Initial impressions- 2.2 i-cdti sport

[BigP]

I have now had my civic for around 2 weeks now ( 2007 2.2 Sport NHB- ex Honda corporate car- 4 months old, 1900 miles when purchased) and I thought I would share my feelings about it- and compare to old car (2003 VW Bora 1.9 TDI 130)

Here goes-

Performance/engine/driving
The engine is much more refined than VW unit, so much smoother & quieter. However despite what the figures say, I think my old Bora somehow felt punchier, with a more noticable "turbo effect". I think that a lot of this is down to the different way the civic delivers the power- it seems more even across the revs, whereas the Bora gave it all in one big dollop! Having done a bit more miles in the civic now I don't think there is anything in it, performance wise.

I have just been on a round trip from Glasgow to Liverpool and was slightly disappointed with the fuel economy. Trip showed average 45.3mpg, (at normal motorway speeds) when a similar trip in the Bora gave 54mpg. Hopefully this will improve with a few more miles on the clock.

The ride is quite hard as everyone knows, but I don't mind it at all. Can be a bit jiggly on poor stretches of motorway tho. Despite what I have read I think the noise level at speed is perfectly fine- engine can hardly be heard and road noise is fine. Handling is excellent- much sharper than Bora. The ride/handling balance is nowhere near as good as a focus.

Gearbox is good, but I think the shift is not as slick as old shape civic, but much better that Bora.

Interior/comfort
Love it! Nothing else comes close. dash looks great, seats & driving position are very comfortable for a long run. Stereo is fine- not the best I've heard but certainly not the worst! No problems with radio reception- just wish it had a standard ipod input. May do something about this in the future. Plenty of space front & rear- more rear leg room than Bora. The boot is great for the size of the car, very practical, especially with the "magic seats"
Plastics are a bit variable in quality- some area (doors & cente console a bit hard & cheap feeeling)
Rear visibilty is not great, but yoy get used to it, the big door mirrors help a lot. It is quite hard to judge where the front corners of the car are, I keep thinkning I am close to something when parking, only to get out the car and see I'm a about 3 feet away!

Exterior
Again- love it! One of the main reasons we bought the car. nothing else comes close!
The only reservations I have are the easily scratched/chipped paint- have a few stone chips already. This is a problem for most cars nowadays, with the types of paint used. Car looks fantastic in black (when clean) would be better fully colour coded. The body panels feel a bit thin compared to the Bora and I am a bit concerned they may dent easily.

Conclusion
Very good car. So much more individual and stylish than a Golf or Focus. A couple of things could have been done better, like fully keyless entry as in the Toyota Auris, standard ipod input.
Overall my wife & I are very pleased with the car (the wife loves it) and hopefully it will serve us well for the next few years. Its great to go for a drive in it after spending all week in my company astravan (new shape- so not bad for a van). So far I would definitely recommend one, but time will tell.

[mattlittle]

Originally Posted by BigP

I have now had my civic for around 2 weeks now ( 2007 2.2 Sport NHB- ex Honda corporate car- 4 months old, 1900 miles when purchased) and I thought I would share my feelings about it- and compare to old car (2003 VW Bora 1.9 TDI 130)

Here goes-

Performance/engine/driving
The engine is much more refined than VW unit, so much smoother & quieter. However despite what the figures say, I think my old Bora somehow felt punchier, with a more noticable "turbo effect". I think that a l........

Having also just come from a Bora, I agree. I guess that the things I notice the most are:

• The way the turbo appears more gently/evenly not not that sudden thump at 2500 rpm
• Fuel economy not as good - I used to get 60 mpg going up the A9 to Inverness
• The ride in the civic is miles better - corners are really good fun (which may be why I get the drop in fuel economy mentioned above )

[Al Stirling]

Hi BigP.

I also recently bought a 2.2 Sport just over 4 weeks ago now. Yip love it too and agree with the points you've raised.
Mine was also Honda Corp car too before I picked it up. It was brought up from Honda UK to A.Clark in Killie once I placed the order. 1 owner and not a mark inside or out. Alloys are like brand new...Well chuffed...!

But had a few niggles with it since I got it but no major concerns.

The windscreen seal along the top came away at around 80mph down the M77 one evening and the fuel cap stuck shut when I went to fill up in Glasgow one night. Got them all sorted though at A.Clark. The Civic's just turned 9k miles on a 06 plate and I'm doing 70: miles motorway driving each day and I'm averaging 49 to 53mpg at a steady 70mph. Managed 61.9mpg doing a slow but steady 55mph on motorway but was ******* holding up the traffic so I stick to 70mph and happy with that.
Planning in keeping it for a few years aswell.

All the best with yours... Have you got a CIVINFO sticker yet..?

Al.

2.2 i-CTDI Sport in Alabaster Silver.

[BigP]

Not got a sticker yet, will need to.

Another small point I have noticed is there is quite a lot of condensation in the centre section of the rear light cluster. It has been dry all week now and the condensation is still there. Has anyone else had this problem?