[abhijitaparadh]

I dont know about India, but in the US I have driven both the new Corolla (Altis in India) and Civic extensively. Not only is the Civic better looking, it has much better high speed stability than Corolla.

[chevelle]

agreed with abhijit here.

civic feels a lot composed and handles speeds quite nicely. while driving in city, it feels as eager as corolla while on freeway, it is far ahead of corolla handling speeds in excess of 65mph.

did 100mph for 5 to 10 mins in both, corolla felt a bit twitchy at those speeds as if saying, please go back to usual speeds of 65mph. while civic says 'please keep going, i am enjoying every bit of it' feel.

given a choice, i would go for civic too. no doubt about that.

[asadjamal]

@sidindica

Good info there.. thanks.. bt i love the looks of the civic..

[asr245]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Well, for one, 17th is a Sunday.

I'm going to the showroom today to check on my car's repairs. If they revised prices, I'll know. I know Honda has overpriced spares already, but them jacking the price up two to five times seems highly improbable. I hope, for all Civic owners' sake, that you are wrong. I guess I'll know today.

Let us know if the said hike is true. If it is then it's cetainly bye-bye to Civic & Hello to Altis.

[ImmortalZ]

I'm just back from the service center.

There has been a price revision, but only for body panels (fenders, doors, etc). New panels cost upto INR 1000 more. Consumables like fuel filters, belts and brake pads have had no price revisions.

If you paid five times more for your fan belt Alankar, you've been ripped off by your dealer. I mean come on - even timing belts aren't that expensive.

Also, according to them, this hike has been in effect for quite a while now - it was announced by a press release according to the dealership guys, apparently along with the car price hike (due to the Yen exchange rate).

[ImmortalZ]

Argh, missed the twenty minute window.

That OEM part code you posted, 7PK1960. This belt costs $60 in the US from Honda. Around $42 from a parts store. I did my research before I bought my car and found that parts prices in India are simply Honda US prices + 10%. I suddenly think you've been misinformed about the cost of the part in the first place.

Anyway, I'm trying to confirm from other sources.

[equinox22]

Would have to say the Civic is better as a drivers car. I have not driven either in India, but in the US I would go for the Civic's stability and handling everytime. And then there is the engine note. The Corolla can never beat that.
Of course, I am a little biased!

[abhijitaparadh]

The new Civic Si looks HOT !
Corolla S cant match it. Civic Si has bigger engine than normal Civic, I doubt if Corolla has engine option.

[ImmortalZ]

There is an XRS trim for the Corolla in the US with a 2.4L engine.

The Si has a 2.0L K20Z3 engine option which is mighty quicker than the R18A which we get here. And the Si coupe which is pretty racy looking. Oh how I envy you guys. But I guess you envy the Japs with the Type-R.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by alankarm@sancha

BAD NEWS FRIENDS!!!

Honda has revised Upwards the prices of spare parts for CIVIC from 17/04/09.

This is a major revision. The new prices are 2 to 5 times the earlier prices. For example the drive belt (alternator/P.S./Engine belt) has gone up from Rs.713/- to Rs.3777/-. For your information the size is 7PK1960 in my Civic S MT of 2006. This should be available in the range of 700/- or so with Gates etc. (Very reputed and perhaps the oldest brand in the world).

Similar differences for other products too.

I will have to go in for outside parts instead of HONDA branded spares.

Already using outside brake pads, as the Honda ones cost 5500/- to 5800/- + tax per rear or front set (4 pieces each) (11300/- for a set of brake pads for all the 4 wheels)??????????? WOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

I will advise other Honda owners also to start using mostly outside spare parts, ut do judge the quality. No difference in quality for most parts, maybe even better.

NOW I SAY ALL VOTES TO ALTIS. NO HANKY PANKY AND NO TAKING US FOR A RIDE.

Why do you post the same in many threads? I saw the same in another Civic thread I guess you are ripped off by the dealer, and hence a negative marketing for Civic?

Whatever be it - people who buys altis or civic are well informed about the cars, and chose accordingly.

My take is even if the spares have become costly by some %, till today the service bill of my Civic (25k)was less than the service bill of Swift ZXi (20k) . I rest my case.

@Immortalz - Thanks buddy for clarifying. This wednesday I'll be visiting for my 30K service. I'll confirm whats in bangalore.

[equinox22]

The K20Z3 is a gem of an engine. The sound when the v-tec kicks in at 6000 rpm is just fabulous. Add to that the kick to your back acceleration. Also the XRS has about 158 bhp versus the 197 of the Si. The Si also has a 6 speed MT and a Limited Slip Differential with a 40% stiffer suspension. The XRS is no match!

[car_crazy1400]

Well, well, I had voted my choice , the Altis, ages ago,But now, I have to post here again as these are the cars that I currently own:

Toyota Corolla H5 Manual- 2004 , done 1,02,000 kms.

Honda Civic s Manual - 2007 done 25,000 kms

Toyota Corolla Altis GL Manual - 2009, done 2000 odd kms.

I had bought the civic as my previous experience with my OHC was great.

But now I have bought another Corolla simply because of the fact the Civic's ride over poor roads (60% of my drive) is appalling, plus on long drives, like from Delhi to Manali or say Del to Ludhiana, one gets uncomfortable due to the hard seats, Trust me when I say this.

The old corolla seats are really comfortable, plus haven't really spent any thing on its maintanence . It is just that it feels light & twichy & tramlines on poor roads at high speeds. Still have touched 200 on its speedo once.

The civic is planted till 165-170 straights.

Now the altis, the build quality is tinny even when compared to the Civic, great set of features is there, the seats are comfortable but some what smaller in size than the earlier corolla, plus the leather seats look & feel like an aftermarket PU seats job when compared to the earlier one.

The pick up is great, even feels better than my old corolla esp from low speeds, where the civic just crawls, the civic feels like its waiting for the turbo to spool up at low speeds, I mean it needs the revvs to get moving. Where as in the altis, you just reach 120 in a jiffy, its then that you realise your speeds as the engine noise gets boomy & you notice that the engine is not as relaxed as that on the civic & neither as refined.

Now the altis's headlights at night are really really great, not that there is any problem with civic's but xenons are some thing else.

Only problem with Altis till now: the light steering which is a boon in traffic but not only lifeless or feelingless but remains very very light at higher speeds too.

The ride quality is great over poor surfaces at any speed in the Altis & it does not crash thru every pot hole like the civic.

Over all, If I were in the market for a new comfortable car in this segment (which I was till 2 months ago, for myself & dad), I'd go for the Altis, never mind the better quality interiors & overall better looks of the Civic.

[princemanatt]

I vote for Civic. We have both at home. Both are good cars.But the way civic makes you feel is quite different. You feel like being in a big car(read stable at speeds). It also makes you feel special and the quality of things around you seems much better than in Altis.Civic also seems a wider.

[rajanvash]

Originally Posted by princemanatt

I vote for Civic. We have both at home. Both are good cars.But the way civic makes you feel is quite different. You feel like being in a big car(read stable at speeds). It also makes you feel special and the quality of things around you seems much better than in Altis.Civic also seems a wider.

Just checked Monthly Sales figures for Cars and it shows that Civic is still selling more in numbers compared to Altis. Needless to mention that Civic is Costlier, have less features and a much older model compared to Altis.

[manish123]

Sales figure don't really represent much about which car is better. I remember 5 years back when I bought Palio, Santro used to sell like hot cakes. But today, my friends who had bought Santro have either sold off their cars and/or are repenting as to why they didn't buy Palio.
From my experience and what I have gathered is that if you drive mostly in cities and if you very occasionaly drive beyond 120kmph, Altis is a better choice. Alternatively, if you drive mostly on good (pothole free) highways and at great speed (over 120kmph....although I dont advice doing this in India), Civic should be a better option. With regards to interiors, I feel Altis interiors are much better than civic. Its only a perception that Civic has next gen interior feel and those who look at civic interiors with this mindset, are more likely to believe in that perception (nothing wrong with it though). I am glad I bought Altis. Its been one and half months, and still I am awed by its looks (exteriors) and interior feel