Topic: CD Article: 2007 Honda Civic LX sedan

[Autos_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

After undergoing a complete redesign in 2006, the popular Honda Civic sedan has only minor updates for 2007.  The mid-level Civic LX with the optional five-speed automatic transmission offers a good blend of performance and excellent fuel economy, reports Editor-in-chief, Greg Wilson - but curiously, it's not available with split folding rear seatbacks.
   
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[ArticSteve]

If ever there was a no loser car purchase this is it.

[G0dspd]

 

[prufrock]

I think you have mistaken this for a review of the Corolla.   

[rocky01]

Talk about beating around the bush.  The dash looks ugly period.  Why don't you guys come out and say it.  The dashboard is hurting sales of the Civic.  That's why the Mazda3 is getting closer and closer.  YTD sales of the Civic is already down 20% and it's only in it's 2nd year life cycle while the Mazda3 is up 25%.  I would have thought they learned from their Prelude dashboard disaster years ago...if any one remember that.  The leader is the Mazda3.

[mmret]

I prefer the Luke Skywalker to the "World Markets" center instrument panel (Yaris, Xtrail, etc)

[Ex-airbalancer]

I prefer the Luke Skywalker to the "World Markets" center instrument panel (Yaris, Xtrail, etc)

 

[Jaeger]

This is just a great little car.  A buddy of mine has one and we took it on a 4 day golf trip.  It easily swallowed all our junk and provided a comfortable and resposive driving experience on all sorts of different roads.  I probably wouldn't choose to design the dash that way, but at least it is distinctive and there is no doubt that it is entirely functional.  I got used to it almost immediately.  I only wish he got the stick - I love Honda shifters.

Jaeger

[banfield]

I'm glad this review mentions the visibility issue.  My wife and I test drove a new '06  - we both found the car hard to see out of. The views over the hood and out the back give no sense of the car's corners. The radically forward-sweeping "A" pillars also impede visibility to the front.

She ended up buying a nearly new '05 for the much better visibility.

Only one other review I have read on the new-generation Civic even touches on this subject.  Again, this points out the importance of a test drive.  We all have our own preferences!
 

[jww]

I prefer the Luke Skywalker to the "World Markets" center instrument panel (Yaris, Xtrail, etc)

Seriously, I have driven a couple of centre instrument panel vehicles. Other than the fact that everyone can readily see how fast you are driving, I really didn't find it that hard to adjust to in the end. Doesn't rumor have it that the next version of the X-Trail is going to move the cluster back to behind the wheel for both left and right hand drive versions?

[johngenx]

Makers seem oblivious to outward visibility lately.  My father was very interested in the Toyota FJ-Cruiser, so we went and tested one.  Holy cow has that thing got some dangerous blind spots out the rear quarters!  No amount of fiddling with the mirrors seemed to solve it, either.

I don't mind the dash in either the Civic or the Yaris.  Though I've never been a fan of the digital speedo, Hondas done a goos job with theirs.  The center mounted gauges were easy to read, though the first couple times on the test drive I looked down at the blank dash.  After that, I was fine.

[RunsinLight]

I would agree somewhat. The whole car is very odd looking inside and out when seeing it for the first time.

Talk about beating around the bush.  The dash looks ugly period.  Why don't you guys come out and say it.  The dashboard is hurting sales of the Civic.  That's why the Mazda3 is getting closer and closer.  YTD sales of the Civic is already down 20% and it's only in it's 2nd year life cycle while the Mazda3 is up 25%.  I would have thought they learned from their Prelude dashboard disaster years ago...if any one remember that.  The leader is the Mazda3.

[The Fuzz]

I would agree somewhat. The whole car is very odd looking inside and out when seeing it for the first time.

Odd or progressive? Remember, the Ford Taurus was also odd looking way back when it first had the flush headlights but it was a leader.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I think the interior is near a masterpiece. I LOVE the dash! Exterior is super sleek too

But I find it lacking some interior space... headroom up front, and the trunk is average at best (plus it has hinges).

Required down shifting to accelerate on the highway which I'm not used to - nor do I want to get used to, but zipped around (and handled well) in the city. And it's a model of efficiency.

For those reasons (and the hatch), I'd grab the Mazda3 or Rabbit.

But cool car, the new Civic  Something I couldn't say of the last 2 generations.

[mrthompson]

The A pillar is too chunky.  A co-worker owns an '06 EX and he finds it obscurs visibility, especially of pedestrians crossing the street.  I've ridden shotgun several times, and I can attest to the reduced visibility.  He complains also about the speedo...it's now visible to his kids in the back seat and they now give him a hard time if he speeds.  Otherwise the car is great.   

[Dante]

To me, the Civic is like having an ugly girlfriend, but a good cook. I much rather have a good looking girlfriend AND a good cook. This is why I bought a Mazda3 GT.
It's higher maintenance (less fuel efficient), but that's fine by me.

[Breeze-E]

The A pillar is too chunky.  A co-worker owns an '06 EX and he finds it obscurs visibility, especially of pedestrians crossing the street.  I've ridden shotgun several times, and I can attest to the reduced visibility.  He complains also about the speedo...it's now visible to his kids in the back seat and they now give him a hard time if he speeds.  Otherwise the car is great.  

While I have a need to defend my car purchase, I must agree with these two points.  The A-pillar does reduce visibility, the little triangle windows underneath help though, but still I have noticed this.  Those in the back can read how fast your'e going, easily, but to make it seem as though you are going slower switch the speedo to MPH
All in all I really enjoy the Civic, I love the looks inside and out, and the 5 spd manual really ups the fun factor.  At least it created some strong opinions, not just another cookie cutter.

[Leighow]

Well as a past owner of two 10 year old Civics with 340,000 kms on each car
*********************************************************
, I can tell you that they were/are great cars.  But, I was disappointed in this new design. Frankly I felt a bit dizzy, as I made selected turns, plus I just felt that I was miles away from the windshield and sitting even lower down than in the outgoing design. NOTE: I appreciate that the Civic’s long snout may help re crashworthiness

So my wife bought a Mazda 3 GS Sedan. 
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Since Mazda does not offer the 5-speed auto with GS trim, we went with the manual. Even at this mid-level trim you get:
discs all around, 
2 litre engine, 
best manual shifter that I have ever tried,
wonderful forward and sideward visibility, 
peppy 2 litre engine.
high seating position ,
very, very quiet engine (you forget to downshift!), 
flip forward 60/40 seats,
steering wheel audio/cruise controls
            turns on a dime and holds any curve like a pro
 so, so light to drive, it is incredible
Indeed, in many ways the Mazda 3 is what I wanted the Civic to be.  However, pedal placement is not ideal – a bit tight and nowhere “new” for your feet to “cruise”. Also, noise from the rear is a bit high above 80 km/hr and rearward visibility is poor.

The Mazda 3 is a wonderful car MOST OF THE TIME..
***************************************
but when you hit the broken –patched tar of the Gatineau Hills you don’t ever want to be in the back seat. No Sir, it just isn’t fun.  Take last weekend; the wife and her girlfriend seized the front “sofa” seats while my buddy and I took quite a thrashing over every pothole. Better to have stayed at home having given the wife the keys to the car! I bet the Civic behaves a bit better over pot-holed surfaces!   

[CSH]

So my wife bought a Mazda 3 GS Sedan. 

How will the mazda compare to the Civic in reliability and maintainance cost both in long run (>150,000Kms) and short term (<150,000Kms) . If they are almost the same in the long run then the Mazda seems to be a good buy

[2JDM]

I have driven the 06' Civic LX auto, and a 03' Civic Auto as well.

Both rode nice and were refined enough. But they were SOOO boring! Maybe the 5MT would cure it, but yeah, boring.