Was the Honda civic worth the wait?

[Ajay shankar]

The Honda Civic has made a comeback after almost 7 years. No doubt, the previous Civic was one of the best car that came outta the Japanese market and without doubt one of the best car a petrol head could ask for.This JDM gem has been a dream for every mod-boy out there, for the ways it could be pimped out. It just looked too hot from any angle, thanks to the low stance. And not to forget the manual transmission that came with the 1.8l petrol engine which was just super fun. But the question is, will the new civic live upto its predecessor’s legacy? will it meet the expectations of those who waited for it. Will it make a mark like how it did in the past.

The all new Honda Civic comes ONLY with an Automatic petrol transmission and one really powerless and lazy dirty diesel engine, keeping the "Kitna detha hei"in mind. In fact the diesel gives almost 25kmpl mileage, but is that what we really want in a civic? nah....i dont think so and its pretty late considering that the global markets have started phasing out diesel engines. Now, the only Automatic-petrol engine comes as the first and the biggest disappointment. Apparently Honda had conducted a survey, i presume of old ungils and lazy men, in which they opted for automatic over manual transmission. The manual should’ve been an option, at least for those who specifically demand for it. The automatic transmission couldve been better. It has got that typical rubber band effect that the Honda CVT transmissions have. A rubber band effect is where there is very minimal pull in mid RPMs. If you want to overtake someone instantly, you gotto plan well in advance and wait for that punch after the RPM crosses the 5k mark during when it gets too noisy though.

Civic has got the least power amongst the cars in its segment. It is three seconds slower than the octavia in hitting the 100 kmph mark. In fact there is another 1.5L turbo charged Civic available in the international market, which would’ve been a better pick for our market. Honda should’ve brought it into the market to keep its enthusiastic civic lovers happy or at least to be on lines with its German rival, The Octavia.. In that case, octavia has a really good line up of engines. It has got 2 petrol variant, not counting the VRS missile. One amongst the two variant in a 1.4L turbo charged petrol engine, which is more fun to drive because of the manual shifting tunnel, and the other most powerful variant is the 1.8 RS engine. Now this is one other reason why the germans are better in this segment. The next car in the segment is the Corolla altis, which once again a really good car, but with a very less power just like the civic. In comparison with the corolla civic is better in every other way, that no doubt.

Let alone the performance part, the new Honda Civic is stunning in every other way possible. Its has retained the killer looks, especially with that sliding roof and sports back. It has still got that low stance and it is intensely eager to hit the corners with great stability but something is missing….. the power punch.The low stance plays a very important role in keeping the centre of gravity in place and thats what makes the cornering so much fun. There is almost no over-steer at all which gives you all the confidence that you want. Honda has taken the interiors to a whole new level by using premium touches wherever necessary. The old gen civic was the first in market to have digital speedometer which had me drooling back then. This one has improved it and made it a lot better by providing all the necessary information. The Japanese have made every corner of the cabin count and have made the car very ergonomic in terms of space. It is also loaded with a lot of first in class features like the camera in rear view mirror and multiple safety feature. But even after all this, the sales figures had gone down from 3000 units in the first month to around 300 units in the following months. This gives us a glimpse of Civics success rate in India. It Wouldve been a lot better if Honda Ups the Civics performance figures. this is the main reason why the civic has not gotten the market it actually deserves. MaybeLets hope the type R to hit the shores at least. Thats the only way Honda can keep its fan boys happy. Fingers crossed.

[BonFre]

Simply speaking of the Civic, performance doesn't match the looks! 

If Honda ups the performance, maybe in BS6 guise, the product should be well received. Given the Auto sector is out of woods!

 

[God]

This is my first post on this forum so sorry for any upcoming mistakes ahead.

Tl;Dr no,the new civic isn't worth it,old one was better.

Now we go. This is what no one will tell you. Let's explain why Honda did this unusual combo of petrol auto and diesel manual 

Honda wanted to launch a diesel auto and petrol manual combo to satisfy everyone. But they didn't had an autobox for the diesel and the closest was of the amaze but for that the torque would need to be lowered and that would have spoiled everything including the legacy of Honda civic in india(not that they saved it but still,imagine Honda civic diesel making 200nm of torque,that would have been another blunder like corolla, just worse.) And given the low sales they knew they were gonna get they didn't even consider investing in anything new and the 9 speed zf at (was in the latest Indian crv) would have took the price to another level so they dropped the idea of diesel auto. But they absolutely needed an autobox so they shunned out the cvt and used it with petrol. It didn't made sense to Honda to offer manual because low sales. D1 segment sedans are a dying breed in india. Otherwise except from engines & gearboxes the 10th gen civic is one of the best D1 segment (apart from octavia) one can get.

 

God.