[1Maverick]

Thanks @iTNerd @Shuvc, really appreciate all your insights.

All New Civic:
@iTNerd - in 2012, is truly far away. Tx also for the AT practicality pov.

@Shuvc - interesting point about the design cycle. And even though a carmaker would also have completed a larger/macro design cycle with every passing day/month/model/year; the combination of all the learnings, design & development working together in a new car, is still a matter of chance.
Else every scientifically & consumer conscientiously designed car would've been a hit.

Eagerly look forward to hear from Mumbai based Civic owners who've had monsoon and flooding experiences.

[spadix]

1Maverick, as promised here's my reply to your dilemma. Please take it with a pinch of salt as I haven't extensively driven an ANHC. Heck, even my Civic experience is just around 250 kms now. But for what it's worth -

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

And after TDing the Civic, there was that feeling that it's just not a Civic, and the cockpit doesn't wrap itself around the driver in a fantastic fusion of leather and technology.

Your initial assessment is spot-on and is something that many have shared.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

So the head says ANHC, but the heart says Civic. That's when my genius dad-in-law opined that many a times he's taken wise decisions with his head and suppressed the heart, only to feel foolish later. I liked the sheer honesty and wisdom in that statement.

I think it's not as simple as that. There are people I know who are comfortable with living for the money and reason everything with the total cost of ownership and utility you get vs. money you pay. I don't fault them or talk of that tendency in a derogatory manner (my father is just one such person I know).

It's more about which choice you're more comfortable making. You can listen to your head but you must have a really stout heart even in the future. And vice versa. Either way is easier said than done, of course, because both organs are equally important to the general well-being of any person.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

Like will the joy of driving beat the frustration of 'clutching' first gear crawls?

I think so. I think you're better served by an A/T if you don't particularly care about the whole "like stick shifts" thing. Your usage pattern seems to be predominantly city-based.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

2. There's a NHC (CityZX) in the family, the dimensions of which I'm completely at peace with to park and squeeze through Mumbai traffic. How much more of a driving & parking effort is the longer, wider, lower Civic?

Not much at all. I didn't find the Indigo to be a problem after the M800, and I don't find the Civic to be a problem so far after either. Of course, there have been some *really* tight situations which I could manage easily with both the 800 and Indigo. I wouldn't even venture there with the Civic (I'm talking of known places here).

Let me say that if you can find a parking slot that takes the Civic, the physical process of parking it is a breeze.

The electrically-foldable ORVMs make it easy even in narrow lanes.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

3. And speaking of lower seating and GC, I've read and figured that Honda has stiffened the suspension, (thank God) but how much of a pain is the low seating posture in traffic (city and highway)?

Can't comment much about this but I haven't been discomfited by 2+ hours at a stretch in the seat so far.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

I mean is it claustrophobic to be sandwiched between say a truck and a Scorpio, to have people in a adjoining rickshaw look down at you, and to have every facing car's badly adjusted headlights in your eyes?

The first part is subjective. However, oncoming headlights *are* a huge problem.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

Also I've been wildly checking out Civics in flooded road and subway conditions, to see if the exhaust gets submerged under water, or if the water enters the cabin.
Any experiences from Mumbai's 26/7 floods in a Civic? (Sorry if i sound super pessimistic, I prefer calling it more of a pragmatic Mumbaite-ic.)

Your concern is very valid. In a recent downpour in Hyderabad I was caught in waist-deep water in the Indigo. Navigating a pond is easy so long as you have no other vehicle in front of you (you don't have to take your foot off the accelerator). Even if the exhaust goes under water, as long as you keep your foot steady on the accelerator (no need to rev really high and slip the clutch - around 2.5k-3k rpm should do, I think; only the Civic is plenty fast at these revs even in 1st) you shouldn't have to worry. The bigger concern is water affecting the electricals and jamming the power windows or something. I wouldn't know much about that.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

4.
Given my upper middle class upbringing (captured well by the Maruti Suzuki yacht ad - kitna deti hai?); and the rising price of fuel - when the deregulated price of petrol inches towards 100 bucks a litre, will the ANHC make more sense than the Civic? (I'd calculated a 10,000 buck difference for my annual driving at current fuel prices, which is negligible compared to the joy of owning a Civic. But the future?)

Trust the government to not let prices increase all of a sudden. Essentially, you'll have time to plan and if fuel really reaches that price level, there will be bigger problems to worry about, trust me. Hopefully your salary would also keep up to some extent with the price of fuel.

Originally Posted by 1Maverick

5.
Point is if after buying the current Civic, in another 8 months if Honda launches a super cool new Civic, how silly would/should one feel?

Life's like that. There's always something new around the corner. If you *need* the car today and can afford it at the current price, go for it. If it's not a need and just a *want* (especially an exploratory kind of thing), then you could wait for a few months until more information is forthcoming. Given the description of your upbringing, I can safely say that it's a *need* in your case, so just buy it now. They're running the "insurance free" scheme even in August. This could therefore be a good time to plump for the A/T without feeling too much pain.

Fortunately or otherwise, Honda doesn't do what Hyundai, Tata, MUL and Skoda have proven themselves adept at doing (i.e. maintain both old and new models and sell them under different names). So you should have that window of time when there's news that Honda plans to launch the newer model and stocks start to run out. You could rush out and buy one then. Who knows, you may even get a good deal on the older model as people hold off to buy the newer one.

The key is to keep a hawk's eye on the auto news and make some friends in the industry. For instance, the news of the Altis D-4D came from a TBHPian who knew someone at ARAI who had physically seen the car being tested. I'm talking that level of contacts. Anything less is worthless.

Regards,
spadix

[vasoo]

If you are looking for one car with convenience to drive on a daily basis in crowded roads and occasional long trips, I would surely recommend City AT. If you are looking for a car, preferably a second one, which is fun to drive, spacious, has better oomph factor and a true highway cruiser, Civic is the way to go.

In my case, it was for 60% city and 40% highway. I already have a Santro for my daily rituals. I made the choice between City and Civic at the showroom, on the day of booking. I hoe you will be able make a decision much before that!

[avishar]

Shuvc i am taking the liberty of posting a few pics of your car taken at the drive.

[1Maverick]

Thanks a lot @Vasoo for your input.
@Spadix thanks for the detailed feedback.

[shuvc]

4300kms up in a shade over 3 months. Everytime I drive, I still marvel at the refinement levels and the butter smooth engine. Much like what @spadix reported.

Am right now sitting at the Pinnacle Honda showroom/workshop for the 2nd service and posting this.

Setup an appo with the SA who had handled the first service. Dilly-dallied in at 11am. Was given a time till 430pm.

Complaints:
- Dashboard rattle
- Seatbelt anchor rattle
- Bad odour from AC when turned on after the car has been idle for a while

Thats about it. No other complaints.

The mechanic assigned to the car took me out for a TD. Heard my complaints patiently. Hinted that they were minor rattles, but realised they were bugging me, so happily volunteered to check them all out !

An hour and a half later he asked me out on another TD. Explained what all he had fixed. And I felt a perceptible difference. Not sure how long it'll be before the rattles return. But am happy as of now.

Waiting for the car to be washed - and if possible, some minor scratches to be touched up.

What a wonderful car


ps: It's a good thing to have the sales and service at the same place. Helps connecting with the sales people who managed the sale of the car and helps develop the relationship. They had a frank chat with me over how it is getting increasingly difficult to sell anything other than the City. The conversation starter was the red Jazz X we were standing beside .. priced at 8.25 OTR in Calcutta !

[spadix]

Originally Posted by shuvc

- Bad odour from AC when turned on after the car has been idle for a while

I've felt that too from to time. It's a bit disappointing to see that happen in a new car, but I think it's really the environment (monsoons, wet all around and the associated mustiness that comes with it). The vent-mounted perfume device is a life-saver. Wife picked up this very nice thing which isn't too powerful and it's great.

Originally Posted by shuvc

What a wonderful car

You can say that again!

Originally Posted by shuvc

ps: It's a good thing to have the sales and service at the same place. Helps connecting with the sales people who managed the sale of the car and helps develop the relationship. They had a frank chat with me over how it is getting increasingly difficult to sell anything other than the City. The conversation starter was the Jazz X .. priced at 8.25 OTR in Calcutta !

So is this service centre only for the 1st three ones or for all major work too? Pride currently has their service centre at a very different place (much closer to where I live, thankfully) and they're opening one service station which will be housed alongside the upcoming larger showroom. However, this centre will strictly only handle regular services, one-day-turnaround things whereas the full-fledged, existing service centre will continue to operate and handle everything (regular stuff + bodywork + other detailed service).

Looking at the price difference between Hyd and Cal for the Civic, I'll say that at least Jazz buyers in Hyd needn't weep as hard. The Jazz Mode (I think that's what the lower end model is called) is around 8.61 OTR here before discounts and the Jazz Select hovers around 9.

Regards,
spadix

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by spadix

So is this service centre only for the 1st three ones or for all major work too?

This is their only setup. One building, multiple floors. Sales and Service and the 'yard' even. New cars are kept on the top floor.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Complaints:
- Dashboard rattle

Not sure how long it'll be before the rattles return. But am happy as of now.

2 weeks down the line after 2nd service.

The dashboard rattle is again audible. But a lot less than earlier and only on pretty rough roads. It seems to come from the area behind the instrument cluster. Need to pay another visit to the workshop.

Seat belt and LHS dashboard rattles seem to have vanished for good.

Found fairly empty roads on the way back home today. Decided to stick to 3rd as much as possible ! The engine was always on the boil. 25-30 to pretty high 'redline' speeds without any gear change. Just concentrate on the steering, modulate throttle and the brakes. It's real fun that way .. and fully vindicates the reason I'd buy a petrol over a diesel rocket.

[Pancham]

Hey Shuvc!! Can you post a pic of the driver headrest. I find it very discomforting since it is "almost" at a 45 degree angle. Can it be straightened?

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by Pancham

Hey Shuvc!! Can you post a pic of the driver headrest. I find it very discomforting since it is "almost" at a 45 degree angle. Can it be straightened?

Nope can't be straightened. But it's quite comfortable actually. Maybe depends somewhat on the backrest inclination angle. The way I have set the seatback, there is normally around an inch gap between my head and the headrest. So even if I need to rest my head, the driving position is not compromised much.

[cityvic]

Shuvcivic look sexy in person,the ICE in it is mindblowing too.I need a favour from you.Could you please tell me where can I get Foglamps for my civic?

[Pancham]

Yes you are correct. It does depend on the backrest inclination angle. Thanks!!

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by cityvic

Shuvcivic look sexy in person,the ICE in it is mindblowing too.I need a favour from you.Could you please tell me where can I get Foglamps for my civic?

shouldn' t they be easily available at accessory shops? Did you try any?

[cityvic]

I did,they dont have them.Can you please post of a pic of the foglight switch.Is it on

the headlight stalk?like in the city zx?