[ImmortalZ]

Isn't superb engineering any value?

[mkc15]

Originally Posted by mkc15

However, I noticed one thing, a couple of times in 'D' mode (in 5th gear) at around 2500+ rpm, the rpm intermittently goes up by ~500. Is this the VTEC kicking in a little too early? (though I doubt) Is this possible at all?

Today I observed closely during city drive and found the same. At times, in 3rd gear, the rpm shoots a bit without additional throttle. Looks like its the variable length manifold at work. Any thoughts Immortalz?

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by mkc15

Today I observed closely during city drive and found the same. At times, in 3rd gear, the rpm shoots a bit without additional throttle. Looks like its the variable length manifold at work. Any thoughts Immortalz?

The only time RPM changes without throttle input is when the A/C cuts in and out during idle. I've never seen such behavior any other time.

[vasoo]

mkc15, can you provide an update of your experience so far with your Civic?

[mkc15]

Here are some updates after 3800+km and due for 2nd service next week.

FE
Just like other owners have said, it depends a lot on the right foot especially for an AT. I have averaged ~9 kmpl (something like 8.8, 9.3, 9.1) within city. In Bangalore peak hour traffic through main city (Old Airport, HAL, Richmond, Residency, K.H.Road etc), I got 7.6 once, over a distance of about 50kms. I use both D and S mode with extensive use of paddles for engine braking and early shift-up. I dont think I have a heavy foot, I keep it under 3000rpm.

On highways, I have got 15+ twice and 13.5 once. 15+ was during run-in when I didnt drive it like a Civic! 13.5 was from a recent trip to Kanyakumari with almost 70% joshful driving (not exceeding 140kmph) in both S and D modes and remaining with cruise control set b/w 95 - 115.

Cruise-control
Most people seem to think that this is a wasted feature in India. But I dont think so. I find it extremely useful on empty highways to get better mileage especially after ripping it for a while and get decent averages; so you can have the best of both worlds, joshful drive + FE. The way to use it in India is, after engaging the cruise control, don't relax your foot, rest it on the pedal itself. Infact you can keep the pedal depressed so that you fool the reflexes a bit! If you want to slow down, just touch the brakes. (one needs to practice this a bit though).

From my recent trip to Kanyakumari, I had umpteen chances to rev the car and I thoroughly enjoyed it. FE was showing at around 11+ but in the end the avg. was 13.5 with cruise control engaged for the rest of the drive.

Handling
I have read some reviews which say, Civic's handling is sharp but not so exciting. However I find it extremely good. One reason ofcourse could be the quality of roads. Let me see. With 4 adults + 1 kid + luggage filling the boot, no niggles on handling at all. I would attribute this to low hanging body, longer wheelbase and the steering.

GC
I think this is the most misunderstood, rather misinterpreted topic especially for Honda cars. I have so far (3800+km) scraped 4 bumps with 5 people + luggage. 1 in Bangalore due to my mistake(over a huge hump) and the other 3 on highways (under construction); ofcourse they were real massive ones. Isn't this contradicting the fact that face-lifted Civic has stiffened suspension? Yes and no. Here is why.

After/Near Krishnagiri, there is a series of twin humps every 500m on the decent. With full load, I missed the first one and I was surprised to see the car swallow it nicely (I was probably doing 60-70 I guess). I then thought they were small ones, but when I saw the next one, I was quite surprised. This is why I said 'No'. Also, I once went over a huge undulation and I think the rear was almost in flight and landed nicely. Surprisingly, the suspension didn't bottom out, though one of the rear passengers, hit the roof line!

Since the body itself is low and wheelbase being longer, the body will scrape or hit the hump if the hump is a mountain beyond what 170mm of gap b/w the body and the road can take. This is why I said 'Yes'. This is true for any car; since most other cars hang a little high on the suspension, this is not much of a problem. If one has the habit of not slowing down considerably on humps, then Civic is surely not a car they should even look at.

Overall, GC of Civic has been made a real big issue, while it really isn't that much of an issue. As long as one is careful over humps, its fine. Sometimes, it may be difficult to see a hump and slow down, which is when it gets annoying. Also some humps are real massive (not just for Civic, but to most other cars as well).

Another thing is, driving one wheel at a time over massive humps can sometimes result in hump hitting/denting lower side body, so it may be better to drive straight, dead slow and let it scrape the chassis instead.

Performance
All I want to say is, S-mode is where Civic shows its glory. The fun starts right from the start and once you rev towards the red-line, you start feeling the car and that's when you love it real deep. This feeling alone is enough to put a smile on your face, everytime you sit in the car. I sometimes wonder if R18A is this good, how good the K20's could be.

Rattling
After the initial ~900kms, I noticed minor rattling noise from LHS front door, which Whitefield Honda failed to fix. After the service, I noticed some squeaking noise from the rear seat which they fixed to some extent but its still there. Let me see if they can fix these in 2nd service.

Driving position
I find the driver seat and position very good for long drives and not so much for city driving. Though I need to tweak the height and recline for city driving, I sometimes find my Ikon's seating more comfortable here. I'm yet to get an optimal and consistent position for city driving.

[penpavan]

Hi MKC15

Can you provide more details on your experience with honda dealers in Bangalore, I guess you bought your civic from Whitefield honda near Cant Railway stn.
I plan to buy a VMT soon, probably same color as yours - polished metal metallic, please provide details as below
1. Did you try Magnum honda(mekhri circle), Dakshin honda(lavelle road) ?
what was your experience with them ?
2. I want to add rear sproiler alone on VMT and not go for this inspire/elegance package, do you know what that would cost from honda themselves or outside in bangalore ?
3. Have you tried any external accesories dealer in Bangalore for other accesories something similar to what iTNerd has put on his car ?
4. what is your opinion on leather quality in VMT ? do you think a Lakh difference is justified for leather, cruise control, OVRM - i dont need any cruise control and i am stuck undecided whether to buy a SMT/VMT, although i quite like the Door chromes.
5. How has been your service experience with Whitefiled honda ?
6. Do you know when 2010 model is available ?
7. Pricing wise did you see differences in pricing between honda dealers in Bangalore ?
8. Did you put your accesories pack from your Gift vouchers ? can you post some pics of your car with those accesories ?
9. Did you do any tyre upgrades ? did you ask the dealer whether a tyre upgrade is possible straight out of showroom with some difference in cost ? iTNerd is using Micehlin primacy 205/65/R15 and he is quite happy with the ride, i plan to upgrade the same during purchase ?
10. is 2+2 year a standard warranty or was a special only during Oct Fest ?
11. Do you know if honda plans to do similar fest in near future( i heard they do in March/Oct), however last march they hiked all the prices, so donot want to wait for price hike.
12. who is the right person to talk to in whitefield honda cant stn ?
13. Do you know what is the cost honda charges for parking sensors and what is the cost variation with the same outside ?

thanks in advance for all the help and reviews

[pratim]

Originally Posted by mkc15

Today I observed closely during city drive and found the same. At times, in 3rd gear, the rpm shoots a bit without additional throttle. Looks like its the variable length manifold at work. Any thoughts Immortalz?

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

The only time RPM changes without throttle input is when the A/C cuts in and out during idle. I've never seen such behavior any other time.

I have noticed this in my ANHC AT as well. With RPM shooting up, the car also gets a mild surge. I drive in 'S' mode only. I do not remember if it's due to AC cutting in/out though.

-Pratim

[mkc15]

Originally Posted by penpavan

Hi MKC15

Can you provide more details on your experience with honda dealers in Bangalore, I guess you bought your civic from Whitefield honda near Cant Railway stn.
I plan to buy a VMT soon, probably same color as yours - polished metal metallic, please provide details as below
1. Did you try Magnum honda(mekhri circle), Dakshin honda(lavelle road) ?
what was your experience with them ?
Yes. I bought mine from Whitefield, Cant Station. I tried with the other dealers as well. Both were terrible. I then went to Whitefield and I happened to speak to Mrs.Geetha who is the showroom manager and she handled things pretty well. I suggest you speak to Geetha only.
2. I want to add rear sproiler alone on VMT and not go for this inspire/elegance package, do you know what that would cost from honda themselves or outside in bangalore ?
non-Type-R spoiler costs ~18K in Honda showrooms.
3. Have you tried any external accesories dealer in Bangalore for other accesories something similar to what iTNerd has put on his car ?
No mods/add-ons at all for me. I went to Car shringar for sun-films, HSRP and wax.
4. what is your opinion on leather quality in VMT ? do you think a Lakh difference is justified for leather, cruise control, OVRM - i dont need any cruise control and i am stuck undecided whether to buy a SMT/VMT, although i quite like the Door chromes.
Leather quality seems quite good, but real quality will be known after long usage. However, V over S for just Leather alone is not worth it. You can get even better quality Stanley leather on a S. Cruise-control is a nice thing IMO, but again not worth spending a lakh more. If you are planning a long term ownership then get a V.
5. How has been your service experience with Whitefiled honda ?
Service from the 3 dealers in B'lore can at best be good I think. I cant tell you much from just 1 service (that too 1st service), but I can say Whitefield is not bad. Dont expect much from any dealer.
6. Do you know when 2010 model is available ?
No.
7. Pricing wise did you see differences in pricing between honda dealers in Bangalore ?
No. Same to same.
8. Did you put your accesories pack from your Gift vouchers ? can you post some pics of your car with those accesories ?
No. I dropped them, as I had to pay the TDS of 30% of package worth (Rs.55K as per Honda)
9. Did you do any tyre upgrades ? did you ask the dealer whether a tyre upgrade is possible straight out of showroom with some difference in cost ? iTNerd is using Micehlin primacy 205/65/R15 and he is quite happy with the ride, i plan to upgrade the same during purchase ?
I also did think about tyre upgrade to exact same ones, but didnt go for it for warranty reasons. Mine is completely stock. At best you can select the car with Michelin tyres when you go for PDI.
10. is 2+2 year a standard warranty or was a special only during Oct Fest ?
2+2 is standard from Honda since 2008.
11. Do you know if honda plans to do similar fest in near future( i heard they do in March/Oct), however last march they hiked all the prices, so donot want to wait for price hike.
I wish I did :-) But Honda shouldn't be thinking of any price hike in the near future.
12. who is the right person to talk to in whitefield honda cant stn ?
Mrs.Geetha. You can quote my reference. Dont take insurance from them; tell them you will get it from outside. For Bajaj Allianz insurance, you can talk to Mr.Jagadish at [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4] 9902956236. [/SIZE][/FONT]I got mine for 24K.
13. Do you know what is the cost honda charges for parking sensors and what is the cost variation with the same outside ?
Honda parking sensors will be quite pricey. Go for 3-rd party like red-soul/circuit-i etc. Also, Honda ones do not look good, they kind of bulge out of the bumper like a cherry on a cake and its a beeper-only thingy, no LCD screen.


thanks in advance for all the help and reviews

Congrats and good luck. Dont forget T-BHP PDI.

[vasoo]

mkc, which sunfilms did you go for? What about parking sensors? I had asked my dealer to put 3M RE35 films and to install the reverse parking sensor which comes with RVM attachment for the 10k accessories they claim to give free of cost. My car is to be delivered in the first week of March.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by vasoo

mkc, which sunfilms did you go for? What about parking sensors? I had asked my dealer to put 3M RE35 films and to install the reverse parking sensor which comes with RVM attachment for the 10k accessories they claim to give free of cost. My car is to be delivered in the first week of March.

RE35 is one of the best sun films I have ever come across and it does its job very well. Provides good visibility with maximum heat rejection. I have had RE35 on all my cars thus far and would be having it on my Civic as well.

I was undecided on parking sensors but now have decided to do away with them. I am asking for the blue ambient lights instead for the interiors. My car would be arriving in three or four days but I intend getting it registered and taking delivery on 9th March 2010.

Btw, are you not going in for the illuminated side step garnish?

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

RE35 is one of the best sun films I have ever come across and it does its job very well. Provides good visibility with maximum heat rejection. I have had RE35 on all my cars thus far and would be having it on my Civic as well.

I was undecided on parking sensors but now have decided to do away with them. I am asking for the blue ambient lights instead for the interiors. My car would be arriving in three or four days but I intend getting it registered and taking delivery on 9th March 2010.

Btw, are you not going in for the illuminated side step garnish?

Thanks rr_zen. I am not particularly attracted to the ambient lights and side step garnish. I would rather have something of utility value to be fitted by the dealer, especially the ones that may require tweaking with electricals. All bling items can wait .

My car will arrive at the dealer next week, but I need some more time to arrange the finance and related logistics. Taking delivery tentatively on 3rd March.

[vasoo]

Did you opt for some specific registration number for your car? I am told that now it will be very expensive (20k+) if the requested number is not in the running series. I dont need a fancy number, just a specific regular number that I used to have on all our family vehicles. Does anybody has experience in getting this done?

[mkc15]

I said no to parking sensors for 2 reasons (subjective).
- they spoil the looks
- not really useful in the long run

I went for CS35 for rear+sides, CR70 for front. I didnt like RE series for its reflective props. I have some reflective series (it was called Neutral or something by 3M ~5.5 years ago) on my Ikon and I'm quite happy with it. But RE somehow didnt look good on Civic especially for polished metal metallic. I also heard RE series will affect radio/mobile signals. I find CS35 perfect for Civic's glass area; its not too dark not too light (again subjective). I got sun-films done from Car Shringar (near Life style).

No other accessories other than sun-film.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by mkc15

Performance
All I want to say is, S-mode is where Civic shows its glory. The fun starts right from the start and once you rev towards the red-line, you start feeling the car and that's when you love it real deep. This feeling alone is enough to put a smile on your face, everytime you sit in the car. I sometimes wonder if R18A is this good, how good the K20's could be.

I used to be a believer of "Put into S and forget about paddles."

But yesterday, I sorta went nuts going back home after a small meet. Revving right onto the red line, driving the hell outta the car with the windows down.

Glorious.

Better than S mode. The paddles are fun once you start feeling that the ECU's automatic upshifts are cramping your style.

Originally Posted by mkc15

Rattling
After the initial ~900kms, I noticed minor rattling noise from LHS front door, which Whitefield Honda failed to fix. After the service, I noticed some squeaking noise from the rear seat which they fixed to some extent but its still there. Let me see if they can fix these in 2nd service.

Both my door pads vibrate with bass heavy tracks. Otherwise, there are two sources of rattles in my car. The passenger seat headrest and the center storage box. There was a squeak in the driver's seat that they fixed in the last service.

Originally Posted by mkc15

Driving position
I find the driver seat and position very good for long drives and not so much for city driving. Though I need to tweak the height and recline for city driving, I sometimes find my Ikon's seating more comfortable here. I'm yet to get an optimal and consistent position for city driving.

I'm getting used to not seeing nothing but the windshield wipers. I guess it is much more difficult to maneuver in seriously crowded cities.

[mkc15]

Yes, whenever my frustration redlines with B'lore traffic, I'll never miss an opportunity to redline in every gear on an empty stretch (if I find one!). The soft nudge with each up-shift at 4K+ is awesome.

I'm planning to attempt a DIY job of removing the door pads and lining the contacts with double-sided tape or some soft cloth to avoid vibrations/rattling (with bass heavy tracks).