New Owners report: Honda Civic MT

hemantmodi · 17th January 2007, 11:14

HI!
this sunday the 14th i got myself a honda civic mt black hawk. I did 465 kms in two days. thats so amazing i cant stay away from car now. i drive around without any reason also. Abt the millage i was very suprised i got around 11.5 . and that also in delhi traffic . i did take 180 kms in greater noida express way.
But there are some problems im facing is that on any bump i get water on the windshield. and i get a particular noise from back as thug types.
which i feel is bad . i will get my first service then maybe they fix it .

but im so in love with this civic .its a meanmachine

Adityak · 22nd January 2007, 21:22

Hi
Guess I met you Hemant this weekend, in the Honda Workshop... Thanks for guiding me to this site... yes its awesome... I have already spent 2 hours before I could reach here...

My car is doing good too...

ST - I read in your first report that your car doesn't have a window roll-back after hitting the obstruction... guess your complaint was heard coz now it has that feature...

yes, even my car gave me a 11+ km in the first week... i still have to get it topped up this week... boy... it is better than my old Esteem...

csentil · 7th February 2007, 16:33

Hi all,

First of all, I'm new to this forum, as I discovered it only yesterday. I spent around 4 hrs reading some of the forum topics which were very very informative. Thanks a lot. I think this forum should be better advertised.

I've got myself a new Honda Civic AT. Picked it up in Jan (booked in Dec), though got the 2006 model as 2007 model is available only from feb sometime. Was in a quandary whether to buy in Jan or Feb. But the increase in prices from Jan somewhat offset the decision of picking up the 2007 model. I however got it registered in Jan. (could that matter? anyone)

Picked it up from Whitefield Honda, Bangalore. The folks there are very professional.

The car is an absolute delight. I'm not going to talk much about the car specs as I've read this thread completely and there's not much left to write about.

The AT is a joy to drive in city conditions, especially in Bangalore traffic. I just came back from a 1000km long drive. It handles great on the highways, though the ride is a bit stiff at times.

I like the way the car downshifts if I press the accelerator a little bit extra. Supposing I'm cruising on 70/80, and I want to pass someone in a hurry, i just need to push the pedal down a little bit harder, the car automatically goes from 5th to 4th or 3rd and the rpm shoots up. The moment you relax your foot from the pedal it upshifts.

I've also used the sports (paddle) shifts. You need to get used to it. First of all, it does not upshift even if you hit the rev limiter. Unlike most automatics, it will stay in first untill you manually upshift. Next you don't have to bother to downshift. It automatically downshifts for you, in case you forget. This is a bit distracting at times, as you will tend to look at the display to find out which gear you are in. (yes, it displays the gear you are in when in sport mode). Also the gear ratios being high, if you move to the 4th or 5th when you are about 40, you will have very less pickup. What happens then, is the moment you take your foot of the pedal or slow down a bit, the car automatically downshifts to 3rd.

I don't have reliable mileage figures. It gave me about 8-8.5 peak city traffic, were you would be in max 2 or 3rd gear.

This post is long, folks might not read it fully. So if you have any specific questions please ask. I'll reply to them. Thanks.

Dippy · 7th February 2007, 16:44

Nice review csentil

Its the first one on the Civic AT on the forum. The kicdown shift feature is the most addictive on an AT car. Especially when you are on 80-90 kmph that you mention, once you floor the pedal the engine sound after the kickdown and while it shoots ahead is amazing.

8.5 is not bad for the AT but I'm sure you can get more. One way is not to floor the pedal too much while driving You can drive with a light foot which allows rapid gear change.

Drive between 1500 to 2000 rpm lightly and you'll get better FE for sure

csentil · 7th February 2007, 16:59

hey thanks, that was quick. Yes the sound is absolutely fantastic when it downshifts.

Thanks for the advice. I sort of found out about being light on the pedal.

For mileage I use my old and trusted Matiz. When I want to rip and enjoy myself I take the Civic out. :-)

Good that they gave a 5 speed automatic instead of the 4 speed you find in the Corolla.

Dippy · 7th February 2007, 17:15

Yep when you actually drive with a light throttle you feel the quick shifts. I do the same. I drive an OHC type 2 AT. Constantly drive at 60 kph in my everyday driving 1500-2000 rpm the car returns betwwen 10 to 11 kpl with AC in use

CaliAtenza · 8th February 2007, 13:55

How are prices now for the civic at in bang? Thinking of buying one sometime this year...in either black or white..

csentil · 13th February 2007, 12:14

MT costs 12,90,000 approx. and the AT 13,72,000 approx. in Bangalore. They had a price increase of around 17K+ from Jan 1st.

I liked the white too, but in Bangalore there are too many white coloured cabs for my liking. :-)

ST7677 · 13th February 2007, 18:36

8-8.5kmpl is very good for AT, I was expecting much lower...
Anyway report the same after you consume few tank fulls.

The Civic Auto is so good that I had a tough time deciding between the MT or AT, but then finally gave in to the enthusiast spirit and went for MT. Sometimes I still feel that I should have gone for AT, at other time I feel I did the right thing by going for MT... still confused... he he he

csentil · 14th February 2007, 12:25

yeah, like I'm confused now whether i should have taken the MT, after reading all about its performance and the extra mileage. :-)

But with bangalore traffic, i somehow feel i made the right choice.

also been playing with the paddle shift in city traffic. Its great.. got a feel of it now.

It allows manual changes only after you cross certain speeds
1st to 2nd - less than 10 km/hr.
2nd to 3rd - after 10km/hr.
3rd to 4th - after 40km/hr
4th to 5th - after 55km/hr
It automatically downshifts if the speed reduces below these levels.

CaliAtenza · 14th February 2007, 18:53

Wow that 17k increase sure hurts..is this the on-road price?somehow the civic still stands out in white..Im so fed up with traffic here that i refuse to drive a stick...

csentil · 15th February 2007, 01:19

yes, those are the approx onroad prices from Whitefield Honda. If you are working for a "well known" company preferably IT company like Infy, Wipro, Accenture, Intel etc you would get a discount.

My wife works for Accenture and so I took the car in her name, coz they were ready to give 12K discount for Accenture employees. This amt varies across companies.

Yeah, the white is good, though invariably i have to look at the number plate to see if its a cab or not :-( i saw both black and white civic on the roads today. both look really good.

crkishore · 12th March 2007, 16:32

I completed 11k kms on my Black Hawk MT Civic last week. I had bought the car just before my engagement in the november last week, and completed the 11k kms mark last week during my delayed honeymoon.

Some of the trips that I did on this car :

1. 600kms for a bangalore-calicut trip, in order to complete the 1000kms mark for the first service to make the second trip.
2. 2k kms for a bangalore-kakinada(AP) trip
3. 300kms for a bangalore-mysore trip
4. 2.5 kms for a bangalore-kakinada(AP) trip
5. 1.5 kms for a bangalore-kerala trip

Looking back at the last 3-4 months, here are the things i can comment on:

the entire process of purchasing the car from Dakshin Honda, Bangalore was a smooth one. I was informed abt the delay in the availability of the rear spoiler, which they promptly fitted upon arrival in 2 weeks from delivery time. I was slightly upset abt the bad vibrations during my first trip at speeds above 100kmph, but got it set right during the service with proper wheel balancing/alignment.

positives :

safety : on the golden quadrilateral, the car was really good. given indian conditions, i got to test its braking at a couple of instances. the car stayed straight when braked hard even at 130kmph.

speed : the acceleration too didnt let me down during any of my trips. i usually take a lot of time to reach 100kmph, but would love to stay above the mark as long as possible. only once did a ford endeavor irritate me on the narrow section of the highway, but as soon as the road got wider and safer he soon disappeared from my rear view mirror. with speeds of around 130-140kmph @ just 3.5k rpm, there was always lot of reserve horses to be ride on.

coolness factor : everytime i step into the car, the driver's cockpit design really excites me. i put a smile on my face and thats makes a real difference during my entire drive.

mileage :
city slow : 10-11 kmpl
city high rev : 8 kmpl
highway : 11-12 kmpl. my "average" (over a 900+ kms drive) speeds were in the range 75-90 kmph with top speeds of around 165kmph.

I prefer the Speed 93 from BP (or equivalents from other dealers), and found that the ordinary fuel didnt give me the "kick" at top speeds.

negatives :

GC : being used to a santro earlier , i never realized how hard it is to slow down before the nastily designed road humps. Also, there seems to be a problem when the car is fully loaded with rear seat passengers and the available boot space. It seems to scrap the bottom to easily than a corolla.

Boot space : i was aware of this before buying the car, but never "felt" it until i started making the longer out-of-station stay trips. the larger boot space in the smaller city model makes me sometime envious of them.

A-pillar : during my drive through the hilly roads of kerala, i certainly felt that the front view could have been slightly better.

other mistakes/goof-ups :
color : black is sexy, but then the flip side of it is similar to a celebrity being put under a microscope all the time or being mobbed. in the case of this car, kids seem to have a large attraction to it, often leaving "hurting" scratches. i just didnt have enough time to take care of my baby all the time in the last few months, but i guess the damage is already done.

supremeBaleno · 12th March 2007, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by crkishore

city slow : 10-11 kmpl highway : 11-12 kmpl.

City FE sounds pretty good. But a highway FE that is same as city FE is kind of lower than what I would expect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crkishore

kids seem to have a large attraction to it, often leaving "hurting" scratches.

Maybe the black color reminds them of a slate or blackboard and makes them instinctively reach for chalk (stones or anything sharp).

crkishore · 12th March 2007, 17:11

supremeBaleno,
i never got time or enthusiasm to really drive for FE by driving at a optimum speed (60-90 kmph?). the figures quoted for the highway were usually at high average speeds. and the average sometimes included the rest periods too ! looking at the car's behavior, i am hopefully of touching atleast 13kmpl in a controlled drive.
what is the best FE anyone has seen with the civic ?

17th January 2007, 11:14	#166
hemantmodi Newbie Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: noida Posts: 2 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi Guys ....my new black civiv mt 2007 HI! this sunday the 14th i got myself a honda civic mt black hawk. I did 465 kms in two days. thats so amazing i cant stay away from car now. i drive around without any reason also. Abt the millage i was very suprised i got around 11.5 . and that also in delhi traffic . i did take 180 kms in greater noida express way. But there are some problems im facing is that on any bump i get water on the windshield. and i get a particular noise from back as thug types. which i feel is bad . i will get my first service then maybe they fix it . but im so in love with this civic .its a meanmachine
	() Thanks

22nd January 2007, 21:22	#167
Adityak Newbie Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Times	Honda Civic 2007 Hi Guess I met you Hemant this weekend, in the Honda Workshop... Thanks for guiding me to this site... yes its awesome... I have already spent 2 hours before I could reach here... My car is doing good too... ST - I read in your first report that your car doesn't have a window roll-back after hitting the obstruction... guess your complaint was heard coz now it has that feature... yes, even my car gave me a 11+ km in the first week... i still have to get it topped up this week... boy... it is better than my old Esteem...
	() Thanks

7th February 2007, 16:33	#168
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	Honda Civic AT - First Report Hi all, First of all, I'm new to this forum, as I discovered it only yesterday. I spent around 4 hrs reading some of the forum topics which were very very informative. Thanks a lot. I think this forum should be better advertised. I've got myself a new Honda Civic AT. Picked it up in Jan (booked in Dec), though got the 2006 model as 2007 model is available only from feb sometime. Was in a quandary whether to buy in Jan or Feb. But the increase in prices from Jan somewhat offset the decision of picking up the 2007 model. I however got it registered in Jan. (could that matter? anyone) Picked it up from Whitefield Honda, Bangalore. The folks there are very professional. The car is an absolute delight. I'm not going to talk much about the car specs as I've read this thread completely and there's not much left to write about. The AT is a joy to drive in city conditions, especially in Bangalore traffic. I just came back from a 1000km long drive. It handles great on the highways, though the ride is a bit stiff at times. I like the way the car downshifts if I press the accelerator a little bit extra. Supposing I'm cruising on 70/80, and I want to pass someone in a hurry, i just need to push the pedal down a little bit harder, the car automatically goes from 5th to 4th or 3rd and the rpm shoots up. The moment you relax your foot from the pedal it upshifts. I've also used the sports (paddle) shifts. You need to get used to it. First of all, it does not upshift even if you hit the rev limiter. Unlike most automatics, it will stay in first untill you manually upshift. Next you don't have to bother to downshift. It automatically downshifts for you, in case you forget. This is a bit distracting at times, as you will tend to look at the display to find out which gear you are in. (yes, it displays the gear you are in when in sport mode). Also the gear ratios being high, if you move to the 4th or 5th when you are about 40, you will have very less pickup. What happens then, is the moment you take your foot of the pedal or slow down a bit, the car automatically downshifts to 3rd. I don't have reliable mileage figures. It gave me about 8-8.5 peak city traffic, were you would be in max 2 or 3rd gear. This post is long, folks might not read it fully. So if you have any specific questions please ask. I'll reply to them. Thanks.
	() Thanks

7th February 2007, 16:44	#169
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,762 Thanked: 4,244 Times	Nice review csentil Its the first one on the Civic AT on the forum. The kicdown shift feature is the most addictive on an AT car. Especially when you are on 80-90 kmph that you mention, once you floor the pedal the engine sound after the kickdown and while it shoots ahead is amazing. 8.5 is not bad for the AT but I'm sure you can get more. One way is not to floor the pedal too much while driving You can drive with a light foot which allows rapid gear change. Drive between 1500 to 2000 rpm lightly and you'll get better FE for sure
	() Thanks

7th February 2007, 16:59	#170
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	hey thanks, that was quick. Yes the sound is absolutely fantastic when it downshifts. Thanks for the advice. I sort of found out about being light on the pedal. For mileage I use my old and trusted Matiz. When I want to rip and enjoy myself I take the Civic out. :-) Good that they gave a 5 speed automatic instead of the 4 speed you find in the Corolla.
	() Thanks

7th February 2007, 17:15	#171
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,762 Thanked: 4,244 Times	Yep when you actually drive with a light throttle you feel the quick shifts. I do the same. I drive an OHC type 2 AT. Constantly drive at 60 kph in my everyday driving 1500-2000 rpm the car returns betwwen 10 to 11 kpl with AC in use
	() Thanks

8th February 2007, 13:55	#172
CaliAtenza BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: LAX-SNA-BFL-BLR Posts: 321 Thanked: 20 Times	How are prices now for the civic at in bang? Thinking of buying one sometime this year...in either black or white..
	() Thanks

13th February 2007, 12:14	#173
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	Civic Cost in Bangalore MT costs 12,90,000 approx. and the AT 13,72,000 approx. in Bangalore. They had a price increase of around 17K+ from Jan 1st. I liked the white too, but in Bangalore there are too many white coloured cabs for my liking. :-)
	() Thanks

13th February 2007, 18:36	#174
ST7677 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 102 Times Infractions: 0/1 (7)	8-8.5kmpl is very good for AT, I was expecting much lower... Anyway report the same after you consume few tank fulls. The Civic Auto is so good that I had a tough time deciding between the MT or AT, but then finally gave in to the enthusiast spirit and went for MT. Sometimes I still feel that I should have gone for AT, at other time I feel I did the right thing by going for MT... still confused... he he he
	() Thanks

14th February 2007, 12:25	#175
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	yeah, like I'm confused now whether i should have taken the MT, after reading all about its performance and the extra mileage. :-) But with bangalore traffic, i somehow feel i made the right choice. also been playing with the paddle shift in city traffic. Its great.. got a feel of it now. It allows manual changes only after you cross certain speeds 1st to 2nd - less than 10 km/hr. 2nd to 3rd - after 10km/hr. 3rd to 4th - after 40km/hr 4th to 5th - after 55km/hr It automatically downshifts if the speed reduces below these levels.
	() Thanks

14th February 2007, 18:53	#176
CaliAtenza BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: LAX-SNA-BFL-BLR Posts: 321 Thanked: 20 Times	Wow that 17k increase sure hurts..is this the on-road price?somehow the civic still stands out in white..Im so fed up with traffic here that i refuse to drive a stick...
	() Thanks

15th February 2007, 01:19	#177
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	yes, those are the approx onroad prices from Whitefield Honda. If you are working for a "well known" company preferably IT company like Infy, Wipro, Accenture, Intel etc you would get a discount. My wife works for Accenture and so I took the car in her name, coz they were ready to give 12K discount for Accenture employees. This amt varies across companies. Yeah, the white is good, though invariably i have to look at the number plate to see if its a cab or not :-( i saw both black and white civic on the roads today. both look really good.
	() Thanks

12th March 2007, 16:32	#178
crkishore BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 30 Thanked: Once	Done 11k I completed 11k kms on my Black Hawk MT Civic last week. I had bought the car just before my engagement in the november last week, and completed the 11k kms mark last week during my delayed honeymoon. Some of the trips that I did on this car : 1. 600kms for a bangalore-calicut trip, in order to complete the 1000kms mark for the first service to make the second trip. 2. 2k kms for a bangalore-kakinada(AP) trip 3. 300kms for a bangalore-mysore trip 4. 2.5 kms for a bangalore-kakinada(AP) trip 5. 1.5 kms for a bangalore-kerala trip Looking back at the last 3-4 months, here are the things i can comment on: the entire process of purchasing the car from Dakshin Honda, Bangalore was a smooth one. I was informed abt the delay in the availability of the rear spoiler, which they promptly fitted upon arrival in 2 weeks from delivery time. I was slightly upset abt the bad vibrations during my first trip at speeds above 100kmph, but got it set right during the service with proper wheel balancing/alignment. positives : safety : on the golden quadrilateral, the car was really good. given indian conditions, i got to test its braking at a couple of instances. the car stayed straight when braked hard even at 130kmph. speed : the acceleration too didnt let me down during any of my trips. i usually take a lot of time to reach 100kmph, but would love to stay above the mark as long as possible. only once did a ford endeavor irritate me on the narrow section of the highway, but as soon as the road got wider and safer he soon disappeared from my rear view mirror. with speeds of around 130-140kmph @ just 3.5k rpm, there was always lot of reserve horses to be ride on. coolness factor : everytime i step into the car, the driver's cockpit design really excites me. i put a smile on my face and thats makes a real difference during my entire drive. mileage : city slow : 10-11 kmpl city high rev : 8 kmpl highway : 11-12 kmpl. my "average" (over a 900+ kms drive) speeds were in the range 75-90 kmph with top speeds of around 165kmph. I prefer the Speed 93 from BP (or equivalents from other dealers), and found that the ordinary fuel didnt give me the "kick" at top speeds. negatives : GC : being used to a santro earlier , i never realized how hard it is to slow down before the nastily designed road humps. Also, there seems to be a problem when the car is fully loaded with rear seat passengers and the available boot space. It seems to scrap the bottom to easily than a corolla. Boot space : i was aware of this before buying the car, but never "felt" it until i started making the longer out-of-station stay trips. the larger boot space in the smaller city model makes me sometime envious of them. A-pillar : during my drive through the hilly roads of kerala, i certainly felt that the front view could have been slightly better. other mistakes/goof-ups : color : black is sexy, but then the flip side of it is similar to a celebrity being put under a microscope all the time or being mobbed. in the case of this car, kids seem to have a large attraction to it, often leaving "hurting" scratches. i just didnt have enough time to take care of my baby all the time in the last few months, but i guess the damage is already done.
	() Thanks

12th March 2007, 17:11	#180
crkishore BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 30 Thanked: Once	supremeBaleno, i never got time or enthusiasm to really drive for FE by driving at a optimum speed (60-90 kmph?). the figures quoted for the highway were usually at high average speeds. and the average sometimes included the rest periods too ! looking at the car's behavior, i am hopefully of touching atleast 13kmpl in a controlled drive. what is the best FE anyone has seen with the civic ?
	() Thanks