Adya33's review of Honda Civic Manual - Team-BHP

adya33 · 12th July 2006, 18:05

Honda Civic

Today morning I managed to get test drive of Honda Civic.

Interiors

The interiors of the car are well designed and are nicely put together. There is a feel of quality all around. Centre console is very well places & all controls are easily reachable. The AC is controlled by buttons and there are no rotary switches, this might take some getting used to. But the AC is powerful and cools cabin very effectively. Though the central AC vents are places on either side of central console and are far away they still manage not to flow air on driver or passenger.
The gear lever is right where you want it to be, very sporty. Which also means there are lots of cubby holes all around. However having gear lever up front means you can not rest your hand comfortably on central armrest & shift gears. The gear throw is short and smooth which makes it fun to drive. The handbrake lever is right next to gear lever which again might take some time getting used to.
Now the main attraction about this car, the digital speedo meter it is superbly placed in such a way that it does not distract you while driving but are easily readable at the same time. Even better is you can adjust its intensity to suit you. Overall the design is very good and will add to driving pleasure rather than distracting. Overall all controls can be activated by applying very less pressure.
The seats are wide & comfortable, with height adjustment to drivers seat. There is more than sufficient leg space in front while there is sufficient leg space in back. The rear seats are comfortable and have volume & channel control for stereo unfortunately there are no cup holders in central arm rest. With arm rest closed three normal sized adults would fit in comfortably. The flat floor in the rear will be of great help to the person seating in middle.
Visibility is good but when taking sharp turns the A-pillar becomes distracting, so you have to rely on side window.
The boot is big though not huge and will be sufficient for two full size bogs with one small bag.

Exteriors
Looks wise, it is a smart looking car. The lines flow smoothly giving it a certain character. The wipers clean glass where you want them to clean windshield, the upper middle portion right behind rear view mirror is not cleaned but all the edges are nicely cleaned giving you better visibility.

The engine is the best part of the car, and is very rev-happy. I could not rev till red line as there was some traffic on road but even at 4000 RPM engine was eager to go the distance. Mated with its smooth gearbox is one great combination.
On ride department it has same problem what Accord has, bumpy ride at slow speed. Though I experience no body roll at the speeds of about 75kph.
The steering wheel is perfectly balanced & is sporty. Not to mention it is 4 way adjustable.

Verdict : This is possibly the most awaited car in Indian market & rightfully so. It lives up to expectations very well. Another great car from Honda.

Ford Rocam · 12th July 2006, 20:46

A very good review from you adya, but how do you compare it to th A/T variant as posted by Busa?

adya33 · 12th July 2006, 20:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford Rocam

A very good review from you adya, but how do you compare it to th A/T variant as posted by Busa?

Haven't driven Auto version yet, so no comments

bhav · 14th July 2006, 15:00

I test drove a Civic Manual in Bombay last weekend. Fairly disappointing overall.

1. Engine de-tuned from 160BHP+ abroad to 132BHP for India. As usual this destroys the free-revving character of the car - I am surprised you had a different opinion on this. Honda should have limited this de-tuning to the City (where even the VTEC experience has been wrecked for mileage's sake), but the Civic actually carries it forward.

2. The speedometer in digital looks good, but after a while I felt the ever changing speed number was actually distracting. On Indian roads, you can expect the screen to be continually in motion !!

3. Agree with you on the gear lever position. Elbow rest on left is not well used due to the forward placement and I suspect the continuous desire to use the rest while changing gears can get tiresome

4. Rear leg room is noticeably inferior to a Corolla and I suspect quite close to a Skoda Octavia - not enough basically.

5. Boot is flat and not bigger than a Chonda City. Quality of plastics could have been better.

Bottomline: Corolla still rules for the driver driven. For those who drive their cars themselves, Octy RS smokes Civic anyday....

6. Manual does not have leather trims I think - only fabric trims on that one.

car_crazy · 14th July 2006, 15:33

nice review adya 33 but what is your opinion with respect to other cars in thi segment especially with toyota corolla. after reading busa's review of the AT version, i feel that honda is asking for a BIG premium for its brand name.

cheers

cAr cRaZy

satish_appasani · 14th July 2006, 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhav

1. Engine de-tuned from 160BHP+ abroad to 132BHP for India. As usual this destroys the free-revving character of the car - I am surprised you had a different opinion on this. Honda should have limited this de-tuning to the City (where even the VTEC experience has been wrecked for mileage's sake), but the Civic actually carries it forward.

I don't think manufacturers detune Indian cars for the sake of mileage. They do it to make the engine more tolerant to our adulterated fuel.

amit · 17th July 2006, 10:50

Quote:

Engine de-tuned from 160BHP+ abroad to 132BHP for India

The engine has been de-tuned from 140 to 132Bhp. Thats not bad. Octavia's 1.8T engine still is the most detuned in India. I guess for mileage.

Boom Shiva · 17th July 2006, 11:11

What is the build quality like? Did the muffler fall off during the test drive (a la Busa)?

ST7677 · 17th July 2006, 15:04

Was wondering, why a separate thread on CIvic review...? May be it was due to pre-timely closure of Busa's review, but as now it is open mods can merge these threads...

My personal opinion is that Civic is much ahead of Corolla, in every aspect, and isn't it obvious, as it is time for new corolla to be launched soon. Moreover Civic has been designed to one up on corolla on each and every factor. So will the new corolla be...
But till then Civic rules...

This has been endorsed by Autocar editor, who has clearly stated that between current Corolla and current Civic there is no decision doubt, it is clearly and only the Civic...

Corolla owners can scream otherwise but that is the truth...

I am in market for new car and have finely evaluated Corolla / Octavia and Civic for my purchase - Corolla was out early, and it was a close call between Octavia and Civic - finally I would go with Civic.

Rear seat space between Civic and Octavia cannot be compared, that is one of the strengths of Civic with 2700 wheel based, where as it is biggest weakness of Octavia... request others to please sit and verify yourself .

Watch out for a detailed comparison report by Autocar on Sunday 10:30am CNBC, but not sure which Sunday...

TCX · 17th July 2006, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I don't think manufacturers detune Indian cars for the sake of mileage. They do it to make the engine more tolerant to our adulterated fuel.

Absolutely, the cars here cannot take advantage of the high compression ratios as a result of our poor octaned and adulterated fuel. Hence producing marginally lower power. Infact, except for cars in the below 7 lakh category the attention given to fuel economy is very low. It's one of their last priorities. They pay maximum attention to ride quality, finish and so on.

Off topic here but, the Toyotas in India don't seem to have the finish as their cars abroad-interior wise. Infact, that is one of their strengths that attract those volumes of sales. And so you'd still find a corolla or a camry selling more than a civic or an accord. Don't mistake me though, I'm a serious Honda fan.

snoopy41 · 4th October 2006, 15:15

Why are there complaints about Honda Civic,,the mere fact that Toyota came out with the stripped down variant of the Corolla at a price of 8.38 lakhs(ex showroom ) mumbai before the first owners got delivery of their CIVIC and the fact that production is being ramped to accomodate huge demand for the CIVIC says enough for the car

12th July 2006, 18:05	#1 (permalink)
adya33 Team-BHP Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 1,968	Adya33's review of Honda Civic Manual Honda Civic Today morning I managed to get test drive of Honda Civic. Interiors The interiors of the car are well designed and are nicely put together. There is a feel of quality all around. Centre console is very well places & all controls are easily reachable. The AC is controlled by buttons and there are no rotary switches, this might take some getting used to. But the AC is powerful and cools cabin very effectively. Though the central AC vents are places on either side of central console and are far away they still manage not to flow air on driver or passenger. The gear lever is right where you want it to be, very sporty. Which also means there are lots of cubby holes all around. However having gear lever up front means you can not rest your hand comfortably on central armrest & shift gears. The gear throw is short and smooth which makes it fun to drive. The handbrake lever is right next to gear lever which again might take some time getting used to. Now the main attraction about this car, the digital speedo meter it is superbly placed in such a way that it does not distract you while driving but are easily readable at the same time. Even better is you can adjust its intensity to suit you. Overall the design is very good and will add to driving pleasure rather than distracting. Overall all controls can be activated by applying very less pressure. The seats are wide & comfortable, with height adjustment to drivers seat. There is more than sufficient leg space in front while there is sufficient leg space in back. The rear seats are comfortable and have volume & channel control for stereo unfortunately there are no cup holders in central arm rest. With arm rest closed three normal sized adults would fit in comfortably. The flat floor in the rear will be of great help to the person seating in middle. Visibility is good but when taking sharp turns the A-pillar becomes distracting, so you have to rely on side window. The boot is big though not huge and will be sufficient for two full size bogs with one small bag. Exteriors Looks wise, it is a smart looking car. The lines flow smoothly giving it a certain character. The wipers clean glass where you want them to clean windshield, the upper middle portion right behind rear view mirror is not cleaned but all the edges are nicely cleaned giving you better visibility. The engine is the best part of the car, and is very rev-happy. I could not rev till red line as there was some traffic on road but even at 4000 RPM engine was eager to go the distance. Mated with its smooth gearbox is one great combination. On ride department it has same problem what Accord has, bumpy ride at slow speed. Though I experience no body roll at the speeds of about 75kph. The steering wheel is perfectly balanced & is sporty. Not to mention it is 4 way adjustable. Verdict : This is possibly the most awaited car in Indian market & rightfully so. It lives up to expectations very well. Another great car from Honda.

12th July 2006, 20:46	#2 (permalink)
Ford Rocam Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai-India Posts: 905 View My Garage	A very good review from you adya, but how do you compare it to th A/T variant as posted by Busa? __________________ Cheap and reliable wont be fast, cheap and fast wont be reliable, reliable and fast wont be cheap.

17th July 2006, 15:04	#9 (permalink)
ST7677 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 659	Was wondering, why a separate thread on CIvic review...? May be it was due to pre-timely closure of Busa's review, but as now it is open mods can merge these threads... My personal opinion is that Civic is much ahead of Corolla, in every aspect, and isn't it obvious, as it is time for new corolla to be launched soon. Moreover Civic has been designed to one up on corolla on each and every factor. So will the new corolla be... But till then Civic rules... This has been endorsed by Autocar editor, who has clearly stated that between current Corolla and current Civic there is no decision doubt, it is clearly and only the Civic... Corolla owners can scream otherwise but that is the truth... I am in market for new car and have finely evaluated Corolla / Octavia and Civic for my purchase - Corolla was out early, and it was a close call between Octavia and Civic - finally I would go with Civic. Rear seat space between Civic and Octavia cannot be compared, that is one of the strengths of Civic with 2700 wheel based, where as it is biggest weakness of Octavia... request others to please sit and verify yourself . Watch out for a detailed comparison report by Autocar on Sunday 10:30am CNBC, but not sure which Sunday... Last edited by ST7677 : 17th July 2006 at 15:07.

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14th July 2006, 15:00	#4 (permalink)
bhav Newbie Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3	I test drove a Civic Manual in Bombay last weekend. Fairly disappointing overall. 1. Engine de-tuned from 160BHP+ abroad to 132BHP for India. As usual this destroys the free-revving character of the car - I am surprised you had a different opinion on this. Honda should have limited this de-tuning to the City (where even the VTEC experience has been wrecked for mileage's sake), but the Civic actually carries it forward. 2. The speedometer in digital looks good, but after a while I felt the ever changing speed number was actually distracting. On Indian roads, you can expect the screen to be continually in motion !! 3. Agree with you on the gear lever position. Elbow rest on left is not well used due to the forward placement and I suspect the continuous desire to use the rest while changing gears can get tiresome 4. Rear leg room is noticeably inferior to a Corolla and I suspect quite close to a Skoda Octavia - not enough basically. 5. Boot is flat and not bigger than a Chonda City. Quality of plastics could have been better. Bottomline: Corolla still rules for the driver driven. For those who drive their cars themselves, Octy RS smokes Civic anyday.... 6. Manual does not have leather trims I think - only fabric trims on that one.

14th July 2006, 15:33	#5 (permalink)
car_crazy Newbie Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: new delhi Posts: 2	nice review adya 33 but what is your opinion with respect to other cars in thi segment especially with toyota corolla. after reading busa's review of the AT version, i feel that honda is asking for a BIG premium for its brand name. cheers cAr cRaZy

17th July 2006, 11:11	#8 (permalink)
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,078	What is the build quality like? Did the muffler fall off during the test drive (a la Busa)?

4th October 2006, 15:15	#11 (permalink)
snoopy41 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 57	Why are there complaints about Honda Civic,,the mere fact that Toyota came out with the stripped down variant of the Corolla at a price of 8.38 lakhs(ex showroom ) mumbai before the first owners got delivery of their CIVIC and the fact that production is being ramped to accomodate huge demand for the CIVIC says enough for the car