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

[headers]

great writeup BUSA, Am now not thrilled to even take a test drive..thanks for the ROAD TEST..

cheers

[speedofreak]

now this seems real sad.....i expected HONDA to get better with Civic ....will take a test ride coming weekend..........

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Do you remember me commenting about the Civic before it launched? I'd always believed except the looks Civic atleast wont be better than Corolla, Elantra and Optra.

If I remember right, you were the die-hard Hyundai fan eagerly awaiting the Civic.
Anyway, coming to whether the Civic is better or not, all we have here is a review by a fellow tbhp-ian like any one of us (with inherent bias towards cars we own/admire, amateur car reviewing skills etc etc). But the way, some guys are already penning the Civic's obituary, it would seem like some premier auto magazine or TV show has tested/reviewed the Civic.
I appreciate the effort taken by the reviewer in getting there first, but that is all there is to it. A review of a new car, should have more of the car in question, not the car the reviewer owns or appreciates. If I were in the market for a 12L car, I would trust professional opinion and my own knowledge/skills rather than going by coloured opinion and saying, "Oh, my God, all my dreams about the Civic are dashed. I did not think even in my wildest dreams that it would be this bad, etc etc".

Originally Posted by speedbuster

hell, its just one day since the civic was launched, and anti-honda ppl are already getting jitters

Nice one, @speed. The jitters are not without reason because whether you love them or hate them, everyone knows the effect a Honda offering can do to the competition. An existing best-seller is already giving it a final try by advertising attractive lease-type offers. A barely few months old entrant, was anyway not in contention, and the Civic will take care of striking the final nail on its coffin. And for the remaining C+ segment (and D segment wannabe), the Civic will complete the decimation that its own sibling(s) started.
What will remain is a popular diesel variant, but then diesels are another story altogether in India.

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

If I remember right, you were the die-hard Hyundai fan eagerly awaiting the Civic.
her in India.

Oh! no I'm not at all a die hard hyundai fan. I just own one of their products and yes well and truly satisfied by it. In fact I've seen the Civic test driven by Autocar as well as in some other sites and the same exact problems were mentioned there too. But inspite of these problems those stunning looks will make it a best seller and I may even buy one if my finances will come to that level. But a purchase will be done only after the new corolla and elantra gets launched.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Oh! no I'm not at all a die hard hyundai fan. I just own one of their products and yes well and truly satisfied by it.

That itself is reason enough for being a fan and there is nothing wrong about it. All the fans that we see on this forum (of any car or manufacturer whatsoever) would be the result of having a nice experience with the product and that is good. What is wrong though, is thinking that our car is the best of all and the right fit for all requirements, which is not possible because there is no car that satisfies all the requirements expected from a car, in the highest possible way. Also, rubbishing the other products just because we do not own them and without having real experience with those products is again wrong.
A test drive is a very limited first opinion - it does not tell the whole story. Years of using the product does. That's why I take reviews with a pinch of salt.

Originally Posted by adarsh76

But inspite of these problems those stunning looks will make it a best seller and I may even buy one if my finances will come to that level. But a purchase will be done only after the new corolla and elantra gets launched.

Cool. So you are in the market for one. Nice to keep your options open and get the one that suits your needs best. Do keep us posted with your search details.

[sandeep108]

I think ST is quite right. Since 6 months I have been looking to buy car in this range to replace my OHC (used it for 8 years and still going great) and will be one of my main reasons, alongwith great dealership experience, to change it with another honda. Budget and for family...civic seems to make sense. Engine power, etc. not so important for India, look at success of NHC vs. OHC.

Optra - not really considered, cannot put up with National Garage, sat in the rear loud suspension noises, too long a car.

Skoda, yes rider/rs is nice, but how many are selling? 3% of all skoda sales? 5%? Only skoda diesels for economy by people who drive long distance. Mileage admitted by dealer is 5-6. Lots of noise, rattles and quite terrible interior. Horror stories of maintenance cost and terrible dealers from quite a few friends.

Corolla - and make no mistake, honda have absolutely benched civic against this car, right down to price, features, etc. for India. Hmmm... this is a tough one. Build quality is just so so in Corolla, (I drove a relative's AT for more than a week) but then why is it so popular? Real bad rear suspension, bottoming out front suspension, harsh sounding engine, rattles, noises also bad noisy brakes. I know toyota dealer well also
and corolla remains a great second choice. That limited edition is complete rip-off and dealer not interested in any follow up at all. But I expect they will launch updated model in 6-9 months time to better the civic.


Cedia - not really considered for various reasons.

Civic - I drove it yesterday and was reasonably impressed by it. Though I have really enjoyed my manual OHC, I intend to opt for the AT Civic, after a couple of more looks/drives. There is some lag, but on upshift one has to lift up a bit on the throttle when using the paddle shifters to help a quick shift. The grade logic worked well and this 3 mode AT gives me full flexibility to suit my driving mood. My wife liked the rear seat and ride quality (and she has sat in rear seats of corolla, OHC, NHC, skoda, swift) and overall look and feel of the car. Most important, in all these years honda dealer never 'found' any thing not wrong with my OHC and on a couple of occasions found something that I had overlooked.

The downside of civic is terrible fabric upholstery/door trim - impossible to maintain I think and while leather will cost a bomb at dealer, one can always fit them later. Fog lamps never used in another car I have in Mumbai - not really important. Lumbar support? OHC had great seats and the civics are also as good if not better - and I do have a bad back. Even in AT, I believe mileage of 8-9 in city and 14-16 on highway easily possible.

[ST7677]

Opposite wipers not good... You decide...
(the URL below has an image showing screen coverage with these new wipers)

http://asia.vtec.net/Reviews/8GCivicLaunch/index.html

"...Other thoughtful features which affects the driver/passengers would be the new design wiper blades. These are mounted in a unique extreme left-extreme right hinged layout, with the two wipers of almost equal length and sweeping from an overlapped middle resting position out to both extremes of the front windscreen. This new layout has a very much superior cleaning pattern as the only part of the windscreen not cleared of rain would be a roughly triangle piece located at the top center of the windscreen, an area which is probably never used and from inside the car, is blocked by the rear-view mirror anyway ! So this new Civic will give superior visibility in the rain, due to the new wiper design. The wiper blades themselves are the new design that is being adopted in many JDM Hondas. They are the thin aerodynamic types that reduces wind-noise especially in use when cruising at high speeds..."

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Opposite wipers not good... You decide...
(the URL below has an image showing screen coverage with these new wipers)

http://asia.vtec.net/Reviews/8GCivicLaunch/index.html

"...Other thoughtful features which affects the driver/passengers would be the new design wiper blades. .."

First pioneered in the w118 mercs!

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by ajmat

First pioneered in the w118 mercs!

OK, but should we forget this car?



Although the wipers were not exactly "mounted in a unique extreme left-extreme right hinged layout", those were almost...
and it is not- "the only part of the windscreen not cleared of rain would be a roughly triangle piece located at the top center of the windscreen" -, but the middle of the screen...

Totally OT...so leave it.

[redcandle]

Hey Friends,

I know I have got nothin to support what I am about say about the New Honda Civic's build quality, but its your decision whether to trust me on this or not!

My friend is currently doing work experience in the Noida plant for Honda. He works near the raw materials supply to the assembly line. He told me that the production of the New Civic started month(s) before July 4th and the first batch consisted of 150 cars. These cars were stored within the premises of the plant but out in open.

The sad part now: It rained heavily in the second half of June and guess what, the roofs of all 150 Civics was damaged. Damaged to the extent that they had to scrap the batch off the delivery list (i think, they might repair the roofs and send them out again, as they cant write off the cars just because of minor damage).

Bear in mind, I am NOT sayin that the roofs were heavily damaged and they came down 1ft into the car. What I mean is that the damage was minimal but the point I am trying to send across is that - CAN A BIT OF HEAVY RAIN DAMAGE (OR LEAVE MARKS) ON A HONDA (or any car for that matter).

Some of you might rubbish what I am telling you. But the friend I am talking about is my best friend and is not a sort of person who would lie to me. I asked him if he could get any pictures (camera/mobile) for me to prove this, to which he tried but failed as the cameras/phones are only allowed till the raw materials section.

I was highly anticipating this car and it was most probably my next car (I was due to return to India in September) but when my friend told me about this fact regarding its build quality, I stopped waiting for July 4th. And after reading BUSA's review of the car my doubts have been bolstered.

Since I dont have any pictures to prove it, all I can say is believe me if you want or ask someone you know in Honda factory.


Thanks
redcandle

Originally Posted by [B

ST7677[/b]
Opposite wipers not good... You decide...

I second that.......

To completely understand the working/TYPEs of wipers follow this superb link.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/wiper2.htm

Try to read the previous (page 1) and next (page 3) of the article as well.

Thanks
redcandle

[navin]

Just a word of caution.

Please read any review with a teaspoon of salt. It is the opinion of the reviewer (and he/she is entitled to one).

Like always try before you buy. Drive the Civic/Corolla/Optra/Octavia yourself. Choose the car that best suits your needs.

[pow3r2dawh33ls]

Call me oldfashioned, but as much as the interiors look sleek and beautiful, the exteriors of this car look frail, plasticky and plain ugly!

[pole_position]

Well I know it may sound silly but I am still going to drop the cheque tomoro after Test Drive.. Yes I am all for Auto trans as I know how well my 1998 City [MT] is to my cuzz 2005 City [AT] in traffic situation. May be Toyota are on for the upgraded Corolla... I dont care I am all for Honda.

[ST7677]

Please read any review with a teaspoon of salt.

Well, there is heavy rain so a tea spoon may not be enough...
Take is with a sack of salt...

[Psycho]

Originally Posted by navin

Just a word of caution.

Please read any review with a teaspoon of salt. It is the opinion of the reviewer (and he/she is entitled to one).

Like always try before you buy. Drive the Civic/Corolla/Optra/Octavia yourself. Choose the car that best suits your needs.

Well said there Navin it is one's comfort level of a vehicle that helps make the final decision, so please go out there armed with others views and create your own post a test drive.