New Honda Civic (1 Viewer)

[seremify007]

Just wondering what anyone here thinks of it- apart from Ciel (thanks for responding to sms).

I am pretty set on getting over the Astra. Sure it's not as nice (no leather seats) but the dash is much better, the sound system isn't as good (but I can add amp/subwoofer), etc... but it's cheaper (by $2.5k), and I can get it at the end of next week if I order it this week (ie. on Monday/Tuesday) whereas the Astra has a waiting list until May ...

Any thoughts?
Btw I'm looking at the 1.8L model (VTi-L) for a shade under $30k driveaway.

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

got pics?

 

[felixcthecat]

i'd choose Honda Civic for it's brand and general 'practicalness' of japanese cars... and apparently cheaper as well? i'll go HOnda lolz.. not very convincing comments tho.. but ohwell..

 

[shortygb]

its good, but not as good as the Civic the europeans got...thats much better, too bad they didnt bring it here.

 

[CieL]

got pics?

http://www.honda.com.au/lwp/wcm/resources/image/468e4790a48bd1d6/car_civicgalleryext03.jpg
http://www.honda.com.au/lwp/wcm/resources/image/468e49f0a49298ef/car_civicgalleryint01.jpg
http://www.honda.com.au/lwp/wcm/resources/image/468e4a50a496cd17/car_civicgalleryint02.jpg
http://www.honda.com.au/lwp/wcm/resources/image/468e47e0a48d0a95/car_civicgalleryext04.jpg
http://www.honda.com.au/lwp/wcm/resources/image/468e4ac0a4978c7e/car_civicgalleryint03.jpg

Personally I think it's pretty friggin sexy for a civic..

But good thing is it uses Unleaded.. and doesn't require Premium.. Petrol costs me a shitload.. around $70 a tank (98ron) whereas my bf's Civic goes 500km on ~$45 a full tank.. and his is the previous gen, and this one is even more fuel efficient.. with more powahhhh (~15kw more)

Don't worry about no leather jeff.. In Aussie climate, leather can get really hot.. like REALLY HOT.. I'd seriously prefer fabric seats..

Is the sound system really that crap? My Euro has a really decent stock sound system so I was expecting this civic to have an alright system too.. but I mean, are you going to need that extra OOMPH..? Especially when it weighs the car down? =]

Oh oh.. and I think the new Civic comes with VTEC as welll.. (whereas the previous gen didnt)

Did you also add extras or something? How come it totals up to $30k?

 

[seremify007]

The sound system is pretty good for stock but definitely lacking in bass... and since it's not "acoustically tuned" (like the Astra), I might as well upgrade the sound system a bit. Since the Civic is so much bigger than the Astra/Cooper, I definitely have space to put the amp and subwoofer in, just a matter of how much I'll spend on it... don't need super good quality, just decent.

It was funny 'coz we were stuck in traffic and there was this fully done up Celica parked on the road and I commented to the dealer "Haha I wonder if I could do something like that to this car" and he said that the Celica was actually his car... LOL.

Anyway, back on track, the dealer (was a young Asian guy) and he knew a lot about car modifications (no surprise)... except he was a bit more pro (in terms of budget) 'coz he bought expensive brands for his sound gear (which I had no clue about^^).

As for VTEC- yep it's a VET but only SOHC? Surprising... but then the DOHC model is $5k more and only produces 10 more kW- but my cousin said the asian model comes with steering wheel paddles + traction control (which isn't in the Aussie model).

The $30k is for an automatic Civic VTi-L (not base model) and is inclusive of on road costs... the dealer said he can't negotiate much price since it's new, but is willing to throw in extras (I'm thinking of getting parking sensors or body kit- probably end up with parking sensors for their practicality though).

... and one more thing, it's bloody sexy for a civic. Looks friggin futuristic (I liken it to a space ship console in comparison to the Astra). Probably still going to get black- but that crimson red is my 2nd pref. What do you guys reckn?

 

[Pace_T]

I think it's much better looking than the Astra. The interior looks more up-to-date as well. Ciel is soo right about leather. My car is black and has no tints. So the leather almost melts!!! Luckily summer is almost over. I'm glad the leather is beige and not black as well! :O
Get a black one. Red is girly. Black spells SEX!

That said, I still think that buying a new car is stupid, since you'll lose so much money when you drive it for the first time.
But out of the two, the Honda Civic gets my vote!

 

[seremify007]

The Red one looks pretty good in the flesh so I think I'll keep that as 2nd pref. The blue/greyish one looks wimpy/too conservative.

Btw, we have reasons (which I shan't go into) for why I am getting a new car rather than a 2nd hand one... but it's also a time-saver in the sense won't need to worry about it having problems and there is dealer warranty, etc.. sure you can get this on a dealer-sold 2nd hand car; but they tend to be expensive and overpriced (from what I've seen).

Thanks for the advice re: leather. I still like it, but I guess I'll probably live well without it.

 

[CieL]

Did you even turn up the bass?
My stock bass shakes the car and the windows X]

I like that spaceship feeling, it looks mad.. but then again, Those pictures look kind of graphic designed.. likeeeee, not the real deal.. But yeah, still sexy..

As for the colour, I wouldn't go black.. Black is a dangerous colour.. Especially at night.. and so is dark green.. They're hard to see in your blind spot area even when you shoulder check for some strange reason.. must be the camouflage factor.. =S

Ruby Red looks good, but somehow I can't see you driving that colour around.. I can imagine you with a metallic grey/blue/silver colour though.. But those are a tad boring.. But a shitload safer

Actually.. I like the violet But Jeff + Violet = Strange

EDIT: Make that Queer

And if you can afford to get a new car, get it.. Save you from regretting previous history etc if you get a bad deal

 

[seremify007]

Violet is only on the Sport model!! Grr...

I never really thought about the safety aspect of the dark colour... surely my headlights will be visible (btw Ciel- do you know if those HID ones are legal if i import 'em for this car?)...

Ruby Red looks really good in person.. you know how some cars have that car which is just perfect for it and screams character and passion? I think that's the colour for this car. Those boring colours... I saw in person- are really boring. They're the colours old ppl would pick if they were buying into this spaceship (and amazingly in the flesh, it looks like a spaceship inside).

I turned up the bass... but it wasn't clean? It didn't have the 'punch' to it which a subwoofer has. Sure it can shake the windows (as stock) but it just doesn't sound good. The Honda sound upgrade for bass doesn't look too impressive so I might just be lazy (and cheap) and just head down to JB Hifi or Strathfield or something to get a cheap amp + Subwoofer installed.

(Edit: Quick Q- what's the diff between monoblock amp and a multichannel one? If all I want is to add a subwoofer and leave everything else stock, do I need to buy the multichannel or just use the monoblock? Will the price difference be much? Cheers)

 

[CieL]

HIDs are legal - the Accord Euro Luxury comes stock with those things

Unless you're talking about something else I'm not aware of..

ehehe then get ruby red!! Seriously I love black cars, but yeah.. driving them and looking out for them is a different matter, especially at night.. when I'm close to blind hehehehehheeh X]

Yeah true that about the spaceship and boring colours..

Maybe the ruby red does look better in person, they never get it right on the websites.. get it get it!!

Oh and btw, headlights.. like, the visible factor..

Eg.
Tonight some car was tailgating me soooooo fkn closely, I couldnt see their headlights.. I thought no cars were behind me until I turned a corner and saw the sides of their headlights behind me.. So yeah.. Think about it

 

[wheredanton]

The Civil range is poorly defined in terms of safety.

The base model only comes with daul airbags and there is no way to option that up with side airbags and life saving head airbags. You have to buy the top model to get 5 star crash protection (which it did in EuroNCAP).

To me thats pretty piss poor, considering Mazda and Subaru allow you to choose whether you want safety regardless of the spec.

It even more piss more when you consider Hyundai gives all their 'new generation' cars 6 to 8 airbags and you can drive out in a suzuki Swift also with 6 airbags.

 

[wheredanton]

i'd choose Honda Civic for it's brand and general 'practicalness' of japanese cars... and apparently cheaper as well? i'll go HOnda lolz.. not very convincing comments tho.. but ohwell..

The Honda Civic is made in Thailand, as is the Accord (non euro version)

Astra is made in Belgium and has much more metal in it than the Civic. Also gets 5 stars in the EuroNCAP test but with 6 airbags. You have to buy the top model to get all the airbags which also crap like Honda.

 

[transcendent]

from the front it looks good, but i hate the tail lights of the new Civic.
from the front of the Astra it is ugly, but i like the tail end of it.
i'd go with the civic and hope someone comes up with a tail light mod to replace the ugly stock ones. get the VTi or the Sports. i consider the luxury VTi-L a waste of money.

 

[seremify007]

The Civil range is poorly defined in terms of safety.

The base model only comes with daul airbags and there is no way to option that up with side airbags and life saving head airbags. You have to buy the top model to get 5 star crash protection (which it did in EuroNCAP).

You sure? The base model (VTi) and midrange model (VTI-L) both come with front/side Driver & F. Passenger airbags, with the SPort model having curtain airbags in the rear too. Unless you meant the Astra which had the 5 star NCAP when it had curtains (in the CDxi 5dr hatch model).

I don't think Civic (this gen) has gone for NCAP, but in the past it received 4 stars with the 7th gen I believe.

It even more piss more when you consider Hyundai gives all their 'new generation' cars 6 to 8 airbags and you can drive out in a suzuki Swift also with 6 airbags.

The new Yaris probably wows me the most in terms of small price for huge safety, but airbags aren't everything... Just because a car comes with 8 airbags doesn't automatically guarantee it's safe- just like having 500watt speakers doesn't necessarily mean it's going to sound better than a 200watt sound system. If I could I'd wait for NCAP results, but I'm pretty sure the new Civic is decent (safety-wise)- and I don't feel like waiting until May for the Astra Coupe which now that I think about it, feels very dated.

About to go out to Holden/Honda (both H's which I stumbled upon randomly- wasn't interested in Honda before!)... checking out colours and prices.

The Honda Civic is made in Thailand, as is the Accord (non euro version)

Astra is made in Belgium and has much more metal in it than the Civic. Also gets 5 stars in the EuroNCAP test but with 6 airbags. You have to buy the top model to get all the airbags which also crap like Honda.

You sure about the Civic? I'm pretty sure I read this model is made in Ohio (America).

But yeh the Astra is super good build quality- you only realise it when you see it in person. Stark comparison to the Focus Zetec which was horrible and things were falling apart in the demo model we test drove.

from the front it looks good, but i hate the tail lights of the new Civic.
from the front of the Astra it is ugly, but i like the tail end of it.
i'd go with the civic and hope someone comes up with a tail light mod to replace the ugly stock ones. get the VTi or the Sports. i consider the luxury VTi-L a waste of money.

The price difference between VTi and VTI-L isn't much- and I like the indash 6cd, alloy wheels, and various other slight changes... Anyhow, at least Civic has parts already- checked out they have body kits available. Astra Coupe (aka Opel Astra GTC) has nothing!

 

[wheredanton]

You sure? The base model (VTi) and midrange model (VTI-L) both come with front/side Driver & F. Passenger airbags, with the SPort model having curtain airbags in the rear too. Unless you meant the Astra which had the 5 star NCAP when it had curtains (in the CDxi 5dr hatch model).

I don't think Civic (this gen) has gone for NCAP, but in the past it received 4 stars with the 7th gen I believe.

Base model only gets front airbags.

I think you are a little confused as to what side and curtain airbags are.

The base model in the Civic is daul front airbags only (2 airbags)

Mid range model (whatever it is called) gets front and 'side' airbags (4 airbags)

Top of the range gets front side and curtain airbags. Curtain airbags are different to side airbag (6 airbags).

Side airbags come out of the seat and protect your torso. They do not protect your head. Curtain airbags come out of the roof and protect your head.

This is the image of the Civic in the US IIHS side impact test (considered tougher than the EuroNCAP test due to the type of side impact test)

Difference between side and curtain is seen here.

The civic got the 5 star rating WITH curtain airbags. A car without curtain airbags in a side on crash is worth nothing. You should visit the American IIHS site for such examples. Most of time the tests show that a car without curtain airbags will have the drivers head hit the front of the car through the window at 50kmph. This of course equals death. Sure you have side airbag to protect your torso but your head will be sliced open.

This is a Ford Fusion (based on the mazda 6) without head or side airbags being hit by a truck at 50kmph

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You are right about the civic in that it hasnt gone to NCAP. However it has been tested by the IIHS in the US and recieved a gold award (the top 5 star rating = to 5 start EuroNCAP).

The new Yaris probably wows me the most in terms of small price for huge safety, but airbags aren't everything... Just because a car comes with 8 airbags doesn't automatically guarantee it's safe

The Yaris just picked up 5 stars in the Euro test. It is safe to say that a 8 airbagged Yaris would be safer in a side on impact than a base Civic with no side or curtain airbags simple because in the Yaris there will be an airbag protecting your head from hitting the glass are the bumper of the car that hits you.

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According to this the Civic and the Accord (V6) are made in Thailand

http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article.aspx?id=9759&vf=1

http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/car-review/1582431.aspx

 

[seremify007]

Btw it turns out I didn't read the spec sheet properly

Anyway, after driving the Astra today I was shocked at the transmission/drivetrain... it felt nearly as bad as the Terios at low rpm! So headed off to Honda for another test drive- and then we ordered it.

Pick up is next week

... and yes the Civic (in Australia) is made in Thailand. I'm guessing Google just linked me to American reviews.

 

[supercharged]

I'm considering buying a civic sport sedan late in the year, I would much prefer the cooler UK model civic hatch, but that only comes with a gay torqueless 1.8L engine not the much beefier 2.0L (the more torque the better especially with automatics ).

I don't care for overhyped Honda Type Rs, they are weedy pieces of shit that get blown away by WRX, upcoming Mazda 3 MPS, XR6, HSVs etc etc

 

[wheredanton]

Anyway, after driving the Astra today I was shocked at the transmission/drivetrain... it felt nearly as bad as the Terios at low rpm! So headed off to Honda for another test drive- and then we ordered it.

The poor old Astra has a nice new solid chassis but the drivetrain and gearbox is old tech.

Pick up is next week q

You must provide pictures and comments on how it goes!

 

[seremify007]

I shall post pics up next week

As for the 2.0L... I read somewhere that the 2.0L in automatic takes 9.9seconds 0-100 whereas the 1.8L in manual only takes 9.7~ but to me, performance isn't that much of an issue. What amazed me was on the freeway, the acceleration from 80 to 110 was surprisingly good (and it was uphill) whereas the Astra, driving around Cherrybrook (the area I've grown up and learnt to drive in) I realise that whilst it can grip corners really well, the unpredictable and harsh drivetrain/gearbox is horrible and instead of accelerating through corners, I found myself not accelerating at all because I didn't know how the car would react. I've probably bitched about my Terios on these forums before (whereby you press the pedal but nothing happens, so you press harder and suddenly there's a *surge* of power)- that's exactly how the Astra felt a lot of the time.

Only problem with the Honda was the cost of accessories... as nice as the body kit may be, I'm not paying $2600 for it. I settled for the spoiler only for an extra $500 (which was probably already overpriced)- but hey, needed something to add uniqueness to my car Thanks for all your help guys; I am so bloody glad I didn't buy the Astra without test driving it.