Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
88,254 views
Old 21st May 2010, 09:08   #76
Newbie
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 15
Thanked: 2 Times

Civic is a good choice - congratulations I've had one for close on 4 years now. I noticed yours was a manual so if anyone's interested i thought i'll write about the automatic as well.
- Revs beutifully like all Honda's and you can stay between 4K to rev limiter and move pretty quick.
- Its almost like the best of two worlds...keep the revs under 3K in automatic and she will potter round silently and soak up the road, switch to manual and dont let the revs drop below 4K and she hustles pretty fast. Auto or manual - you will need the revs for overtaking on freeways.
-With the auto - you can even "launch" standing starts by keeping the brake on with your left foot and revs up to 4K(right foot) and flooring it as soon as you lift off the brake. Not good for mechanicals and opposing forces .....but hey - its only IF you want a clean fast start and want to try it.
-What i love most is the paddles/electrnic shift......blast around curvy roads...a downshift givess you more grip in an instant with the car hunkering down a little bit more and giving more bite to turn. You can do it without moving your hand off the steering so its very focussed. Its addictive...i can only imagine what another 100BHP would feel like.
- Tyres are just about appropriate - i have Goodyear eagles that came factory fitted...i'll change mine out to something stickier soon when they get to end of life in about 3-5000 km.
- No mechanical issues in 38000 + km
- reliable mileage, AC works fine ... all my time has been spent in the car vs. in the garage. Total time in garage other than service was negligible - change a battery, bedding rubber that was faulty and a tyre that was damaged due to human error...didnt see a construction rod and damaged the sidewall.
- Controls are bang on...everything falls to hand naturally and intuitively
- suspension is soft...thats my main complaint. with rear passengers...it will bottom out on almost all bumps...and you learn to crab over bumps cross ways. Where it helps though is on a good freeway....she soaks up undulations effortlessly and gives you loads of comfort
- Brakes are decent...you can feel the ABS kick in so it works, it does look up a little on wet roads but helps tremendously, works great in dry.
- balance - well balanced car....you can feel the weight over the front like all front engined/drive cars...but its still feels very well weighted. If you throw her around a little bit of dirt or rubble - feels predictable and under control.
- Would imagine she will run reliably for at least another 3 years, by which it should be at 80-90K kms.
- Fabric gets pretty dirty - so either investing in leather or paying for cleaning every 8-10 mo's will need to be factored in.
- would be a good platform for someone wanting to turbo one. Quality of mechanicals and internals should be good.
- resale value i hear is decent
- all in all - decent value for money considering the longevity, comfort and fairly hassle free ownership in my opinion.

Happy driving !
B-2R is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 13:26   #77
Newbie
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 14
Thanked: 0 Times

After a long loooooong wait, shuvc and I had the chance to meet and finally I have driven "shuvcivic" today..It was indeed a pleasure ..Last time we met we had a kinda dekho of it..and I almost started feeling great about it..Today I realized how pleasure driving can be..From the perspective of a driver, driven a santro for 28K + in last 2 yrs other than driving friends cars and few test drives that too mostly hatchbacks, it was like an awesome feeling...Huge respect mixed with love for the car..I was bit hesitant initially to be on the wheel, but shuvo insisted and I had to follow..a smooth drive in Rajarhat Highway...It has got newly upgraded ICE and we were discussing about nitty gritty of speakers,amp and sub and by the time I just looked..oh man I could not even realized it touched 103..Dangerously smooth ..I was feeling like hitting the pedal and enjoying it..but have to wait till it crosses 1K and the first service..

My few cents :

1. Awesome handling -best what a driver can expect from
2. Nice rev of the engine--Loved it
3. Excellent Body roll and balance
4. Loved the gear box..Could not realize the thud in 2nd gear though..I believe it is his Baleno's gear box which needed an extra push.
5. Slight vibration in the steering - shuvo already said it is because of the balancing..
6. Neatly fitted ICE

shuvc is still in his dream for it..even after weeks of possessing it..I think this is obvious to carry when you posses such a lovely car..

Caveat : I got to know that shuvc has not even nurtured his kid the way he is doing it for his cars . This came as complaint from the Top management of his family ( Read it as his wife ) ..

We will hit the highway together sometime in future..Till the time enjoy driving it..
subratamondal is offline  
Old 22nd May 2010, 00:31   #78
Senior - BHPian
 
shuvc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,913
Thanked: 352 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackPearl View Post
A few days back, saw a white civic with a black hood and i was drooling.
Thanks ! Just come back and buy one

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
Civic is a good choice - congratulations
Thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
I've had one for close on 4 years now. I noticed yours was a manual so if anyone's interested i thought i'll write about the automatic as well.
You bet. There'll be a lot of us interested. You should seriously consider elaborating on your experience in the Long term ownership experiences section. It's these threads that help prospective buyers with the necessary insight to go ahead and take an informed decision.

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
all my time has been spent in the car vs. in the garage. Total time in garage other than service was negligible
This was a crucial criteria in my decision making process.

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
suspension is soft
I don't recall the suspension feel of the earlier version. But my car does seem to have a fairly firm suspension. Low speed ride gets a tad 'nervous' on not-so-smooth roads. One can easily feel the undulations and irregularities on the road.

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
Would imagine she will run reliably for at least another 3 years, by which it should be at 80-90K kms
Yet another important criteria for me. I plan to keep my current purchase for 7-8 years surely and it needs to run reliably during that period.

Quote:
Originally Posted by B-2R View Post
Fabric gets pretty dirty
One of the reasons I opted for the V. With a kid who likes snacking in the car, leather seats are relatively easier to clean.
shuvc is offline  
Old 23rd May 2010, 18:08   #79
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 284
Thanked: 909 Times

Shuvc Sir congratulation for buying the Civic and me having personally owned it for 4 years now can vouch for the fact that you took the correct decision.I hope the car serves you as well as it did and is still doing to me.
Even I have been deciding to buy a car from the same group now and have bought the Cruze as I already had the Civic, Laura was ruled out due to maintainance and reliability issues,I never liked the looks of the Altis and it was a very tough call between the Cruze and the Jetta but I finally decided to go with the Cruze as my heart wanted to it though I know jetta would have been a more sensible buy.
Congratulations again
np23 is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 00:33   #80
Senior - BHPian
 
shuvc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,913
Thanked: 352 Times
Final Mod - Tyres changed

@np23 - thanks !

When I bought the car, I had planned on just 3 things. Sunfilm, ICE and a tyre change. The first two had been done in week 1 and 2 respectively. Week 3 (today) I changed the tyres.

The stock Michelin Energy MXV8 195/65/15s (dated 4309, Made in Thailand) were replaced with Yokohama AVS dB V550 205/60/15s (dated 4809, Made in Japan).

The MXV8s are good tyres. So why did I change. Ummm, not entirely sure ! Maybe I just wanted 205 tyres !!

I was ok with the sliiiiight decrease in GC with 205/60, given that >95% of my commute is on decent roads. But certainly did not want an increase in GC, which would have happened with 205/65.

The options in this size for grippy (good in dry and wet) yet comfy, silent tyres are limited. I was given the following options.

Pirelli P6000 - Around 5K
Yoko ES501 - Around 5K
Yoko ES100 - 4.8K
Yoko V550 - 5.15K
Bridgestone Potenza GIII - 5.4K
BFG G-sport - 5.5K
Conti CPC2 - 5.5K (learnt of this at the last moment)
Michelin XM1+ (didn't ask price)
Michelin PS3 (Nikhil says will come end of the year - too late)
Michelin PP2 (tried a lot - did not get them)

The Pirelli and ES501 did not have good reviews in wet weather. The GIII, BFG and ES100 would be noisy after a while. Came to know of CPC2 availability too late in the day and also general opinion seemed to indicate that CPC2 and V550 were more or less at par. So by a process of elimination I decided on the V550. It also helped that I liked the tread pattern over the MXV8 as well as the CPC2 and that these tyres have got favourable reviews for decent performance both in dry and wet conditions at the same time being pretty silent too.

Got in touch with Yoko Delhi. They gave me the number of the Sales Manager here (Arijit). Extremely helpful guy. He arranged for the tyres to be sent to a dealer near me. Got a fair exchange price of 3K for each of the MXV8s (they had run around 750kms). A pair of CAT shades free. Deal struck yesterday evening, tyres fitted today evening. Needed 150gms of weights in total for balancing.

I drove a total of 20kms in the dry. Took her upto 130kmph. Solid. The balancing concern I had earlier has now been resolved. Thankfully (both for the heat in Calcutta and the new tyres) there were heavy rains in the evening. So drove another 15kms while it was pouring - wiper was at max speed. Touched 80ish quite a few times. Went through standing water. Did not for once feel any hint of aquaplaning. Felt extremely confident.

Since I've used the MXV8s for only 750kms and that too mostly sedate driving and never in the wet, I'm not really in a position to compare the 2. But whatever little I drove today, I'm happy with the V550s.

Oh and I must add that while getting through to Yoko people were a breeze, I tried calling the Michelin helpline mentioned on their website, all day. And it never got answered - repeatedly went into voicemail.

Here are some snaps.
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-avs-db-v550.jpg

MXV8 vs V550.
Note how the 195 Mich looks as wide if not wider than the 205 Yoko. The Mich seems to have a more 'bulging' sidewall, making it look wider. The Yoko, although with a 1cm wider contact patch, has near flat sidewalls.

Does this sidewall bulge happen due to usage? Or are Mich's like this? I recall I had a discussion with @razor that Michelins tend to look as wide as other brands one size wider.
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-mxv8-vs-v550.jpg

After the wet run.
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-wetrun.jpg
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-drenched.jpg

Last edited by shuvc : 27th May 2010 at 00:38.
shuvc is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 01:00   #81
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 284
Thanked: 909 Times

Sir
Kindly update us once you take your car on a highway or for a long drive with these new tyres.Sir your third step is the only thing I want to do on my car as I personally feel any car looks best as it is delivered (totally a personal view).I cannot digest the fact that I will be driving a 16 lacks Rupees car with JK tyres (cruze OEM tyres) and this is the reason I have decided to get the tyres changed the very next day after I get delivery of the car which I am trying to get before the 1st of june as then I will have to pay Rs 50,000 more as the registration charges are increasing.
I will be keeping the same size as I dont want to get into warranty issues but I will only change the manufacturer.I have contacted a famous tyre dealer in Delhi (BK TYRE) and he has quoted me the following rates:-
(205/60/R16)
Michellin Rs 8500
Continental Rs7600
Yokohama Rs7100
and he has agreed to take back the Jk tyres for Rs 4000 each.
Are these prices good enough or do I need to bargain?
Thanks
np23 is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 01:06   #82
Senior - BHPian
 
shuvc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,913
Thanked: 352 Times

A few random snaps, while the tyres were being fitted.
Front brakes
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-front-brakes.jpg

Rear brakes. Note the smaller caliper.
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-rear-brakes.jpg

'Nissin' calipers. Isn't Nissin more into bikes?
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-nissin-calipers.jpg

Munjal Showa shocks. Date of manufacture mentioned too!
ShuvCivic - Tafeta White VM/T-munjal-showa-shocks.jpg


@shuvd - thanks for being a sounding board
shuvc is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 08:59   #83
BHPian
 
toiingg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 639
Thanked: 265 Times

Congo on the upgrade C, Nissin was OE brakes in my OHC too.
toiingg is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 10:13   #84
Senior - BHPian
 
ImmortalZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Trivandrum
Posts: 2,179
Thanked: 488 Times

'gratz on the tyre change

Nissin is part of the Honda keiretsu. It's sort of like how Denso is to Toyota. Showa is also related to Honda in the same way.
ImmortalZ is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 16:18   #85
Senior - BHPian
 
razor4077's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 1,882
Thanked: 298 Times

Congrats! Please start enjoying your car now without worrying about how to make it better!

What kind of tyres are the V550s? Are they similar to PP2s in nature, or do they lean more towards comfort?
Will await a long term feedback on these.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
Note how the 195 Mich looks as wide if not wider than the 205 Yoko. The Mich seems to have a more 'bulging' sidewall, making it look wider. The Yoko, although with a 1cm wider contact patch, has near flat sidewalls.

Does this sidewall bulge happen due to usage? Or are Mich's like this? I recall I had a discussion with @razor that Michelins tend to look as wide as other brands one size wider.
I remember comparing 195 Mich Pilot Precedas to 205 GY F1 GSD3s. The Mich actually looked wider than the F1! So I guess this is probably a standard Mich trait.
razor4077 is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 17:27   #86
Senior - BHPian
 
shuvc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,913
Thanked: 352 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by razor4077 View Post
Please start enjoying your car now without worrying about how to make it better!
Yes. That's it for now. Closing in on a 1000 clicks, so time to enjoy

Quote:
Originally Posted by razor4077 View Post
What kind of tyres are the V550s? Are they similar to PP2s in nature, or do they lean more towards comfort?
Certainly not in the PP2 league. I'm hoping it would be an acceptable blend of ride, handling (dry+wet) and silence. Not too bothered about longevity.
shuvc is offline  
Old 27th May 2010, 17:56   #87
Senior - BHPian
 
AkMar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 1,183
Thanked: 2,604 Times

Hi shuvc,

great car! Civic looks fantastic in white. Interiors are excellent too. Congratulations.
AkMar is offline  
Old 28th May 2010, 02:30   #88
Senior - BHPian
 
shuvc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,913
Thanked: 352 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by AkMar View Post
Congratulations.
Thanks !

2nd tank up today. The display read 10.2 and my calculations indicate 9.5. Last time my calculations were 10.8x vs 10.5 as per the display. All this with 100% AC and on both occasions with 3+ hrs of idling. Am extremely happy with the FE. My Baleno gives around 1kmpl more under the same circumstances.

Yesterday after getting the new tyres, I pushed her somewhat, shifting at 3 to 3.5K and went upto 130. At the end of 20kms of such driving, the on board reading showed an increase in FE - from 10.1 to 10.3 !!!

Some observations
# The armrest between the driver and passenger seat is perfectly located for resting the left hand.
# The rather thick A-pillar does tend to obstruct view at times while turning
# The stereo does not have an attenuator button. I just switch of the HU power instead.
# The horn, although located at the centre of the wheel, is fairly easy to reach while maintaining the normal steering grip, due to the design of the wheel.
# The blue LED faintly lighting up the area around the gear knob looks lovely.
# People checking out the Civic closely for the first time keep raving about how spacious it is.
# I'm not facing any issues due to the so called 'lack of low end grunt' in slow city driving.
shuvc is offline  
Old 28th May 2010, 11:28   #89
BHPian
 
Hells Bells's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 329
Thanked: 530 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
Thanks !

2nd tank up today. The display read 10.2 and my calculations indicate 9.5. Last time my calculations were 10.8x vs 10.5 as per the display. All this with 100% AC and on both occasions with 3+ hrs of idling. Am extremely happy with the FE. My Baleno gives around 1kmpl more under the same circumstances.

Yesterday after getting the new tyres, I pushed her somewhat, shifting at 3 to 3.5K and went upto 130. At the end of 20kms of such driving, the on board reading showed an increase in FE - from 10.1 to 10.3 !!!

....
You know what Shuvo, the more I read about the not so bad FE of Civic, the more tempted I am ! I eitherways have dropped crazy style of driving since I ran into my wifey so .. very very tempted. Just that the taxes suck here in B'lore. Sigh ... Anyways, have fun and keep us updated.
Hells Bells is offline  
Old 28th May 2010, 11:39   #90
Senior - BHPian
 
planet_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bong-land
Posts: 2,323
Thanked: 426 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
# The blue LED faintly lighting up the area around the gear knob looks lovely..
What is this Blue LED thing? IIRC i didn't see any thing like that in D's Civic.

Do you have a Pic of the same?
planet_rocker is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks