Premature activation

[Wile E Coyote]

Due to the help I’ve already received prior to my test drive last Saturday (16/02/2008 at Lookers here in Derby (no, not the Liverpool one) I thought I’d pay my dues by registering.
I’ve been a Pug man since my conversion to diesel, starting with a 106 in ’97 (the off-set driving position nearly deformed me for life) then on to 2 206’s, the last of which (an HDi GTi 110) runs out of warranty in May (2008). Progress at Peugeot equates to going down from 2 litres to 1.6 between 206 numbers 1 & 2 and now doing away with the 206 in favour of the bigger 207 with the same power plant. The resulting worsening in performance, including a drop in the 0-62 time of 9.8 to 11.1, means I’m in the market for a transfer.
The transfer market is a bit restricted if you only want 2 doors (which I do). The new “Baby Beemer” promised a lot before its release, but after! It’s fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, taking all the bad styling from the other series’ and asking an over-inflated price for it. Most of the other warm hatches are either 5 doored or way over priced when you’ve speced it up.
So, it’s down to a “take what we’ve got” Golf TDi Sport 140 from Motor Point, or a brand new, pre-depreciation Type S, from Lookers (nee Chatsworth).
The test drive –
The first thing I noticed, was that there is no obvious way of telling one Type S from another (petrol/diesel).
Armed with the knowledge I had gleaned from this site I set about trying to pick faults with the Civic diesel.
1) Unrefined engine. Just as I had been warned, the soundtrack isn’t quite as good as other new generation diesel engines (the Pug included) but with a little judicious radio tuning I’m sure I’ll get rid of that (at least from inside).
2) Rear visibility. The total isn’t any worse than the 206 but if “plod watch” is a factor in your life, then the split/spoiler might catch you out if your concentration is broken (and with the performance of the Type S it might cause it to be).
3) No rear wiper. I’m well known to be a perfectionist so this could raise my blood pressure a few p.s.i. but if I do take the plunge, I'll just have to wash/wipe by hand.
4) No aux connection. I think Honda have dropped the ball here, but with the CD player being mp3/wma compatible the cost of a few CD-Rs will outweigh the fitting of a third party connector.
Other than that, it was a very pleasurable experience. The only extra I can see as worth-while is a set of carpet mats! Mud-flaps would be wasted with the existing trim being there, you can guarantee that the knock strips wouldn’t be in the right place (as demonstrated by my first door opening ding later on Saturday from another 206). From 30-odd years of motoring experience I can state that front fog lamps are a waste of money (apart from upsetting everyone else by having them switched on in anything less than a pea-souper). So, apart from a black paint job, it’s job done (pity there isn’t a set of 17” dark alloys like the Blades to go with the black finish, are the Pentas any good?).

[Foggy69]

Hi Wile E, and welcome to Civinfo

You can get Blade alloys in 17".
My dealer did quote a price for them but the grey matter can't drag the information out.

[rallakias]

Hi Coyote

another ex-Frenchman who becomes Japanese

[l-noel]

Hello,

Welcome here, and welcome in the Civic world

It was a releif for me to go out of my old pug 307 and step in the Civic ! Here the Honda dealers are much better than the Peugeot ones, there are fewer of them but usualy they're good one !

[Koen]

Originally Posted by Wile E Coyote

...
1) Unrefined engine. Just as I had been warned, the soundtrack isn’t quite as good as other new generation diesel engines (the Pug included) but with a little judicious radio tuning I’m sure I’ll get rid of that (at least from inside)
...

Unrefined engine? Have you driven any better diesel engine in its class than this one? Even BMW can take lessons from Honda on this. If there is one drawback, I think it's the fact that it's a 2.2, which is not so profitable in some countries, tax-wise.
But:
- It's smooth
- Silent (except maybe when cold)
- Heaps of torque
- Absolute flat response through the revs
- Easy to get more HP from (you get an extra 10-18 factory-fitted )
- Very remarkable: absolutely no vibrations at any number of revs!
...
And probably you're right when you think there's something wrong with it's voice, but I would not consider that a yes-or-no argument. It's a question of taste anyway.

K.

[Wile E Coyote]

Finally found time to go back to my dealership and do the deal.
My NHB Type S 2.2 i-CTDi should be putting a smile on my face in mid-May.

A set of 17" Storms are on the way (nearly) from Lancaster Honda to replace the factory standard wheels, plus a spare wheel (so that I'll never need it) supplied through the dealer.