Review: 06 Civic

[ifcar]

I drove the new civic today and came away quite impressed. Here is my review.

First off, I'll mention the steering wheels seen in the photos, most civics have a 2 spoke steering wheel other than the civic si which has the 3 spoke many of you have seen in the spy photos.  The wheels are slightly oval in shape and they feel very good in your hands, although I agree with many of you that the 2 spoke wheel is a little unconventional.

One thing that really impressed me about the car was the fit and finish.  We compared the si to the eclipse and the scion tc and the sedan to the corolla and mazda3 s.  The eclipse might have some of the biggest body and interior gaps I have ever seen in a production car. The corolla had much better finish but it was not close to how tight the body panels fit in the civic.  The sedan looks much better in the gray interior than the beige interior seen in many of the spy photos.  I was also impressed with how nice the bigger wheels (16" and 17") fill out the wheel wells.  The interior materials were typical high quality and the civic almost seemed like a mini Accord in terms of the materials.  The blind spots were very small and visability was much better than any of the other cars when comparing them to the civic.

The civics will have more safety equipment std than any vehicle in the class, Abs with EBD, front, side and side curtain airbags on all models, active head restraints(what other car in this class has this?), 4 wheel disc brakes, daytime running lights(yuck, why did they follow gm and toyota on this?)and advanced compatability engineering like the odyssey(reduces impact force if the car is in an accident with a much larger or smaller vehicle and the bumpers don't line up).  Also the digital speedometer, gas gauge, and engine temp are positioned almost like a HUD so its easy to see without looking down from the road.  All of the other instruments are are cluster below.  It is very sharp looking when the car is on and is very easy to read even in direct sunlight.

I drove the si first, it is now rated at 197 hp under the rating system.  This is one sharp looking car and the deeply raked winshield makes it look like a sport car.  It has a 2.0 liter I-Vtec engine, 6spd tranny(feels very similar to my accord 6spd), 350 watt audio system with ipod jack, 17" alloys, helical limited slip differential, moonroof, cloth seats that feel like suede(similar to the material in the current si) and an optional voice activated navi like the Accord.  I came away saying wow after buzzing this thing around the track, and took a lap with a pro race driver(unbelievable).  The blue on this car is very sharp, similar to the blue on the mazda 6.  It feels as fast as my Accord but handles much, much better, it almost felt like it was glued to the road.  The Si uses electric power steering just like the S2000 and just like the S2000 (I owned one), steering feel is sharp and communicates exactly what the car is doing.  Unlike some other cars with EPS it does not leave you feeling disconnected.  The sound of the high reving engine (8500 rpms) is pretty nice listening to it scream as the rpms climb.  What really impressed me was how well the car isolates noise when its being driven lightly as well.


The EX Civic is rated at 138 hp 1.8 liter I-Vtec engine(same engine in all sedans and coupes other than si and hybrid).  All civics will have timing chains in 2006.  We drove the automatic which is a 5spd.  The car is rated at 30 city and 40 highway even with the increase in horsepower from the 2005 models.  We compared it to the 2005 Mazda 3S and Corolla.  I came away thinking one thing, the Mazda horses aren't very healthy.  The civic is actually 1/100 of a second quicker to 60 than the Mazda even though the Mazda is 5 pounds lighter than the civic.  It will be interesting to see what the Mazda hp rating is when the new hp ratings come out for 2006.  Also the gas mileage on the 3 is dreadful compared to the civic.  The civic ex handles as well if not better than the Mazda and is much better in isolating noise, harshness and vibration.  Also the civic seat bolsters are almost perfect, you feel like the seat is gripping you, unlike the corolla which felt like your sitting on top of the seat.  The Mazda had decent seat bolstering, but not nearly as well fitting as the Civic.  Navi is an option on the EX as well.

Check out this car when it hits the dealers, it is definitely a better looking car in person without covered badges and lousy spy photos.  I was a little worried with some of the spy photos, but it looks pretty good especially like from the rear, (almost looks like a BMW from behind).  One final note was the average buyer age of many of the competitors, the average jetta buyer is 51 years old while the mazda was the lowest in the segment somewhere about mid thirties.  When the hell did Jetta buyers get so old?  Also the new civic hybrid should be 50 city and 50 highway for mpg.  I have a feeling its real world performance will be pretty close to the prius in real world driving and it has the same hp as the prius now, which is significantly more hp than last years model.  We were told pricing will probably be anywhere from 14k to 21k on these cars, which if this remains true would mean almost no increase from the current models, because the navi adds almost 2k to the price and a civic si in the 19s right now for msrp.

[Run Away]

Sweet, looks like Honda got the Si model right at least.
The only thing I'm not to sure on is the styling.

[CaseyNPham]

Whoa! I wonder how he got to drive one..

[ifcar]

Look at his username, he's a dealer.  

[CaseyNPham]

Look at his username, he's a dealer.

Oh, genius me ^_^

[TBR]

Sorry, I am not going to trust a review from someone who is paid to sell cars.

[bobwill]

I have to agree, taking a review from a guy who is paid to sell them is like, well... like reading the review of a guy who's paid to sell them.     Or asking your parents if you're smart or attractive.
The civic is actually 1/100 of a second quicker to 60 than the Mazda even though the Mazda is 5 pounds lighter than the civic.
What level of instrumentation was he using to get a measurement accurate to 1/100 of a second?

[ifcar]

On C/D, he seemed rather flustered about that same question. <_<

I don't mind a review from a salesman, but I will never trust an all-positive review. Until further notice, I will assume that the car falls short in all areas that jaysellshondas didn't mention: ride comfort, rear seat room, visibility, and trunk space. :D

[crv16]

What's most notable about the new Civic:

Wheelbase increased 3", width increased over an inch.

I suspect the new Civic Sedan is going to have near Accord interior space.  All this with class (leading or matching) performance, 30mpg city/40mpg hwy fuel economy, and a slight increase in price.

Honda seems to have addressed the most serious shortcoming of the current Civic, which is the noise level.

I'm going to seriously consider this when it comes out.  My almost two year old Civic EX has 56k miles on it now, and is still worth quite a bit.  I should be able to sell it for at least 11 grand.  I only paid 15,400 for it.  

[TBR]

The Civic isn't going to have class leading performance, Honda paid to have those numbers done so I am sure that the company did whatever it had to to make those numbers favorable to the Civic.

[Raza]

Seems like the Civic is going to be the greatest performance car of all time. Bravo Honda!

[ifcar]

The Civic isn't going to have class leading performance, Honda paid to have those numbers done so I am sure that the company did whatever it had to to make those numbers favorable to the Civic.

I doubt it (though it's possible, I believe AIG is the most-respected third-party testing source), they probably just chose the cars to mention that the Civic did beat in their testing, and ignored those that it didn't.  

[bobwill]

What's most notable about the new Civic:

Wheelbase increased 3", width increased over an inch.

I suspect the new Civic Sedan is going to have near Accord interior space.  All this with class (leading or matching) performance, 30mpg city/40mpg hwy fuel economy, and a slight increase in price.

Honda seems to have addressed the most serious shortcoming of the current Civic, which is the noise level.
I should be able to sell it for at least 11 grand.  I only paid 15,400 for it.

Really, who would buy a 4-cylinder Accord if the Civic has nearly the same amount of interior space, almost 10mpg better fuel economy, and equal if not better performance for less money?

As far as trade ins go, I wonder what effect the new model will have on your trade-in value, especially considering that the 2006 is suppossed to get a 5-year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.
I know that Honda owners are insanely rabid about owning Hondas. That's not meant to be a personal attack, just the primary reason for their high retained values.  But, I don't imagine people will be as likely to buy your Civic once the new one comes out with a longer warranty, new standard features, with a more powerful and efficient engine.

[ifcar]

Never stopped them in the past. <_<

And I'm sure the Accord will have much more usable interior space than the Civic.  

[bobwill]

Never stopped them in the past. <_<

Which is why I used the term insanely rabid. :D

[crv16]

As far as trade ins go, I wonder what effect the new model will have on your trade-in value, especially considering that the 2006 is suppossed to get a 5-year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.
I know that Honda owners are insanely rabid about owning Hondas. That's not meant to be a personal attack, just the primary reason for their high retained values.  But, I don't imagine people will be as likely to buy your Civic once the new one comes out with a longer warranty, new standard features, with a more powerful and efficient engine.

Honda resale values defy logic.  Personally, I would never pay 11 or 12 grand for my Civic, but apparently it's worth it.

It's one of the main reasons I buy Hondas - because I can very easily and cheaply get a brand new car every few years.  I usually finance them with nothing down and a 5 year term.  I've never once been upside down in a trade.  

My local honda dealer is a no-haggle outfit, and they're one of the biggest honda dealers in new england.  Here's a couple examples of their used listings:

http://honda.autofair.com/index.cfm?action...FranchiseID=590

2003 Civic EX sedan, 5 spd, 33k, $13,475  (same as mine, just fewer miles)

http://honda.autofair.com/index.cfm?action...FranchiseID=590
2002 Civic EX sedan, 5 spd, 67k, $12,450 (older than mind, more miles)

So I think I could easily get 11k on a trade, or maybe 12k if I sold it myself.

[bobwill]

How often does the bulk of what the majority of Americans do ever have anything resembling logic driving it. :D
If we were a logical people minivans would greatly outsell SUVs, there would be no energy problems in California, houses in Anne Arundel County wouldn't be starting at $600,000, and there would be little need for social security as most people would have decent savings plans set up.

We're a very illogical people. :D

[ifcar]

"...houses in Anne Arundel County wouldn't be starting at $600,000..."

I don't think too many people here are familiar enough with the DC/Baltimore area to know what you're talking about.

[bobwill]

What can I say, I felt like venting.  :P  

[bobwill]

Oh another one that I like to point out as I deal with it at work every day.  People are more afraid of screwing up in Microsoft Word, then they are when it comes to hurtling a 2 ton death machine down a congested highway at 80mph.

[ifcar]

Oh another one that I like to point out as I deal with it at work every day.  People are more afraid of screwing up in Microsoft Word, then they are when it comes to hurtling a 2 ton death machine down a congested highway at 80mph.

:D  :D  :D  

[bobwill]

heh, that should be hurling, not hurtling. :)
Though hurtling an 80mph 2 ton death machine is just as impressive, if not moreso then hurling one. :D