It's not to everyone's taste (Honda Civic 1.8i-VTEC SE 5dr)

Member Name: ScottishWestie

Product:	Honda Civic 1.8i-VTEC SE 5dr
Date:	14/08/09 (196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's a Honda, interior space, engine, gearchange, economy

Disadvantages: Looks, some exterior plastics

Car makers want young people owning & driving their products but for some it's easier said than done. In America Honda is the favoured brand for the young people, but in Europe it's seen as a conservative brand that appeals to older people.

There have been Honda Civic models in the UK since 1972 & they have built up a great reputation over the years for being well engineered vehicles that are ultra reliable & very fuel efficient. However that's not enough for Honda, a couple of years ago when they introduced the new Honda Civic model to Europe, they made no excuses for targeting the young buyer.

The new model which I had for a few days recently on hire was a 1800cc model & although looks is a subjective matter I have to say in general I found the new Civic a tad ugly. It looks good from a side profile & I could grow to like its front end but the rear looks like a real botch up.

I do like Honda's products & would never judge a car just based on looks, but as I walked around it on my first acquaintance I just couldn't warm to it. From the side it looks like a two door coupe as you only see the front door handle, however it's a four door with the rear door handle concealed on the upper section of the rear door. Under the front bumper the plastic grille looks so tacky compared to the rest of the car, almost like an afterthought.

But it's the rear that does it for me, a split rear window with a bar featuring a high level brake light separate the two windows & it causes a blind spot inside. There is no rear wiper, Honda says it's not needed but in reality the lower window gets dirty very quickly & creates a blind spot. The high mounted rear lights look so 1980ish & once again the lower bumper trims look so plasticky with 'boy racer' looking triangle shaped exhaust pipes.

The designers must have got a free hand at the interior, as once you get inside it looks like something that wouldn't look out of place on a Space Shuttle. The dash features two semi circular sections, the front one below the windscreen features a digital speedometer & radio display. The one closer to the driver features the rev counter, water temperature gauge, fuel gauge & multi information centre.

You look above the steering wheel at the speedo & below the steering wheel at the remainder of the dials. At first it looks unusual & off putting but once you drive off you soon get used to it. The multi info display gives the driver your fuel consumption, driving time, miles until you run out of fuel, which passengers have their seat belt on, outside temperature including a frost alert & mileage.

At first glance the switch gear is a mess, around the inner section are round controls for the automatic heater/air conditioning & various switches. Some switches you turn on & off, some you press & some that pop out & turn!
There are conventional stalks for lights & wipers & around six separate switches on the steering wheel for the radio & info system. Added to that you have a further eight switch on the drivers door for electric windows, mirrors & central locking & a rather complicated looking radio/CD. You really need to consult the handbook before you drive off & its little wonder it's over a centimetre thick!

Despite all that the interior looks very stylish & the materials used are of decent quality. The centre console features two decent sized bottle/cup holders that doubles up as a cubby box with a sliding lid with or without the ash tray & also featured is a rather large lined box with a comfy armrest.

The seats are very comfortable with a good range of adjustments available, the steering column also adjusts but it is a compromise due to the two separate dials being displayed above & below the steering wheel rim.
For such a high tech looking car it comes with such a low tech looking key, it looks like a conventional key with two buttons to lock or unlock the car.

However to start the car you need to insert the key in the conventional steering lock & switch on the ignition, the key doesn't start the car. Once the ignition is on, you press the red start button next to it to fire it up, it looks pretty cool & was a feature many years ago on old cars, why don't they just do away with the key altogether like some Toyota models & just use the starter button?.

ON THE ROAD

The new Civic has a six speed gearbox bolted onto a four cylinder 1800cc engine which at first when I drove off I honestly thought was a bigger engine model. It was incredibly quick during the few days I drove it & according to the information display returned me 44.05mpg, most of this driving was on Irish motorways & city driving in Belfast. Remarkable!

Unlike other Hondas I have driven the engine noise was a little gruff at low speeds but quietened down at higher speeds. It just wasn't as silky smooth as they normally are.
The gear change was ultra smooth & slick in typical Japanese fashion, there is no gear lever rubber gaiter, the lever looks like it attached to a ball, it looks quite smart & very effective.

Are six gears really necessary on a car of this size? Well if it contributes to the excellent fuel consumption I have to say yes, sitting at 70mph there was a 600rpm difference between fifth gear & six gear positions. It takes a little time to get used to it but one neat feature is when you come out of fifth or sixth gear the lever springs to the third & four gear position, just where you want it to be.

Steering was power assisted a touch too light for me, I would have preferred something with a little more feel but the wheel is of a rather smart design & felt just right in your hands.
The ride is smooth & the handling safe & secure, brakes were very effective & all the pedals were laid out perfectly with a foot rest next to the clutch pedal.

Inside the new Civic there is ample space for five passengers & a reasonable amount of room for odds & ends, I counted 10 separate areas for storing items including the glove box & door pockets on all four doors.
Honda do not supply a spare wheel, what you do gain from not having the wheel is an area below the boot floor that would normally store the wheel all carpeted & handy for hiding items out of sight.

In customary Honda fashion, most items had a quality feel to them such as interior & exterior trims items. Some of the dash plastics were of hard material but at least they felt well made & there was no evidence of creaks squeaks & rattles.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Some nice touches include small lights on the sun visors next to the mirrors, handy for checking your mascara in the dark! (Thankfully it was OK!).
The speedo can be changed from mph to kph at the touch of a button on the move. A series of green lights next to the speedo display advises you on economically driving & a split door mirror glass on the driver's side to expose the blind spot when someone overtakes you.

GRIPES?

A few, the major one is parking the Civic, due to its wedge shape its impossible to lean forward in the drivers seat & see the front end of the car for parking. There is large blind spot on the rear quarter panels & that split rear window isn't as appealing as it first looks when reversing. Honda did not fit reverse sensors to this particular model & if one car ever needs them it is the new Civic. If you lift up the front head rests from their lower position you create another blind spot when reversing. If you are considering buying one of these cars take time out to park it first & see how you get on.

As you enter the car on the driver's side the corner edge of the dash is well within range of coming in contact with your knees, so look out! The reflection from one of the dials at night on the windscreen is a bit distracting & front wiper switch has an adjustable intermittent feature but one of the settings keeps it on constantly confusing the driver into knowing what position the wipers are in.

Despite Honda's claims, the car does need a rear wiper although it may look a bit odd with the split rear window design.

CONCLUSION

I still don't like the new Civics' looks but it's selling like hot cakes so what do I know! Despite that the new Civic is a classy little car, fast, economical & well equipped, something different in a market full of clones. Although reliability on this particular model hasn't been up to the usual Honda standards of late, I would still recommend it if you can accept its quirky looks.

Summary: If you can live with the looks, it's worth looking at

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