[sarathlal]

This one particular car truly deserves an extensive test drive before potential buyers takes the final decision. There are so many theoretical points in here, that could sway either way once you are behind the wheels. Particularly on the CVT part.

Some will love it, and some might hate. Same with the car's ergonomics and driver's comfort factors.

I feel, it will be a mistake if decision(positive or negative) is made without the test drive.

[tarik.arora]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

This one particular car truly deserves an extensive test drive before potential buyers takes the final decision. There are so many theoretical points in here, that could sway either way once you are behind the wheels. Particularly on the CVT part.
Some will love it, and some might hate. Same with the car's ergonomics and driver's comfort factors.
I feel, it will be a mistake if decision(positive or negative) is made without the test drive.

I think this is true for any and every car. No size fits all.

Even if buying a humble alto, it is always advisable to take a good long test drive to check if the car suits your peculiar requirement.

[RJ2285]

Test drove the ZX CVT petrol at Arya Honda, Prabhadevi. At first glance, the civic looks very stylish. Definitely, going to turn heads on the road. Took it for a short spin. At city speeds, with a light foot, the civic drives like a dream. I did not get a chance to floor the pedal on an open stretch as i was told by the SA that it can only be a short drive as the car has launched on the 7th and that there were too many people waiting for a test drive. To my surprise i did not see any customer waiting when i stepped in.

Back to the car, i was glad that the engine did not feel underpowered at any point. This car definitely gives you that premium feel of a D-segment car. After spending time in and around the car, i feel Elantra and the Altis cannot be compared to the Civic and Octavia even though the Elantra is more powerful on paper.

As an overall package, i would definitely want to own a stylish/classy car like the civic once in my lifetime. I am a big big fan of Octavia's explosive TSi, but if one wants peace of mind for 5-7 years, Civic is definitely an excellent option.

[mayjay]

Originally Posted by vipul_singh

So many posts regarding the 'rubber band effect'. Isn't the rubber band effect due to the engine being able to switch to the most suitable power band based on the power demanded by the driver, regardless of the road speed?

Well yes, technically the CVT offers infinite ratios so that you are in the right rpm range all the time. However, the rubber band effect refers to the lag between pressing the accelerator and the power to the wheels. Largely this is due to the belt in the CVT and associated friction losses. This feeling of disconnectedness is what gives enthusiasts grief!

[Naman_Ferrari]

Took a test-drive of the petrol Civic ZX this morning. I have been waiting for this car for years. Have always been a Civic fan.

Loved the looks, the interiors (with all the leather) have a very premium feel. Features are all there. The lane watch-camera is not a gimmick (really liked it). The engine as always is butter smooth (better than my petrol Mercedes).

There is only one thing that I did not like about the car, which is unfortunately the most important factor for me and that is performance. The car is not slow but it is not fast either. Handling is superb but I cannot justify spending 27 lack OTR Bangalore for the performance it offers.

The car will have a lot of takers, it has a lot going for it. But in my opinion, it is not the performance sedan it used to be!

My father agreed to buy me the new one but it's not the car for me. Don't want to buy the Octavia for various reasons. Thoughts on getting a nice used MT Civic anyone? (I'm sure my dad will be very happy if I get that )

[extreme_torque]

Woah! 27 lakhs for a diesel Civic is way too much. Thats horrendous pricing even compared to Australian pricing which is considered expensive compared to the rest of the world. The top end Civic with the Honda iSense is relatively cheap $34k here or 17 lakhs INR on road! And this is with the sweet 1.5 liter petrol turbo motor.

[teknicsand]

We own a 2008 Civic S/MT which costed 15L OTR in Bangalore. I know the prices have gone up over the years, but I don't see how this would be a significant upgrade to the old one given the price difference. The engine output is more or less the same, suspension I suspect will be a little better, higher GC is a plus and then of course the electronics that come with today's cars.

But despite all this, the old one had a timeless design and an interior that stood out from everything else in the market. I have to say, even today, the old Civic does not look dated.

What Civic has in it's favor is brand value and reliability. In 10 years of ownership, we've not had a single major issue and it's still a pleasure to drive particularly on twisting roads. The same can't be said about Skoda cars I suppose.

[urajkumar]

I am currently in the lookout for a car in this segment and was confused between compass vs tuscon but civic has left me totally confused. While being a tall guy I wanted a suv to walk into comfortably, civic seems to be a compelling alternative - my only 2 grouses being low seating which I am going to check out next week and lack of black color - now I have seen the civic in dark blue aboard and it looks wicked with the LED headlamp and the brown just does not look the same. Honda must remember the previous gen white and black were quite in demand.

Hope someone from Honda is reading these forums 😁

[varsin]

Like many folks in this forum, I've been tracking updates about the new Civic religiously, often visiting this thread multiple times in a day. I currently drive the Creta (SX) and am really happy with it. But the Civic is one car that I've always aspired for.

Yes, I was hoping that Honda would bring the 1.5 turbo or could have priced the current 1.8L lower, and there's bit of a disappointment on both fronts.

But there's no other car with the looks that the Civic has got. I'm buying the car precisely for that and the security that comes with the Honda badge.

Went to test drive the new Civic (Ring Road Honda, Dwarka) with the family today. My kids just loved the car in red, and my wife (not a regular driver) was eager to take the driving seat!

We booked the VX-CVT variant with a tentative delivery date of March 19. Booking amount - 51k, total on road cost 22.7 L.I

[Carpainter]

Being a Civic fan I was keenly following this thread. The pricing is neither disappointing nor encouraging. More so because the gaps in between variants are huge. V and VX petrol has a difference of 1.5L. While the difference in features are mainly power seat adjustment, leather seats and a better infotainment system. ZX is 1.8L dearer than VX. Missing a manual petrol is a big disappointment to me personally but I'll have to take a test drive to come to a judgement on that. These days more and more people are opting for automatics, so it's a logical decision from Honda but manual could have been offered as an option till VX variant. It would have made the starting price more lucrative. Overall I think the market has a mixed response to the new Civic and so do I. It's not an impractical car but nothing to pounce on either.


P.S. Civic (430Ltr) has a smaller boot than City (510Ltr)

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by varsin

We booked the VX-CVT variant with a tentative delivery date of March 19. Booking amount - 51k, total on road cost 22.7 L.I

Eagerly waiting for your review of the VXCVT. Here in Cochin it is 23L OTR. I also think that VX is the most VFM model. The sad part is that Honda has skimped on 2 curtain airbags in this model. It is criminal now a days not to have atleast 6 airbags in any car in the D segment.

will be checking out the car tomorrow

[ajmat]

A friend of mine had consulted me on the Civic. His observations and conclusions are as below

I test drove Civic. It’s a looker, drives very well till say 60kmph and as the pace picks up and you rightly said has the gearbox as a spoiler. CVT lag was very pronounced and I felt it was tuned for largely in City driving and efficiency. The instrumentation cluster was good not great. There was hardly any headroom in my driving position. I am 5’11. I felt the seats are very low for passengers. My friend commented that rear suspension was brilliant over bumps.

All in all I felt it’s a good car but Octavia 1.8 TSI which I test drove couple of days ago was superior in every aspect. I am actually planning to pick up 1.8 TSI Style version which is a lac cheaper and will atleast make me happy as a driver.

Thanks again for your precise observations.

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by ajmat

A friend of mine had consulted me on the Civic. His observations and conclusions are as below

I hope his observations are correct
Pricing of the Civic has made the Octavia Style pricing to be value for money
Unfortunately there are no style 1.8 TSI reviews on team bhp or youtube.

As mentioned earlier D segment is a difficult to sell segment. People who buy D segment cars are infact people who are comfortable with C+ segment financially, but who would like to stretch a bit for "more car", be it space, luxury features and of course performance. The other group that would buy the D segment cars would be those who get company lease, but budget is limited. I think if some one can afford Germans and their maintenance, they would definitely be going for the Germans.

I belong to the first category. I can stretch a bit, may be 6-8 lacs above C+ but would not be comfortable with "skoda maintenance". Civic VX CVT filts the bill perfectly. It would on anyday be more better to drive than a bouncy buzzy Creta automatic, at the same time be as affordable as Hyundai or Nexa service. I just paid 11k for 60000km service for the 1.3 S cross from NEXA service. So servicing these C-C+D even from Maruti is not cheap as many think. If I had unlimited budget I would not be looking at the lower D range at all.

[M00M]

I test drove the 1.8 ZX CVT yesterday. Initial thoughts about the car is that it is peppy, turns into corners with ease and is fun to drive . However the biggest grouse I had was that there was this drumming noise from the front suspension even though the roads were quite smooth pothole free. I think even Hormazd Sorabjee has pointed it out in his review.

Fit and finish is good, car is low, typical civic trait, but comfort is good, and car is fun to drive. It has everything I think anybody would need and want in a D segment car. Definitely better than the current corolla altis and I love the rear styling of the civic.

[sandygordon]

Went to see the car in the showroom at Cochin - Vision Honda
Could not do a TD as It was a Sunday (Read Lazy employees)
Saw a Red ZX and a Silver VX

Some observations
Exteriors
- Car does look good and big in person
- Ground clearance was good, comparable to Amaze parked nearby 170mm
- The rear end looks good, though did not have that effect on me that the 8th generation civic had - Those "after burners" were trend of the town
- Sloping roof line looks good
- The ZX looks better with those smashing LED headlamps, The projectors in the VX makes it look like a generation old, rather an evolution of the previous civic. More over the VX looks more different from an Amaze than the ZX.
- The DRLs are very bright and looks good.
- The red colour looks good and seems like "fade ready" unless you are a detailing freak
- I liked the silver more as the chrome did not stand out. I looked more neater. Chrome with red was not my taste. If a buy a red one, wrapping those hideous chrome strips would be the fist thing on my to-do list
- The alloy design on the 17s were not to my taste, but definitely futuristic and is ("may be") slightly better looking than the 16 inchers on the VXI
- I concentrated more on the VXI as that was the model I was more interested in
- The boot was not built to my expectations. It felt flimsy. May be I am used to the heavy S cross hatch. I would say the hatch door on the S cross is better built than the civic hatch.
- The doors were also not that well built. They were not that reassuring to close, seems to be a class below the elantra and ofcourse miles behind the german doors, The door even on the S cross felt more solid.
- The perceptable build quality is only on par with the Japanese competetion, not as good as the Compass, Octavia or the older Jetta.

The Silver VX


Along with the Red ZX



Coming to interiors
- Seats are very low. I mean very very low.
- I am six feet tall and rather flabby and my core body strength is not good.
- I found myself falling into the seat, courtesy my poorly built truncal muscles
- Really could find some inspiration for core body strengthening for getting in and off the seat
- Once you are seated it is very comfortable. It is quite relaxing place to be in. Once the doors are shut you feel some silence inside
- In the ZX I found my head to be dangerously close to the roof, courtesy the lower roof with the sun roof. But in VX, I had atleast an inch and a half above my head. Points to VX here.
- Interior fit and finish are so-so
- The upper dashboard has some quality materials, but I did not find it a significant step above the S cross.
- Steering feel was good, as the leather wrap was impressive. The steering wheel buttons felt cheap and not built to last. I would rate it on par or slightly below the Maruti steering buttons. You cannot compare it with the Germans or even the Elantra.
- The Fit was good, but finish on surfaces especially on doors were screaming C segment, fit for college students in the West.
- The A and B pedals were at different levels, The A pedal atleast a couple of inches deeper that the B. I felt it quite weird. I could not do the sweeping movement with the right heel in place when I am seated in my comfortable position. I had to push the seat back by an inch for doing that easily.
- The knee up position makes doing that more weird
- Under thigh support is okay for six footers, though not impressive
- My left knee was free, since I moved to S cross from the Dzire. In the civic the left knee was resting on the unusually bulky central console. It did not feel uncomfortable. Hope it would be okay as I need not use the left foot on the clutch. The dead pedal was excellent.
- The left arm rest was perfectly placed for my height
- The console and gear levers were really good
- The lower portion of the dash, especially the place to keep the mobile phone looks really cheap, especially the rubber with those cable management holes
- The steering column also is built poorly, especially you can see the cheap rubber flap between the column and the dashboard.
- Rear seat is angled well. It is comfortable for 2-3
- Legroom is adequate for a six footer, especially when the front seat is adjusted to my liking
- Missed the front passenger powered seats, though it takes less time to find the ideal seating position


Note the low hip point
Left knee brushing the console

Waiting for the TD scheduled on Tuesday.