This is a BUSA exclusive. Despite all the rain falls and all i had to get my hands on the Civic. Here is a brief report. All opinions are my own and may differ from you at any point or the other.
Looks - Need i say any more it look stunnig to say the least but the back could/should have been much better.
Interiors - They are quite good but the dashboard looks huge. The car is said to be the widest in the segment but comfort levels are no way near the Optra but only as good as the Corolla. Lack of lumbar support is a very sad thing. Seating three behind is quite tough, but in the Optra its easy. Audio Controls in arm rest quite good, flat floor doesnot do much. Ambience is quite good. There are Two interiors lights on top of the doors which is quite good.
Some features as in brochures : -
Digital Speedometer is a good feature and probably the best thing of the car.
Opposite wipers are just crap. They clean less area then normal ones and leave too much water at the top. Its just a marketting gimmick.
Features Mising which come in Optra 1.8: -
Lumbar Support, Sun Roof, Audio Conrols on Steering, Leather Seats (Cost 1 Lakh to put) and Fog Lights ( They are asking 18k for it) and that sounds dumb and cooled glove compartment, remote boot release.
Handling was ok and you can feel that this car has been detuned a Optra/Octavia are much better. The car didnot have road presence like the above mentioned car and also the stabilty was not as good as the above mentioned car, there was a sense of lift off.
Ride is pathetic. Very bumpy i dont know why honda is using double wishbone? Comparing it with the optra i was suprised that the honda could not take the bumps in its stride unlike the Chevy.
Braking - Sad. Running on 195/65/15 with ABS, EBD, BAS it really was dissapointing. Full braking with the above mentioned system led to a slight skid and braking was not sure footed. There was a tendency to lock and the ABS screached badly showing its working over time.
Engine - Its a master peace. thought sluggish at lower speeds it gets in its stride after 3500 RPM, 1st saw 60 2nd 100 and third went all the way to 140 and out of road. Engine cut off at 7100RPM. There is lack of low end torque and you have to pull the car to really accelerate. However the engine got noisy when above 4000RPM but really went like crazy. Full marks here.
Auto Version - The Auto version has normal D mode for Auto shifting and S mode for paddle shifting. The Paddle shift is good if you want to show every one i have a car which has gear like Micheal Schumacher but if you wanna race then you are better of with the manual. There is a brisk jerk while shifting and if you are on low speeds the car will refuse to shift up unless you are on the right RPM for a p shift. I felt it was down shifting when i was braking but not too sure about that. Brakes felt better then the manual but thats just my psychological feeling. For a week you will be exicted about the paddles but then you will get bored because its not as much fun as it seems to be and not value for money at Rs. 77,000 /- more then the manual.
Manual Gearbox was not as slick as i expected a Japanese gearbox to be.
Overall i will give it a 6/10 and would prefer a Optra/Octavia RS over it anyday.
They have stripped the car and it shows in the built quality after doing only 139kms and 2kms on the testdrive the exhaust feel of, both of them and pics to follow soon.
Features Missing that Corolla has : -
Audio Controls on steering, Auto Headlamps, Leather Seats (h5), Lumbar Support, Fog lights.
Features Misssing that Elantra has: -
Traction Control, Lumbar Support, Foglights, Trip Computer.
Features Missing from Octavia 1.8 Rider:-
Trip Computer, Foglights, Lumbar Support.
Verdict - The car is not as good as its made to be. Even if it was with 140 bhp it wont be as good as a Accord since thats a different segment. Civic is a very overhyped car and i know still its going to sell well. It has dissapointed me a lot. I had so much more hope from it. But still i am sure Indian buyers how they are will buy them in huge numbers and the thing i dread it will be the car of the year 2006
More pics to follow. Anyone wants higher quality pics can PM me.