Other cars newbee question civic vs golf

vtech15 · 7th December 2006, 16:15

Hi
Been thinking about buying a Golf for a while but as I had a 1996 Civic for quite a while been looking at the new Civic.
I've got a Fiesta 05 zetec s, good car but need something with 5 doors ,plus fiesta is noisey on motorways 4000 rpm at 80 mph
Anyone know which is quieter the diesel or petrol ? plus any ex golf tdi drivers on here that can compare?
hoping to get a 2.2 tdi if budget can stretch to it

probably be on here asking dumb questions for a while
thanks

basegreen · 7th December 2006, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtech15

Hi
Been thinking about buying a Golf for a while but as I had a 1996 Civic for quite a while been looking at the new Civic.
I've got a Fiesta 05 zetec s, good car but need something with 5 doors ,plus fiesta is noisey on motorways 4000 rpm at 80 mph
Anyone know which is quieter the diesel or petrol ? plus any ex golf tdi drivers on here that can compare?
hoping to get a 2.2 tdi if budget can stretch to it

probably be on here asking dumb questions for a while
thanks

Really depends what you mean by noise. At low revs/idle the diesel is noisy compared to the VTEC. At higher revs, the VTEC engine note is quite loud, but sounds magnificent. Some people don't like the sound on the motorway, but based on my findings, they must be doing upwards of 85mph to get an annoying amount of noise. The diesel at higher revs sounds a bit quieter.

vtech15 · 7th December 2006, 16:32

Hoping to get a test drive in the diesel at the weekend and might follow up with the petrol just want to make sure i get it right before i decide, love the look of the civic compared to golf.
reading on here quite a few people have probs,is that typical or does it just look that way ?

SqueakyWD40 · 7th December 2006, 16:44

I think any 'real' problems are few and far between. Most you'll find are previous Honda owners and as such expect perfection, but as with any new radical design change there will always be things that people are not happy with, I've previously owned from new a 'M' plate CiViC 1.5 saloon and a 'T' plate CiViC coupe VTi, and with the exception of the driving experience of the Coupe VTi, the new 1.8S I have now is the best so far.

Bungle · 7th December 2006, 16:51

There will always seem to be a large number of faults on any discussion forum, it's what people talk about!
I ahve had one or two issues, but all is sorted and I couldn't be happier.

The diesel Vs petrol thing is very much down to personal opinion.
I have driven both and personally think the petrol is the better engine. The diesel is loud at idle (compared to the petrol!) and of course is loud at higher RPMs.

The petrol is silent at idle and sounds better and better the faster it revs! At 70, noise is not an issue at all.

Power wise, both engines are similar, but the smoker is more torquey. This makes the car feel faster, but has little effect in real life.

Try both engines, they are both very good for different things.

Stef · 7th December 2006, 16:53

Once the diesel is warm, it is by far quieter then the 1.8 once you go pass 50Km/h. For sure it is quieter on the highway (actually you can not hear the engine at all).
But if you like the music of the 1.8 and you drive around town a lot. get the 1.8

vtech15 · 7th December 2006, 16:58

thanks everyone
guess i'll make my mind up after driving both, i had the 1996 1.5 vtech 3dr for five/six years which was a great car nippy but economical on long runs (unlike fiesta 1.6 i have at the mo,not bad but at its worst on motorway trips )
can't wait to drive the new civic.hope my questions don't drive evryone nutz

Topcat · 7th December 2006, 17:04

I don't find mine noisey at high speed at all, but if I were you I would take them both on a test drive, ask if you can go on a faster road or even better see if you can arrange a 24hr test drive and really get a feel for the car.

vtech15 · 7th December 2006, 17:10

yeah, I was going to try and get a while in the two (petrol ,diesel not golf ) then ask for a 24 hr test drive before final decision, dont want to rush into it ( fiesta good example

)

4540flossy · 7th December 2006, 18:47

Talk about an easy question! Golf - lardy looks, claustrophobic dull coal-hole interior, horrible dealers, estate-agent chic, expensive to buy but poorly equipped, pricey servicing and spare parts, lack of expected quality and reliability; don't believe me? Check JD Power for the VW brand or Golf for the last few years... And, on top of that, the image of car which is always being driven with a complete lack of awareness or consideration by Janice from accounting because her dad said they were good... Now think of the Honda on the same criteria; looks, interior, clientele, dealer and brand reputation. Granted that spare parts aren't cheap (whose are?) but what should you need that isn't covered under warranty?

You guessed it,I owned a Golf GT TDI for one year (shortest time I've ever owned a car) and got a) bored senseless by the sheer tedium of the thing and b) ripped off by dealers. Now own Civic (diesel) and there's no comparison.

PS If you buy the golf, Janice from accounting might be up for a night out?

rambo · 7th December 2006, 19:14

Good advice on the engine side Bungle.Its all down to personal preference.
Ive got the 2.2 deisel,same horsepwer as the petrol but for the same rpm,twice the torque.The deisel redlines at a much lower rpm.From cold i dont think the deisel is the most smoothest ive driven but once warmed up it does smooth out.Ive not driven the petrol version so i cant comment on it.Yes it is noisy at idle but only when your out of the car. Sit in it and you cant tell its running at idle unless you look at the rev counter,as you say its all down to personal pref.Both cars are good cars but with a little more thought could have been great cars.By the way anybody driven the type s.

joora · 7th December 2006, 20:01

Almost every person i've driven around asked me "so you got the petrol engine, right?", so i don't think noise would be much of issue. It's certainly far quieter than my previous punto 1.9JTD (aka the tractor) or my dad's sharan TDI (aka broken tractor).
But, as most here say, it's all down to personal taste. I've test driven the petrol, and decided to go with the diesel because of better fuel economy and because somehow i feel that diesel is more... brutal. And i haven't regretted it

vtech15 · 8th December 2006, 08:24

thanks Janice for the low down

I've had four golf mk 3's which were great cars ( bit slow apart from gti) mark 4's ok , but not so keen on the latest though. thinking about the civic diesel as it suits the sort of driving ( low rev oomph ) and a lot motorway driving, just the extra £1k makes you think.
mind you looking on here makes you think about how much the JD Power survey is worth

(still keeping an open mind though )

steeeveee · 8th December 2006, 10:54

Thought I'd put my 2 pennys worth in,

Spent 2 month thinking about what car to buy, looked at loads of makes and models, discounted the Golf almost immediately as boring (also good friend had a Friday model and VW never managed to sort it out). So was left with Saab, Audi, BMW and Civic.

The SAAB 9-3 diesel has good looks, feels the part, solid, good performance but oh those rattles! test drove 3 models, all three sounded like I was in a bus, not a £20,000 car. The dealer, when asked just blamed the Pre-delivery check!

Oh the BMW 1 Series M Sports diesel, lovely car but small inside. Also have you seen the list of possible extras, the basic car, with dealer discounts, is reasonable, but when all the extras are added from the half inch thick booklet, I could buy a small villa in turkey for the price!

The Audi S3 Quattro diesel, what a car, If I wanted a car to go round corners and go round more corners and yet more corners there would be no choice! A pure drivers car! But unfortunately very noisy and full of engine vibration. Still....

The Honda, got looks, the three versions I tried all drove immaculately, most of the extras were standard, did not suffer from smallness, vibration, rattles, trying to run over pedestrians and having to have a bank manager in the boot.

Guess the choice I made!

vtech15 · 8th December 2006, 11:22

varied choice there ! agree golf is a bit boring to look at. bmw 1 gruesome looking ! looks like a Alfa 147 thats been hit in the back and the front ! (147 nice looking)

Tydo · 8th December 2006, 11:53

I had a Fabia vRS which is the same engine as the 130bhp Golf TDi and the difference between the the Fabia and Civic are like night and day. The Fabia engine was all low end torque with a huge shove in the back (and accompanying wheel spin) where as the Civic is much much more linear and refined...

Personally I found the Fabia fun but tyring and the Civic is just superb. The only issue I have is that you sometimes find the Civic wanting for suddent overtaking if you aren't in the right gear where as the VW TDi had huge amounts or torque in any gear.

7th December 2006, 16:15	#1 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	newbee question civic vs golf Hi Been thinking about buying a Golf for a while but as I had a 1996 Civic for quite a while been looking at the new Civic. I've got a Fiesta 05 zetec s, good car but need something with 5 doors ,plus fiesta is noisey on motorways 4000 rpm at 80 mph Anyone know which is quieter the diesel or petrol ? plus any ex golf tdi drivers on here that can compare? hoping to get a 2.2 tdi if budget can stretch to it probably be on here asking dumb questions for a while thanks

8th December 2006, 10:54	#14 (permalink)
steeeveee Locking Wheelnut Join Date: 4th December 2006 Location: Bristol / Bournemouth Posts: 102 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Golf v Civic Thought I'd put my 2 pennys worth in, Spent 2 month thinking about what car to buy, looked at loads of makes and models, discounted the Golf almost immediately as boring (also good friend had a Friday model and VW never managed to sort it out). So was left with Saab, Audi, BMW and Civic. The SAAB 9-3 diesel has good looks, feels the part, solid, good performance but oh those rattles! test drove 3 models, all three sounded like I was in a bus, not a £20,000 car. The dealer, when asked just blamed the Pre-delivery check! Oh the BMW 1 Series M Sports diesel, lovely car but small inside. Also have you seen the list of possible extras, the basic car, with dealer discounts, is reasonable, but when all the extras are added from the half inch thick booklet, I could buy a small villa in turkey for the price! The Audi S3 Quattro diesel, what a car, If I wanted a car to go round corners and go round more corners and yet more corners there would be no choice! A pure drivers car! But unfortunately very noisy and full of engine vibration. Still.... The Honda, got looks, the three versions I tried all drove immaculately, most of the extras were standard, did not suffer from smallness, vibration, rattles, trying to run over pedestrians and having to have a bank manager in the boot. Guess the choice I made!

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This thread is about: newbee question civic vs golf, it's in Buying, Dealers and Servicing at the Honda Civic forum Civinfo; Hi Been thinking about buying a Golf for a while but as I had a 1996 Civic for quite a while been looking at the ...

7th December 2006, 16:32	#3 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hoping to get a test drive in the diesel at the weekend and might follow up with the petrol just want to make sure i get it right before i decide, love the look of the civic compared to golf. reading on here quite a few people have probs,is that typical or does it just look that way ?

7th December 2006, 16:44	#4 (permalink)
SqueakyWD40 Valve Cap Join Date: 5th December 2006 Location: Bonny Scotland Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I think any 'real' problems are few and far between. Most you'll find are previous Honda owners and as such expect perfection, but as with any new radical design change there will always be things that people are not happy with, I've previously owned from new a 'M' plate CiViC 1.5 saloon and a 'T' plate CiViC coupe VTi, and with the exception of the driving experience of the Coupe VTi, the new 1.8S I have now is the best so far.

7th December 2006, 16:51	#5 (permalink)
Bungle Rocketship door handle Join Date: 3rd July 2006 Location: SE London/Kent Posts: 1,217 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	There will always seem to be a large number of faults on any discussion forum, it's what people talk about! I ahve had one or two issues, but all is sorted and I couldn't be happier. The diesel Vs petrol thing is very much down to personal opinion. I have driven both and personally think the petrol is the better engine. The diesel is loud at idle (compared to the petrol!) and of course is loud at higher RPMs. The petrol is silent at idle and sounds better and better the faster it revs! At 70, noise is not an issue at all. Power wise, both engines are similar, but the smoker is more torquey. This makes the car feel faster, but has little effect in real life. Try both engines, they are both very good for different things.

7th December 2006, 16:53	#6 (permalink)
Stef Supporter Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 14th October 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 365 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Once the diesel is warm, it is by far quieter then the 1.8 once you go pass 50Km/h. For sure it is quieter on the highway (actually you can not hear the engine at all). But if you like the music of the 1.8 and you drive around town a lot. get the 1.8

7th December 2006, 16:58	#7 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	thanks everyone guess i'll make my mind up after driving both, i had the 1996 1.5 vtech 3dr for five/six years which was a great car nippy but economical on long runs (unlike fiesta 1.6 i have at the mo,not bad but at its worst on motorway trips ) can't wait to drive the new civic.hope my questions don't drive evryone nutz

7th December 2006, 17:04	#8 (permalink)
Topcat Supporter Civinfo guru Join Date: 11th May 2006 Location: Middlesex Posts: 2,743 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	I don't find mine noisey at high speed at all, but if I were you I would take them both on a test drive, ask if you can go on a faster road or even better see if you can arrange a 24hr test drive and really get a feel for the car.

7th December 2006, 17:10	#9 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	yeah, I was going to try and get a while in the two (petrol ,diesel not golf ) then ask for a 24 hr test drive before final decision, dont want to rush into it ( fiesta good example )

7th December 2006, 18:47	#10 (permalink)
4540flossy Supporter Valve Cap Join Date: 16th November 2006 Location: Ash Vale Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Talk about an easy question! Golf - lardy looks, claustrophobic dull coal-hole interior, horrible dealers, estate-agent chic, expensive to buy but poorly equipped, pricey servicing and spare parts, lack of expected quality and reliability; don't believe me? Check JD Power for the VW brand or Golf for the last few years... And, on top of that, the image of car which is always being driven with a complete lack of awareness or consideration by Janice from accounting because her dad said they were good... Now think of the Honda on the same criteria; looks, interior, clientele, dealer and brand reputation. Granted that spare parts aren't cheap (whose are?) but what should you need that isn't covered under warranty? You guessed it,I owned a Golf GT TDI for one year (shortest time I've ever owned a car) and got a) bored senseless by the sheer tedium of the thing and b) ripped off by dealers. Now own Civic (diesel) and there's no comparison. PS If you buy the golf, Janice from accounting might be up for a night out?

7th December 2006, 19:14	#11 (permalink)
rambo Valve Cap Join Date: 24th October 2006 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Good advice on the engine side Bungle.Its all down to personal preference. Ive got the 2.2 deisel,same horsepwer as the petrol but for the same rpm,twice the torque.The deisel redlines at a much lower rpm.From cold i dont think the deisel is the most smoothest ive driven but once warmed up it does smooth out.Ive not driven the petrol version so i cant comment on it.Yes it is noisy at idle but only when your out of the car. Sit in it and you cant tell its running at idle unless you look at the rev counter,as you say its all down to personal pref.Both cars are good cars but with a little more thought could have been great cars.By the way anybody driven the type s.

7th December 2006, 20:01	#12 (permalink)
joora Wheelnut Join Date: 11th September 2006 Location: Croatia Posts: 73 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Almost every person i've driven around asked me "so you got the petrol engine, right?", so i don't think noise would be much of issue. It's certainly far quieter than my previous punto 1.9JTD (aka the tractor) or my dad's sharan TDI (aka broken tractor). But, as most here say, it's all down to personal taste. I've test driven the petrol, and decided to go with the diesel because of better fuel economy and because somehow i feel that diesel is more... brutal. And i haven't regretted it

8th December 2006, 08:24	#13 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	thanks Janice for the low down I've had four golf mk 3's which were great cars ( bit slow apart from gti) mark 4's ok , but not so keen on the latest though. thinking about the civic diesel as it suits the sort of driving ( low rev oomph ) and a lot motorway driving, just the extra £1k makes you think. mind you looking on here makes you think about how much the JD Power survey is worth (still keeping an open mind though )

8th December 2006, 11:22	#15 (permalink)
vtech15 Valve Cap Join Date: 7th December 2006 Location: essex Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	varied choice there ! agree golf is a bit boring to look at. bmw 1 gruesome looking ! looks like a Alfa 147 thats been hit in the back and the front ! (147 nice looking)

8th December 2006, 11:53	#16 (permalink)
Tydo Wheelnut Join Date: 16th August 2006 Posts: 78 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I had a Fabia vRS which is the same engine as the 130bhp Golf TDi and the difference between the the Fabia and Civic are like night and day. The Fabia engine was all low end torque with a huge shove in the back (and accompanying wheel spin) where as the Civic is much much more linear and refined... Personally I found the Fabia fun but tyring and the Civic is just superb. The only issue I have is that you sometimes find the Civic wanting for suddent overtaking if you aren't in the right gear where as the VW TDi had huge amounts or torque in any gear.