BUSA's Review : Civic AT(Paddle) and MT Test Driven

[vikrantw1]

Just as an aside before getting onto the review I remember one time during our college recruitment - there was a grp discussion going on - and after it became chaotic - the moderator stepped in and gave everyone 30 seconds to give their perspective - he went clockwise and the last guy -just said - "Sir nothing to add - auron ne sub kuch bol diya hai <in Hindi>"

Anyway will still contribute my 2 bits - based on the fact that I have leisurely gone thru so many test drives over the last few months and was a little loathe to drive a Civic ( having driven it quite extensively in USA- friend, cousin - all seem to have a civic/ corolla as first/ second car - where they are like the Esteem/Ikon in India ) I finally did test drive it today - mind you what I drove there was the previous generation Civic.

Other than the dashboard and driving space layout which is brilliant I must say that this Civic has much better build quality than the previous generation (at least US wise),and it is better in terms of handling than the previous one.On the other hand the Corolla here disappointed me with the build quality - as compared to its same gen counterpart in USA.

In comparison with the competition ( not always direct since I test drove the automatic of Civic, Corolla, Sonata Embera but the manual of Optra/Cedia/ ZX Vtec/ Elantra GLS) - Civic and Sonata both felt more solid than the Corolla. In fact so did Optra and Cedia.
In terms of materials, Sonata (if u ignore the wooden inserts on the steering ugh) gave the best impression.

Just to compare the 3 automatics

Acceleration - Sonata followed by Civic followed by Corolla. Sonata definitely more powerful

Ride quality - Sonata/ Civic at par, Corolla just a little behind ( unlike the last gen Civic)
( Rear seat ride quality - Civic was very good, but space wise Sonata feels more spacious, Corolla also very spacious but not so much fun riding in the back seat)
Handling - Civic, Sonata, Corolla ( in that order) ( However I never went beyond 100 kmph so one cannot diff too much)
Braking - Sonata stopped quicker than Civic/ Corolla, Civic kept to the straight line better than Corolla < The best braking btw was in Cedia, really>

And I am doing this keeping in mind that the Corolla ( H2/H3) and Civic here are fully loaded - it is an apple to apple comparison - though I cant recall if the fully loaded civic there had retractable mirrors - I could be wrong


The thing I like most about this Civic is that it is much more driver oriented than the previous generation ( which was a get u from here to there vehicle) it is much more driver friendly

FE wise - I have seen the prev gen Civic return 38-40 miles per gallon ( primarily highway) so it means about 16 kmpl is a distinct possibility on the highway - we might see much greater fuel efficiency than the current mags are reporting on the new cars

In terms of build quality - this test car had done 16 K plus and was still running very well - on the other hand the sonata I drove had 3 k on it and its electical height, seat etc adjuster had fallen off ( not that it matters - just that so much is there on this thread about the 139 km exhaust pipe fallout ) that I thought I should mention this

Personally still divided between Civic and Sonata ( Corolla discarded because the salesman there keeps making appointments and never turns up - if this is pre sales imagine post sales!). The only piss off factor is that the delivery period is 3-4 weeks in which case the new year is just a month away so might as well hold back till after that and so forth.

Of course there is still the Skoda yet to be test driven ( So many cars, so much time ).

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by vikrantw1

Personally still divided between Civic and Sonata ( Corolla discarded because the salesman there keeps making appointments and never turns up - if this is pre sales imagine post sales!). The only piss off factor is that the delivery period is 3-4 weeks in which case the new year is just a month away so might as well hold back till after that and so forth.

Of course there is still the Skoda yet to be test driven ( So many cars, so much time ).

Really nice review there Vikrant quite enjoyed reading it! Hopefully I'll be going through a similar dilemma sometime soon

And BTW just wanted to tell you if you're looking to buy a Civic PM/E-mail me & I can have one arranged for you immediately. No need to wait 3-4 weeks for it, I have enough contacts in Honda!!

[androdev]

i didnt find any 'wow' or comfort after taking the drivers seat. i havent driven it :-) but just tried to feel the driving position and space. I found the civic steering wheel almost in my lap when i took the drivers seat (even after doing all the tilt-steering adjustments), i felt it was cramped. i am just 5'8" avg build. and also felt the front cabin is full of 'dash' (i havent driven any D segment cars though.. i have driven corsa, esteem, ikon, 800).

is it just me or do others also find the driving position cramped in civic?

Will i regret if i buy Octy-II elegance instead (should be drivers car with low TCO for loong term ownership)? No first love for me in civic. (not even 2nd..) but immensely like the new Octavia. I didnt find any material on octavia-II elegance especially owner experiences. i drive opel corsa and i like it a lot (sluggish.. but feels solid and refined).

[jeetu4444]

Well i love the Civic driving position it one of the best...u can adjust the seat aswell may yours was full up...i can drive the Civic whole day..and the driving position is amazing ...complete view of the road and the speedo is out of this world......Its not a car but a spaceship...It glides not rides Bro u have to own it to know it.CIVIC RULES.i can say about civic the whole day.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by androdev

...but just tried to feel the driving position and space. I found the civic steering wheel almost in my lap when i took the drivers seat (even after doing all the tilt-steering adjustments), i felt it was cramped. i am just 5'8" avg build. and also felt the front cabin is full of 'dash' (i havent driven any D segment cars though.. i have driven corsa, esteem, ikon, 800).

is it just me or do others also find the driving position cramped in civic?
...

Civic has telescopic steering (whatever its called) - apart from tilting up or down, you can also push/pull according to your liking. Did you try this?