Topic: 2006 Civic has arrived at dealers!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The Civic Si weighs 2900lbs? Isn't that a bit portly? That's the same as the Mazda3 Sport GT and it's a proper 5 door!(100lbs heavier than the 3 sedan). And why no Si sedan.

Other than the avoirdupois, it seems like a step ahead, inside and out.

[hondasalesguy]

The 2006 EX Sedan is more than the equivalent of the 2005 Si Sedan. 16" wheels instead of 15', 4 wheel discs in place of rear drums, 140 HP instead of 127, and (an available) 5 speed auto instead of 4 speed. The Si Coupe for 2006 is only going to be available with a 6 speed manual, they couldn't bring out a Sedan and not have it available with an automatic so the EX Sedan and Coupes replace last year's Si's, and the new Si is another beast altogether.

[robarakira]

Any word on when the Si's will be hitting showrooms?

[hondasalesguy]

December 1st for the Si Coupe

[The Mighty Duck]

so the EX Sedan and Coupes replace last year's Si's, and the new Si is another beast altogether.

Good call, too!  Let that Si be a true sports car. 

[gabl]

Spoiler not available as an accessory???

[hondasalesguy]

Lip spoiler is standard on Coupes...Wing spoiler is standard on Si's. Wing spoiler will ba available on Sedans, not sure about lip spoilers...

[froggy]

A weird question:
Can you actually get the Wing spoiler removed at no charge from the Si (I hate those appendices, which IMO only have their places on true sport cars like Lotus or ferraris) 

[The Mighty Duck]

Why stop there?  Sell it on ebay to someone with the DX who wants the spoiler! 

I'm guessing they're installed at the plant, so you'd have to fill in screw holes and spot paint...

[froggy]

Not a bad idea Demos... 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

None here so far, but then I don't think they let Hondas over the Hump without special permission. They are relatively rare birds here in Port (as the natives call it)!

They won't let any new Civics out before you take delivery of Yaris.

 

I prefer subtle lip spoilers myself.

[ind]

Alabaster Silver Metallic, Royal Blue Pearl, or Neutron Blue Metallic... hmm decisions decisions

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Well, I just sat in the new Civic coupes and sedans today. I have to say, they're pretty nice!

When I first got into it, I thought 'you gotta be kidding me'  The seat was all the way back and my knees were touching the dash, but I lowered the seat all the way down at which point it was good enough. The telescopic wheel meant my knees could fit under the wheel too. But there's not much left-to-right room for legs in the car. The dash SEEMS to jutt out at you, but I gradually got used to it. The headliner and A-pillar provide decent headroom and they've done a good job of mating the headliner and windshield and sunvisors together to give maximum room in an aero package (unlike GM's cars like the G6). Loved the interior's detailing - the little rectangular in the sunvisors, the graining of the dash buttons, the sliding cupholder covers, the mini-handle parking brake and shift leaver, space and cubbies (the wide ones in the rear doors too) and that instrumentation is brilliantly lit and futuristic. I did have to lower the wheel a smidgen to see all of the digitized speed indicator. The fabrics are quite nice - the EX coupe's are kind of Honda-fabric-suede-grabby and very nicely shaped/supportive. Rear seat of the sedan has average room inside. The sedan's trunk hinges intrude and it's not a huge trunk, but hardly bad. I have to see those front windshield wipers in action. Another thing I didn't love was that the side windows were smaller when looking out than I thought they would be. Again, not bad. But excellent visibility with a low beltline and thinner pillars has always been my association with the Honda Civic and it's quasi trademark to me. All of the Civics sit well and nice and low over their wheels.

I think it's a pretty brilliant car. I liked it more and more, the more I sat in the driver's seat. Don't think there's quite enough space for me, but darned close. I really liked the car.

Sales consultant said initially it was hard to get them going, but a lot of people have come back and are buying them now. I can see why.

I'll have to see the Yaris, and I like hatches, but for most people at the price and included equipment combined with the fuel efficiency, improved handling, sharpened styling, and more power, really hard package to beat. I'm impressed.

[safristi]

...subtle LIP spoilers ...I'm sueing my Plastic STURGEON...go Fish....!!!!!!

[ind]

Question on Accessories

Specifically the Honda Factory Performance & Front/Side/Rear Skirts. Perhaps a silly question, but if I order my Civic Si with the skirts and some HFP, are these installed during manufacture or at the dealership?

[robarakira]

no, accessories are put on by the dealer, usually at a high rate of labour.

It's unfortunate Honda Canada does things this way..  I'd suggest bargaining with them with the purchase to at least reduce the costs.  Personally I think their body kits (although higher quality than aftermarket) are too costly for plastic.  I guess you could also always buy aftermarket kits, or used kits off ebay, or buy the Honda kit and get intstalled by a friend.

[hondasalesguy]

they will quote you an installed price. if it is installed at the time of purhase it is warrantied. That HAS to be worth something.

Since nobody is discounting the new 2006 Civics by much these days, maybe your dealer will give you a break on the accessory costs, like maybe 15% off...

[Traum]

Have you seen the new Civic with the HFP package though? Given the looks of the previous kits, I have every reason to think that the HFP kits will look very "tacked on". Some people might like that, but others (such as myself) hate it with a vengence.

What I'm trying to say is, don't buy it until you've actually seen how it looks like on the car.

-Rick

[ind]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'tacked on', for example:



Does this kit look tacked on to you? And how so? Do you mean that the skirts don't match the body color or luster/shine? I would agree that a skirt kit would look like crap if it were a flat color and didn't match the body, but from this image it looks to match quite well.

[Traum]

The Honda factory kits look tacked on because... well, it looks tacked on! For an example of a well-integrated kit, just look at the ground effect accents on the old Protege5, or the current Mazda6's. Now, I know those are not ground effect kits per se, but their chin spoiler, side skirts, and back bumper are all integrated as part of the overall body. Everything is smooth and comes in a 1-piece design.

I like Mazda's approach because the ground effect stuff looks more understated and better integrated. Honda's kit looks more aftermarket (and I dare say, a tad riceier). Different approaches and designs, and they'll cater to different people.

-Rick