review of my new Civic

[cfcnick]

Hi all
Just come back from my trip down to Bristol and for what its worth here are my thoughts on my Civic EX.

I moved from an Alfa 147 to the Civic and must say that so far I am very pleased with my switch. I picked up the car 2 weeks ago from Lindhills in Southend and was very impressed with the build quality and the condition of the car.

So what about the car? Its about the same size as the 147 but feels bigger due to the layout and height of the cabin. I am very impressed about how it drives and can’t wait until I have put a few more miles on the clock so that I can open it up a bit. I like the sound of the engine (that was probably the best thing about the 147’s engine so its quite some achievement to get close to matching it) and also the directness of the steering. Had quite a bit of fun chucking it around some country lanes today once I got past all the ‘country codgers’ driving around Somerset and Dorset.

I think the Satnav is pretty good, although it couldn’t find the Clifton Suspension Bridge today!! It seems to work better out in the countryside than in towns (nearly got lost in Bristol by following the given route!!) but overall its better than nothing. The HFT again is only Ok, tested it out the other day and apparently was clear as a bell but used it again this weekend and it sounded like I was the other end of a barn. I must check the mike as suggested on this site and do the fix if necessary.

Dislikes!! Auto headlights a bit of a gimmick. They come on when I put the car in the garage and then are obviously on when I go to start the car again which I’m sure can’t be good for the battery, so I have turned them off. I find the driver’s seat a bit on the firm side, especially the lumber support which doesn’t seem to be adjustable!

Likes!! Dashboard, it really is fantastic and everyone who sees it loves it. Steering wheel has a nice feel to it. Boot is huge. Auto wipers work very well. Start button. Gear lever (although the gear box is a bit notchy when cold). Everything else!!!

Overall, very pleased with the switch and I’m sure my experience will continue to get better over the next few years.