramic roof really helps those in the back because its quite hemmed in back there and can make you feel claustrophobic.
Boot has a false floor which collapses to reveal even more room
Magic seats in the back fold up (cinema style) or down making it very flexible for carrying stuff. You can simply fold the seats up and fit a whole bike in there!
Despite no lumbar support the seats are sufficiently comfy
And while the solid suspension is quite annoying most of the time, you are glad of it when going for a B road blast
Basically I want to get shot of this car because I just can't handle the crap interior quality or the s
tty, noisy ride! But with money and the economy as it is, its more prudent to simply keep the car until my PhD is done and I have a proper job. Could almost swap it for a E46 tourer or something, but I could end up with big repair bills!
Anyway some pictures! not the best, I took these just after I got my 7D, so was getting used to it and using off camera flash for the first time.
Civic (1 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (3 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (6 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (4 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Yes I realise I need to clean the bd!
Civic (8 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
2006 1.8 i-VTEC Civic ES in super boring grey. Bought it 2 years ago, got a decent deal on it (hence having to compromise and settle for a resale silver). Given its age and minimal miles I guess it was a second car for the first owners and they moved it on because they simply never used it. They must of done 4k a year tops in it. Needless to say we do over double that in it now.
Its a decent steer and still looks unlike most other cars on the road. Its got a Jap Manga space-ship shuttle thing going on and a wonderful interior with great ergonomics. Handling is ok, steering is reasonably direct. I am quite sick of it though!
Despite doing hours and hours of research on these cars and knowing all the faults (soft paint, crap brakes, rattly interiors, woeful rear suspension, hesitant engine etc) I still bought one because I loved how it looked (heart won). To be fair, the test drive put to rest a lot of my fears. I thought the engine picked up well, sounded kinda sporty and there wasn't a single rattling interior trim piece. I even though the stiff ride wasn't so bad!
2 years on though the interior hasn't worn so well. Mechanically its as smooth and drama free as it was when we got it but Inside, we find new squeaks, vibrations and rattles weekly. The interior looks great but in an effort to achieve those curves and swoops they've clearly only left 50p in the budget for the plastics. Lots of natty, hard, scratchy plastics. The centre consoles is very flimsy, flexing under any kind of load. The stiff jiggly ride even vibrated the centre console free from its mounts! Arm rests on the door flex and groan when you rest on them. The many overlapping panels rub together, squeaking as they do. The plastics around the gear gate creak when you take corners (as the centre console flexes torsionally), we have a folded up business card wedged under the air bag cover on the steering wheel to stop it resonating, the drivers seat creaks every time you accelerate, the wipers groan when they operate, the plastic visor covering the rev counter is made from plastic so soft, even a micro fibre scratches it....
And theres more!.... the rear suspension sounds like a load of loose scaffolding poles on any road that isn't buttery smooth and the car crashes into any kind of abrupt depression in the road, rewarding you with a loud, hollow thonk. The engine is droney at high speed cruise and harsh when pushing on. Minimal sound proofing means you can hear it all the time. Wind noise is thankfully quite good, but its hard to tell for sure over the almighty din the tyres make. I don't go much over 70 now because I can't take listening to that characterless drone for hours on end. Over 3500rpm the engine really makes itself heard and not in a good way.
Talking about the engine, its reasonably frugal, we're getting 35mpg (measured fill up to fill up by me) out of mixed driving and nearly 40 is achievable in summer on a long run. Its quite a tractable engine, despite being mostly gutless, it doesn't complain too much if you stick it in 6th and drive around. It will accelerate in 6th, from 30mph no problem but you do have to work it to get a decent shuffle on. Good job it so willingly heads for the red line. On paper it sounds half decently quick, but in reality it feels anything but. I guess the fact you can hit over 70 in second gives the decent 0-60 times. The cam on this engine switches from normal to eco at either 50% throttle or 3500 rpm. The change at engine speed is unnoticeable but if you floor it from low down there is a slight dip and hesitation as the cam switches. It also tramlines a bit.
Good points though are.....
Auto lights and wipers actually work a treat
Excellent driving position and driver controls
Cruise is good
Panoramic roof really helps those in the back because its quite hemmed in back there and can make you feel claustrophobic.
Boot has a false floor which collapses to reveal even more room
Magic seats in the back fold up (cinema style) or down making it very flexible for carrying stuff. You can simply fold the seats up and fit a whole bike in there!
Despite no lumbar support the seats are sufficiently comfy
And while the solid suspension is quite annoying most of the time, you are glad of it when going for a B road blast
Basically I want to get shot of this car because I just can't handle the crap interior quality or the s
tty, noisy ride! But with money and the economy as it is, its more prudent to simply keep the car until my PhD is done and I have a proper job. Could almost swap it for a E46 tourer or something, but I could end up with big repair bills!Anyway some pictures! not the best, I took these just after I got my 7D, so was getting used to it and using off camera flash for the first time.
Civic (1 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (3 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (6 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Civic (4 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Yes I realise I need to clean the b
d!Civic (8 of 8) by Alex_Mason, on Flickr
Nice photos, the interior one with outside lighting is great. I wish Honda had made a real go of a Type R for generation of the Civic as a last hurrah. Now the engine (and performance VTECing in general) is effectively outlawed, it would have been good to see a final decent Type R instead of a so-so one.
However, as so-so as the FN2 is compared to the EP3, perhaps if you had the Type R version you might enjoy it more, or at least enough to overlook the rattles
Just a shame Honda have lost interest in making performance cars. Soichiro Honda once said "Without racing, there is no Honda"; I wish that statement still meant something. Maybe one day Honda will begin to make cars again that properly honour the man who started the company, we can only hope.
Enjoy your Civic!
However, as so-so as the FN2 is compared to the EP3, perhaps if you had the Type R version you might enjoy it more, or at least enough to overlook the rattles
Just a shame Honda have lost interest in making performance cars. Soichiro Honda once said "Without racing, there is no Honda"; I wish that statement still meant something. Maybe one day Honda will begin to make cars again that properly honour the man who started the company, we can only hope.
Enjoy your Civic!
AshBaldry said:
Im a Honda employee, information has come from a technician who attended a training course.
Do you know any more? I'm not doubting that that's what he was told, but it seems unlikely to me.ETA: s
t, sorry OP, I've forgotten my manners. This doesn't really belong here, apologies for going off topic!AshBaldry said:
There is a 2.5 turbocharged Type R on its way,plus the NSX replacement. Also a new 7 seat CRV. HTH
Is the new NSX ish thing the same car that will appear in the new avengers movie? Downey Jr/Tony Stark will be driving it and its badged as an Acura. It looks pretty nice.oh yeah I did turn my fogs off afterwards! I just put them on for effect!
Jamirecluse said:
Nice pictures.We wanted one of these but found the rear visibility poor so were put off it.Interior was really cool though.
It is a bit pants if you need that view to the rear quarters. The C pillars are really broad. But the wing going across the rear screen is actually a god send for tts who drive with their high beams on all the time. At normal following distances it blocks out most car headlamps completely meaning I dont have to get blinded.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff