I went to the local Honda dealers today for a look at the new Civic so I thought I'd type up a quick review.

First impressions are very favourable. It looks very nice in the flesh with lots of pleasant details that give the impression of a quality product. The rear end is quite "busy" with a lot of different lines but it does just about work. The only downside to it is that the rear visibility is hampered by the waistline and split rear window.

Inside the cabin is lovely. The dashboard is very different to anything I've seen outside of a science fiction program , and I love it. On the move the important details leap out at you , but there is plenty more information on display should you need it.

The seats are very comfortable and hold you firmly in place , and the rear leg room is pretty decent though obviously not as good as you might find in a superb.

The boot space is good for a car of that size as the fuel tank is under the front seats and the back seats fold up or down to give you a lot of choices about where to put stuff. On the road the diesel engine is very smooth indeed , but as has been said before it feels very much like a petrol engine. It doesn't have the same sort of surge of torque that my Octy TDI does and as a result it doesn't actually feel all that fast. It's only when you look at the speedo you realise that it is actually pretty damn rapid. I got a chance for a quick run up to 100 down a bypass and it felt very stable and didn't take long to get there at all. The roads were very wet and greasy so I couldn't really test the limits of the handling but the reasonably firm suspension should help it grip very nicely.

So , will I buy one?

To be honest I'm not sure.

A 2.2 ES has a list price of 16900 , but by the time you add metalic paint , a cd changer and the improved rear speakers it's an 18 grand car and that really is a hell of a lot of money for something that size.

By contrast an octavia II 2.0tdi elegance is a size above it and there will be every chance of getting 2k off compared to the

Very interesting to read, thanks. Will go and look at the Civic I think, but price, hmm... Bet there's not a chance of getting a 0% finance deal on it either (like all my Skodas have had)

For me that was the one redeeming thing about diesels is that they felt quick due to their thumping power delivery, however, they seem to be engineering that out of them now as well, soon the ONLY thing going for diesels is that they are economical.

I'll be interested to see what the new Type R looks like though.

Yep , it makes me more tempted to go for an old shape Leon FR.

It'll have similar performance on paper to the civic , but will feel faster and it would save me about 4 grand!

I think I'd also prefer the Leon... although I do like the futuristic dash of the Civic...

The dash is stunning in the flesh.

I can see them selling a lot of cars to younger buyers because of that.

And not selling many to pensioners for just the same reason

I too like the Honda.

Be careful about depreciation on the old syle Leon FR. I

know its 4k cheaper, but, I hazard a guess that the drop its value very quickly compared to the more expensive Civic.

If you intent to keep the Leon FR (very good car anyway) for a long time then this will not figure in your decision as much

Cheers

Tony

I'd plan to keep either of them for about three years and 90k miles , by which time there certainly won't be 4k of difference in the trade in price

The 2.2 diesel Exec comes with all the toys as standard IIRC (including Sat Nav) for £17,500, and that's list price without discounts. I'd say that compares very favourably with the new Octavia!

The 2.2 diesel Exec comes with all the toys as standard IIRC (including Sat Nav) for

Went to have a look at one myself the other day. Was very disappointed with the exterior styling, which in the metal seemed much fussier and incoherent that you think it should be from the photos.

Interior was fantastic though. The salesman called up today so I'll probably go for a test drive sometime in the next couple of weeks.

had a close look at some they had on display in the metro centre..looked nice on the gunmetal 17's

interior looks very interesting...will wait to see what they do with the type-r..should be special

Looked at the Civic in the flesh myself today, like it, think I've found the replacement for the Fabia vRS. The dealer pleasant too. Well, they would be

So test drive booked in a couple of weeks. Managed to get it to 19,745 quid on the 'build your Honda' bit of their website though :eek: Could get another Fabia vRS with leather & everything for that.

Sounds like Honda don't haggle much then from other posts? Hmm, could have my work cut out then.

Brochure is something else, worth checking out! Makes the Volvo one for the S40 I also looked at today very staid.

I drove the Civic 2.2d at the weekend, and was not impressed. In fact I would go as far as saying I'd have bought the car, right up until I let out the clutch for the first time. They look great, have lots of thoughtful touches and design features, but the major controls when driving it, were terrible. I just couldn't get happy with it, the clutch in particular was a pig. Shame as I really liked the look of the car.

One of the guys I work with has one today as a courtesy car while his accord is in for a service so I've had a second look round one.

It is still a very nice car indeed with a lot of clever touches but I've also spotted a couple of things that look a bit out of place and cheap , namely the fuel filler cap and the speaker grilles which look like they cost 20p.

The main drawback for me is the cost , and the ES with an upgraded stereo is likely to have a list price of 18.5k and an actual cost of 18k.

As an alternative I could get an octy estate (2.0tdi elegance) for just under 17k which is a hell of a lot better value for money.

As an alternative I could get an octy estate (2.0tdi elegance) for just under 17k which is a hell of a lot better value for money.

I have thought the Civic would hold its value better. Also, it's a lot cooler

I have thought the Civic would hold its value better. Also, it's a lot cooler

Over 3 years and 100k miles there won't be that much in it , and the Honda will probably cost more to service in that time so that balances things out again

but the major controls when driving it, were terrible. I just couldn't get happy with it, the clutch in particular was a pig

Oh dear, was it too sharp (diesels usually are IMHO) or biting point too high or what?

I've noticed mention of the visibility while in the Civic being a bit off in some online write-ups, what's anyone else think?

Been a while since I test drove a car (went from TDI Fabia to the vRS so knew what to expect - more of the same with a it more oopmh!) so mustn't get suckered by all the gadgets etc...

Drive the deal quote around 900 quid off list already....

Finally seen one.Agree it does look overly fussy.

Definately prefer chunky and solid, even if slightly boring, skoda.

Oh dear' date=' was it too sharp (diesels usually are IMHO) or biting point too high or what?

I've noticed mention of the visibility while in the Civic being a bit off in some online write-ups, what's anyone else think?

Been a while since I test drove a car (went from TDI Fabia to the vRS so knew what to expect - more of the same with a it more oopmh!) so mustn't get suckered by all the gadgets etc...

Drive the deal quote around 900 quid off list already....[/quote']

How the hell is your avatar so big???

How the hell is your avatar so big???

good point.System has been overriden:rofl:

Sorry about the giant FiFi & Mo avatar, now normal sized - thought it would scale it like MSN Messenger does when I changed it today Colin is on the case re that 'bug' AFAIK I think it's one of the benefits of the Freedom membership is a larger filesize avatar (more animation intended rather than giant ones!)

Anyway, back to the Civic please, where I am going to find other owners on a forum as good as this one if I get one?

Anyone any comments on dealers and aftersales for Honda?

Friend has just bought one.Had a sit in it but didn't drive it.

Lovely inside.Really liked it.I thought the outside was nice too.No rear wipe though.

Downside,£14000 for a 1.4.Bit expensive I thought

I do like the new Civic, but yes it does not seem to be good value against the new Octy, not even particularly cheap compared to the Golf ! Wonder what the pricing of the Type R will be ?

My sister has just bought one for £16k with leather. Went with her to the dealers, and the car is quality. One of the nicest interiors around, using very high standard materials.

I didn't get a drive, as my sis had the test drive last week, back to back with a new Leon TDi. She drove the Leon first and loved it. Then she drove the Civic. She liked the drive of both, but thought the Civic definately felt slightly faster. Basically, it boiled down to the interior - no comparison! The Civic is a lovely place to be.

With leather, the Civic worked out slightly more expensive. As others have said, the only downside to buying a Honda is that they will not move much at all on price.