[deepblue]

Hi

I am based at Noida and planning to upgrade my car ( Indica DLS 2003, done 90k). I am looking at Corolla / Civic / Cedia. Now of all these three civic looks really cool but i have heard a lot about its poor ground clearance.

I wish to knw from its existing civic owners about ground clerance as i intend to use this car in city as well as for a lot of highway driving ( towards nainital / haridwar etc).

Corolla looks good but with news of new model being launched i am little skeptical about buying a model which will look dated after a year.

Cedia looks like a real VFM but I am not very sure about its service issues as dealer network is very thin.

Resale is not an issue with me as it is going to be a company vehicle.

pl advice.

[GTO]

Between the three, the Civic is undoubtedly the winner. Its a genuine all-rounder with the looks, space, power and most amenities. It also costs about 30% more than the Cedia and the Corolla but since you have included it in the short-list...I presume this premium is not an issue.

Yes, on full-load the Civic does scrape its under-belly at times. But its nothing to worry about (My C and Vtec do the same). A little caution over speedbreakers will help.

[rahul_intlad]

I think maybe the SX4 ZXi deserves a mention here,it is also fully loaded and expected to be much cheaper,plus GC not a problem at all.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by rahul_intlad

I think maybe the SX4 ZXi deserves a mention here,it is also fully loaded and expected to be much cheaper,plus GC not a problem at all.

I second this. In terms of price, it should be 2 choices:
1. Civic or Corolla
2. Cedia or SX4.

I am not going to comment on 1 but they are priced at 10-13 lakhs, but if you want to save money, buy something between 7-9 lakhs and get a decent car in the bargain, then SX4 may be better. Of course, it is supposed to be smaller than Cedia in interior size. But let me also add another car: Optra, which should also be considered. You can find a lot of info on Optra here on this forum. Optra is also priced at around 8-10 lakhs (1.6 l), and I think its reliability as good as cedia/SX4, FE lower than SX4, comfort better than Cedia and SX4, maintenance costs not high.

[csentil]

Top end Corolla and Civic costs almost the same. Cedia is priced lower.

I'm not going go get into comparisons now, but here's the answer for the ground clearance.

Ground clearance over speed breakers is an issue if you are fully loaded. 4 to 5 people with luggage in the boot. Otherwise its not an issue. I drive in Bangalore with a lot of humps, bumps and dumps. I have a couple of big, tall, wide speed breakers close to my house. When I have 4 people or more with luggage, the undercarriage scrapes. Otherwise on a daily basis when i drive alone or with my wife, there's no problem. Take it slow and neat and you won't have a problem.

[BUSA]

I would recomend you in the following order : -

1) Civic - The best in the segment, latest entry, something different with the styling approach and after all a Honda.

2) Cedia - Very VFM package.

3) Corolla - very boring and in for a replacement but you cant go wrong with it as its a Toyota.

[deepblue]

Hi all

thanks for such a speedy response. Well i am not looking at SX4 as i fine maruti vehicles very boring and ugly looking though SX4 might be different.

Frankly i am sold to Civic but was worried about GC a lot as I dont want to drive a vehicle where just a sight of rough road increase my stress level but with all the feedback i think Civic is the right choice though NOIDA and surrounding roads are much worse than Bangalore.

[aseem]

Take a test drive of Honda and Toyota. I found Corolla to be peppier to drive than Honda City.... However given that its in for a change soon, logic would tell you to go for Civic.
I personally would probably end up buying Corolla as my budget is around 9 lakhs.

[Aditya]

The CIvic is the most modern of the three cars in this duel. Honda's service is pretty good too. It looks and drives better than the other too and handles well. It is better equipped too. The maual gearbox version that I drove was extremely impressive.
The Cedia should be your next choice. It's possibly the most underrated car around. One drive in it can change anyone's opinion. Stability, handling and braking are its strengths. It's the slowest of the three, but, not so that you'd notice. HM service - I don't know! The lack of climate control in the car I drove, sucked!
I never really liked the Corolla. That said, it's comfy, decently equipped and reliable. It's quite fast, but, isn't a great handler. It's not good looking either.

Overall, I think you should go for the Civic.

[RJK]

Honda Civic.......blah blahblah

[vasudeva]

Corolla is not a great handler!. That is news to me who is driving for about 4000 kms. What is meant by great handling?. For me Corolla's handling means total confidence and predictability, instant feedback about car's capabilities and limitations in a tight spot, no guessworks about its abilities, feeling of being horizontally planted at almost all sharp turns, ability to cut quickly across lanes, no scares at sharp roundabouts, and no falling off seats at sharp right or left turns.

I really think after taking feedback from this forum which I consider much better and less prejudiced than all car mags, you should really drive all the cars at least 2-3 times (I am sure there would be at least 3 dealers in your city who can be pigeonholed into giving you a test drive at your office or home at any time) for more than 20 mins in each go and in both high traffic, and potholed conditions. No point checking the car on the highways as all 3 would be equally good at achieving speeds of 100 kmph without feeling out of breath or giving you a scare.

Trust me, do not go with prejudgements. Ultimately, you have to drive yourself and see which car suits you best. From my own experience in Feb-mar 07, dealers are more than willing to come at anytime you want, and anywhere you want to give you a test drive.

[deepblue]

yesterday I had test drive of Civic, inside it looks like space ship and over all fine but i think Corolla engine response is better and more peppy.

PS; meanwhile had a bad experience at Ring Road Honda janpath as my mobile was lifted inside the dealership from table. ( they need to either pay more to staff or have some sense of security) and the guys at dealership just pooh poohed the whole thing.

[samirsarkar]

Originally Posted by deepblue

yesterday I had test drive of Civic, inside it looks like space ship and over all fine but i think Corolla engine response is better and more peppy.

Also, dont forget the mileage figures....Corolla definitely gives better mileage than the Civic any day. Besides, so much for the 'drive-by-wire' throttle response system of the Civic....I found the Corolla's throttle response to be more peppy and instantaneous

[CHIP]

Hey guys i agree with samirsarkar the throttle of corolla is much more peppy but the driving pleasureof civic is way better than corolla and about

The fuel economy of the civic i guess you are wrong my friend my civic gives incredible 14.67 kmpl mileage i gave the data in detail and city it gives around 10 to 10.50 kmpl with an automatic transmision......

[csentil]

Originally Posted by CHIP

Hey guys i agree with samirsarkar the throttle of corolla is much more peppy but the driving pleasureof civic is way better than corolla and about

The fuel economy of the civic i guess you are wrong my friend my civic gives incredible 14.67 kmpl mileage i gave the data in detail and city it gives around 10 to 10.50 kmpl with an automatic transmision......

You get 10.5 on your AT? Thats great. I get around 8 kmpl. Anything special that you do? What fuel do you use? Light footed on the pedal? Do you drive in the manual mode?

Also your highway mileage? I get around 12 max.