Re: Scoop: Honda Civic spotted testing in India! Edit: Launched @ 17.69 lakhs Had a nearly 90-minute long TD with the Civic yesterday, with a most helpful Sales Team (Sainath and Rehan) from Arya Honda. TL;DR version - While the car is great, it just did not seem like a ~25 Lac car. Especially compared to the Octavia, I just didn't feel that maturity of presence that a car in this segment should have. Likes -
1. Driver seat position and the cockpit. Absolutely spot on and a delight to sit in.
2. Low-end power. This was much more linear and smooth than the "caged-tiger" feel that the Octy gives you, the wife especially liked it better. Towards the mid however you miss the sheer power on tap compared to the Octavia. Didn't get to test the top end, of course! No comments on the handling either due to the low speeds we drove at.
3. Cabin feels much more modern, one can feel the "new-ness" in the design, and the waterfall that continues right up to the rear seats just gives a great feeling.
4. Build. Not comparing the build quality with the Octy here (different league entirely), but compared to the City which was my previous ride, the build feels much more solid with very little to no 'give' when you press the door sheet metal from the outside. Paint quality and fit and finish is absolutely top notch.
5. The Looks. The profile is absolutely gorgeous to look at, the coupé-like silhouette reeks of class and speed. Frankly it looks faster than it feels, IYKWIM.
6. Ride quality, especially at the back. Very settled, not too much of the road flaws bring transmitted inside to the passengers, no undue sideways or up-down movement while passing patches of broken/uneven roads. The 5'10" passenger sitting in the middle was also comfortable - interestingly, when he got in he complained about the headroom and feared that he might hit his head on to the roof if we were to hit a pothole. But despite numerous potholes, under-repair streets and two (missed) speedbreakers taken at speed, not once did his head touch the roof. Most importantly, my daughter who's unfortunately very sensitive to car sickness, didn't even once complain of feeling uncomfortable despite some spirited driving and frequent braking. I'm pretty sure the ride quality will, if anything, only improve at higher speeds so long highway rides should be totally fatigue-free, even with 4+1 in the car.
7. Ground Clearance. I deliberately took the TD car onto roads near the NNP in Malad, where they compete with the BBMP (Bengaluru) in building mountainous speed-humps. Reason was, this patch was dreaded in our City, and we used to have to nurse her along each monstrous hump. In the Civic, though, no hassles at all. Even with 4 adults and a 12 year old child in the car, we didn't scrape the underbody even once. One of those humps we missed due to the severe light reflection from the dashboard (more on this in the dislikes) , and ended up crossing it at about 40kmph - even then, no scraping, and minimal discomfort inside. Interesting to see Honda hasn't put out a number (mm) of the GC, at least I couldn't find it anywhere. The Sales guy claimed 180mm which I find very hard to believe.
8. Audio quality. Just like the one in the City, this has to be one of the best OEM sound systems around, definitely comparable to the one we tested in the Octavia (not the L&K Canton, the normal one in TSI Style). I have always been too poor to be an audiophile so I'm sure the Gurus will have their own take on this, but it sounded really sweet to me. Tested everything from (explicit) R&B to Indian classical, and it came out with flying colours.
9. Feature list. The Civic (even the VX) comes with a pretty exhaustive feature list, it's got practically everything one could ask for. I only missed the front sensors from the Octy, which Honda is prepared to offer as a loyalty bonus anyway. Frankly the "lane-view camera" and "start your car remotely" look like gimmicks to me, don't see myself using either of them pretty much. But useful things like ability to close the windows from the key fob remote, pinch-free one-touch windows on all four, and customisable TFT HUD were really appreciated. Also the AC is a total chiller, and dual zone climate control is really nice. Dislikes -
1. Front passenger seat. This is the real "Achilles' Heel" the new Civic. All of us in my family are relatively short people, with me being "tallest" at 5'6". Yet in spite of this, I found that I was sitting in a more or less "knees-up" position while in the front passenger seat. There was no under-thigh support unless I rolled the seat back somewhat, and stretched my legs out. A height-adjustable seat was an absolute must here, and a big miss from Honda. Not sure why even a manual adjustment couldn't have been given here. The seating is lower than a City even, which too would have been ok if only there was a height-adjustment available.
2. Power/Acceleration. I understand that this is perhaps a result of my TDs with the Octavia, and that it is unfair to compare that Monster-Tiger with this Very Tame Pooch. Yet I did feel the car a little underpowered, especially past the 60kmph mark. I also realise that I have driven exclusively manual transmission cars for last 20 years (latest was the fabulously-exciting-to-drive Honda City SMT) - and as a result am unable to draw performance from the CVT. Will wait for the (elusive) official review on TBHP for the Gurus to weigh in on this.
3. Flimsy-ness. While to me, the car seemed very solid in build quality, I am comparing it to the City, which is not really a very high standard in robust build quality. For some reason, everything in the Civic seems to have this flimsy quality - not that anything is likely to imminently break or fall apart, but it just didn't seem as well-put-together as the Octavia (especially considering it is at the exact same price point)! In the words of my wife - "The Octavia seems like a rich man's car. This one seems like just an updated version of our City. But yes, this also feels like home!"
4. Dashboard Reflection on the windshield. This was a perpetual problem in the City, and it very much exists in the Civic. They should really start giving out a pair of polarizing sunglasses for free with every Honda sold.
5. Transmission Tunnel! (Believe it or not.) I'm not sure if it's the transmission or something else, but the central hump on the floor in the Civic is absolutely un-Honda-like, and is most unwelcome. 5th adult passenger sitting in the middle will be uncomfortable within seconds. It's almost like the Civic looked at the Octavia and cried "What's she got that I ain't got????" and the engineers at Honda thought "The Hump"! ����
For some reason, it feels really wierd that I would get so much more-car-per-rupee-spent with the Octavia, rather than in the Civic. Never thought I would feel a Skoda to be more "VFM" than a Honda, ceteris paribus.
But of course there is the factor of Skoda after-sales and the "Dreaded-DSG" vs the bullet-proof reliability of Honda to be considered. I have been spoiled by the "fill it-shut it-forget it" Honda City experience for last 7 years, and am not really sure I'm up to educating myself yet again on DIY OBD port codes and gearbox machinations and negotiations with stingy Skoda showroom seniors.
All in all, the dilemma still stands, but the one thing this Test Drive definitely did, was to throw the Corolla right out of the race! Sorry Toyota!
Cheers,
R_S |