Other cars Don't Buy a Citroen C4 instead of a Civic!

[itsrelfy]

Originally Posted by Smifffy

((Please transfer this to another area if location of this post is incorrect - it may be useful to those about to buy, and have both a C4 and a Civic on their short list))

Took the misses C1 into the garage today - car perfect - 'Free' Ipod playing up (Murphy's Law).

Dealer knows I drive a Civic so gave me a courtesy car C4 (Diesel) for the day saying "this is much better than that Civic you have".

Initial gut feel - Not a chance!! the 15 mile drive home was enough to show me that this is not a serious competitor to the Civic.

Initial comments - "Plasticy" interior, yes I know the Civic gets a rough ride on its plastic dash but this seemed so cheap and brittle. Seats smaller than Civic and seem to lean backwards. Has one of these central instrument displays that you have to keep looking to the left to see and squinting at the LCD info - makes you really appreciate the clarity of the Civic display.
Has a weird LCD tacho on the top of the steering wheel hub (which does not revolve - novel).

Will take it the long way back to the dealers tomorrow and give it a proper spin and let you know how it handles.

My Brother has a C4.

There is no way the C4 dash is inferior to the Civic. The civic dash, hard, easily scratched plastic, the C4 dash soft touch plastics. The Civic dash, squeaks, the C4 dash solid.

I own a Civic and even I think the dash is a C4 is better.

Next point. Smaller seats??? What seats did it have??? My brothers has the Sports seats that come standard on the VTR+ and up and they are not small at all. They are a bit softer then the Civics and they hold you in a lot better, the side bolsters are huge. But again, this is the Sports seats, the C4 has a 'lesser' seat in the lesser models. I cant comment on these, but car for car, you really need to be comparing the Civic to at least a VTR+

The instrument binnacle is, interesting. I prefer the Civic's. Ill argue the point that you have to squint though. I find it perfectly clear, and you can see it in your peripheral vision, you certainly dont have to look sideways. Anyway, its all academic, with the Civic, you have to look down slightly.

As for the layout, whats so strange??? The radio is in the right place, as are the heating controls. The rev counter is right in front of you, where it is in most cars. The only thing different is the Speedo etc, in the middle, same as the Toyota Yaris etc. One of the reasons the C4 is probably so cheap, they dont have todesign and make tooling for two different dashboard designs.

The only cars that solve this problem are those with HUD's.

In terms of reliabilty, the C4 is fine. It hasnt broken down, failed to start, run rough or anything since its been with us (since February this year) Its been driven all the way to Spain and back fault free. Its 18 months old and has 27000 miles on the clock. Plus, it only needs servicing every 2 years or 20000 miles.

You have to take each car on its own merits and the C4 has benefits of the Civic. In the end it comes down to what you like.

The Civic is more sporty, (probably) more reliable, (probably) better built overall.

The Citroen is more comfortable, cheaper to buy and run, has more standard equipment.

Its horses for courses.

Ill get down off my soapbox now.

Heres a pic,

[stewright]

I currently own a C4 1.6 VTR+ and I'm considering 'upgrading' to a Civic EX 1.8. Although I do think the Civic is a better car in many ways, there are many features of the C4 that the civic doesn't match.

Dash: Personally I prefer the central display on the C4. I prefer all my readouts in a digital format, whereas on the Civic some are more analogue. On the Civic test drives that I've had, I've noticed a number of times if I sit back the speedo can be obstructed by the top of the steering wheel. Perhaps I need to change the height of the seat... but in the C4 I find it very comfortable to just look left slightly to check the speed.


Gadgets:
The biggest feature for me of the C4 is the speed limiter. This is the thing I am going to miss the most if I move to the Civic. Such a simple feature, I don't know why the Civic doesn't have it. I know it has cruise control, but this is not the same at all.

Wheel:
I much prefer the layout of buttons on the C4. When driving I rarely have to take my hands off the wheel. On the Civic there are fewer buttons and they don't seem to have the same ease of use as the buttons on the C4. The C4 has the interior air flow button on the wheel which is fantastic. When i test drove the Civic I came across a fire.. on the C4 it's just a tap with my left hand thumb. On the Civic I was left looking down on the dash to find the button, which I suppose would be easier once I'd got used to it, but it wasn't quite as easy as the C4.

Another of my favourite buttons on the wheel is the button to turn all the lights on the dash off. This is fantastic for night driving. All you can then see is the speedo. Everything else is gone. I haven't seen an equivalent feature on the Civic. The best I've found is the ability to dim the controls (which you can also do on the C4).

Seats:
As the previous poster has mentioned the seats in the VTR+ are very sporty. They have very large side walls which hold you in well. The Civic seats are slightly firmer but still do a good job.


Civic benefits:
Performance / economy / looks / boot space / handling etc etc etc.

I believe the Civic is a better car all round, better built, but I am really going to miss the C4 and it's cool gadgets. I wonder why the Civic didn't incorporate more of the C4's gadgets!

[boltonbrowny]

Originally Posted by sco77harris

lol i dont like french cars, stick with the germans and japanese, and if something is built in the uk even better

well said, i would never touch another french car as long as im driving, ive a peugeot 307 dturbo top of the range bought from new, placed my order for a civic and couldnt pick it up until 16thdec, in the mean time the clutch and fly wheel went costing me £1000, its failed its mot which i need to exchanged the car, that was £480 and in the 3 and a half years ive had it has gone through 8 low propfile pirrellis and guess what- recommended by garage at mot place all tyres will need replacing soon.....7 days and counting.

[czechplastik]

I had the most recent megane for two years, i never liked the handling but it was the electrics that really got me, after six months or so pushing some buttons did things they weren't supposed to or sometimes not at all! The rear wiper (which really was needed, back windscreen got filthy to the point where the only clear view was through the glass the wiper cleaned which was quite small!) was very tempremental, sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't and usually when i wanted/needed it to! Yes people have experienced problems with the civic (every new car has problems) but at least it will run for a long time (major fault free).

[itsrelfy]

Originally Posted by czechplastik

but at least it will run for a long time (major fault free).

Without sounding rude How do you know? They have not been out long enough to determine that yet.

And when you consider that Honda cant make a fuel cap on the civic that opens properly, and you get a dashboard that sounds like there is some sort of rodent squeaking away behind it, doesnt fill me with confidence!!!!

[czechplastik]

Originally Posted by itsrelfy

Without sounding rude How do you know?

You're right, I don't but one of Hondas main selling points is their strong reputation (which they have earned) that their cars are some of the most reliable on the road. I imagine they would be quite protective of this reputation and would have tested the Civic solidly to keep problems to a minimum. Granted people have had problems, but most of the time its easily remedied, plus i'd rather have a dodgy fuel filler cap replaced under warranty than have massive engine failure post warranty.

[sarahjo]

Originally Posted by czechplastik

You're right, I don't but one of Hondas main selling points is their strong reputation (which they have earned) that their cars are some of the most reliable on the road. I imagine they would be quite protective of this reputation and would have tested the Civic solidly to keep problems to a minimum. Granted people have had problems, but most of the time its easily remedied, plus i'd rather have a dodgy fuel filler cap replaced under warranty than have massive engine failure post warranty.

I would have to agree the problems for the majority of people have been minor..it's my first brand new car and i kind of expected to have some minor issues with her.....i thought that was normal for new cars