Hello,

Just been looking at the Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDI on autotrader and parkers guide and you seem to get a lot of bang for your buck. Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the civic being an alternative to a Fabia VRS.

I know at least one former owner who's gone to a 2.2 Sport. Seems very happy and it's a lovely car. In a different bracket though surely - both price and size-wise?

What sort of money have you seen them at?

Steve

Different class of car. More of a small family hatch than a super mini

I've heard good things about those engines though

Lovely engine and drives very well. Great overall package and well worth consideration. Not brilliant rear and rear 3/4 visibility though; I could see parking sensors being a very handy addition

All depends on your budget...

Steve

One of my friends has one and it does look very star wars like inside!!

Have a test drive in one to really form an opinion.

Hello,

Just been looking at the Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDI on autotrader and parkers guide and you seem to get a lot of bang for your buck. Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the civic being an alternative to a Fabia VRS.

good choice mate, ive heard the engine in these is something very special, look nice with the gt bodykit and wheels on. I think its wise to test drive one. If i had the choice of the 2 I would probs go for the Honda as long as it had my gt kit with it

Great cars if you can live with the unconventional dash layout

Apparently its set to be the Honda that ruins their reputation for reliability though.

hi there

you asked for opinion on the civic cdti

my wife and i bought a brand new one the ex model with options cost 20k

in the first 6 weeks it was in the garage for 4 of them

probs with the car

it took two people to fuel the car - fuel filler cap fitted wrong (very common prob)

dashboard - motherboard failed (no instruments)

electric folding mirrors - broken and would not reset (left in the folded position)

very expensive to service compared to other cars we have had

i would not recommend this car to anyone and when we sold it after 7 months trade in price 13k

if i could afford the type-s i'd have one of these. but in 5 door i think they look gash.

my best friend has one and in general it is a decent car, very fast too.

My brother had a 1.8 petrol for nearly 2 years from new, doing 30k a year and had no problems at all with it. Never missed a beat.

For me, I'm a little disappointed that it only comes in one output, c130 bhp IIRC. Surely Honda could have found a little more guts somewhere? When I step up to a larger class of car it'll put me off the civic. I'd like an oil burner with 170bhp+. Golf, A3, 1 Series, C30........ Octavia just seems too big though.

Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 v v t

apparently they have chocolate clutch? and thats as standard as id love to see a mapeed one go!

A very good friend of mine changed his Fabia vRS for a Civic (Battleship Gallactica) and regretted it. No reliability issues it was just that it felt big and a bit too sensible for it's own good. The rear visability is terrible and there is no rear wiper + the lower part of the tailgate window is plastic and mists up. He kept it for 6 months before swapping it for a Swift Sport. Now driving an Octavia DSG TDI which he prefers to the Civic (even though it's big and sensible!!).

JON

Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 v v t

lol swift. The spec list for a ex model civic is very good. You get sooooo much loads of toys a big boot sat nav etc. Wayyyy more than you would get on a Fab VRS though i suppose they are not the same one being a super mini the other a small family car.

Does anyone know of a chipped civic 2.2 i-ctdi? that must be beasty!

I know at least one former owner who's gone to a 2.2 Sport. Seems very happy and it's a lovely car. In a different bracket though surely - both price and size-wise?

What sort of money have you seen them at?

Steve

Yeah they are more expensive seen some good low mileage ones on autotrader around about the £12,000 bracket. They are a group 10 insurance which isnt that bad for a 2.2! lol.

Compared with a Leon FR TDI or a Octavia VRS TDI it would probs be left behind speed wise but spec wise! you get loads I couldnt believe it looking at the spec list so much. But as some people have said maybe they could be let down by there reliabilty lol Maybe the VAG cars would perform better here but it is as they say a honda so........

Should also say the civi is in the same road tax band as the fab vrs but it has more torque! 340NM! though it has more cc! :p

This thread being similar to the VRS-Focus thread. You can't compare this size/performance of car with the VRS. It ain't fair. Try comparing with a Fiesta/Corsa/Polo instead.

Hope this helps!

Previously owned both the Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDI EX and two Fabia Vrs cars, one Vrs I still own and an Octavia VRS TDI CR DSG.

The Honda is a good car, done 25k miles in it with hardly any problems; fuel filler caps were faulty on original 56 reg cars, easily fixed under warranty by Honda. Car is very roomy and trick rear seats fold up to allow you to store your mountain bikes in the back and still leaves the boot intact.

Honda has three main issues-

1. Turbo lag and whine when you floor accelerator
   
2. The rear screen does not having a wiper; the water (Morning dew) does not flow off unless the screen is clean and the rear spoiler obstructs your view making it difficult to identify cars that are coming up behind
   
3. Engine uses at least a 2 litres of oil between oil changes
   

With some cars that have turbo lag you could left foot brake and floor accelerator to get the boost pressure up, leave the brake go and you were off, you cant do this with the civic because a switch on the brake pedal cuts the turbo boost.

Civic 42MPG, Fabia Vrs 52MPG, Octavia VRS TDI CR DSG 52MPG over same route.

Pressing hard the Fabia Vrs is a clear winner.

Fabia Vrs with Jabbasport remap a real flyer.

It depends how you drive and whether you want a larger car, the Honda has much larger cabin space and boot, the Fabia is a smaller car and therefore less expensive. Both are very good but different cars.

Good luck