Topic: Test Drive: 2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

[Vanster]

I recently purchased a DX-G manual at a very nice price and with 0.9% for 60 months. I felt the other models were not worth the extra money and by what I see on the street around here most other buyers feel the same. I believe the poster claiming the 0-60 time of the Civic is invalid has not read the article throughly. The 8.6 second time is for the manual, not the automatic, which is about 10 seconds. I highly doubt it makes much difference to the average Civic buyer, such as myself, anyway. FWIW, the manual is very peppy in any situation I have encountered. For those who need more speed, the Si is always available.

I quite like the car. I feels light on its feet, revs very nicely and has a beautiful transmission. The instrument panel takes a little while to get used to but soon becomes second nature. The digital speedo doesn't seem to have made much of a dent in sales as this generation Civic is the best selling in history. Fuel economy is 8.5 l /100 km in city driving, 6.0 highway. It should improve as the motor loosens up.

Honda is making fat profits on every one they sell now and will build and flog scads of them in the next year since it is an old design. Look for good discounts  and finance rates. Finally, after five years, the bugs are well worked out.

[Erik]

Good job they didn't call it the Sport Sedan. We'd be in real trouble then! 

[who cares]

Owned Honda Vtech power and now driving a base M3 (mazda 3 that is) 

Trust me even SI models have to be revved so high to take advantage of any significant power. Reality is in everyday driving I need/appriciate low end torque more than boy racer VTech stupidity.
My next purchase is a 08 FX35

[Jaeger]

Drove this vehicle back to back with a VW Golf, and what a difference. I can't see how people continue to buy this vehicle, or any asian vehicle for that matter. VW is leaps and bounds ahead of Honda/Toyota in terms of feel and fun to drive factor. I would take a "base" Golf 2.5 over a loaded Honda Civic in a heartbeat.

PS I have owned 1 Honda (POS) and 2 Toyotas (Very Reliable) in the last 9 years.

Wow, generalize much? 

Jaeger

[John Doe]

Drove this vehicle back to back with a VW Golf, and what a difference. I can't see how people continue to buy this vehicle, or any asian vehicle for that matter. VW is leaps and bounds ahead of Honda/Toyota in terms of feel and fun to drive factor. I would take a "base" Golf 2.5 over a loaded Honda Civic in a heartbeat.

PS I have owned 1 Honda (POS) and 2 Toyotas (Very Reliable) in the last 9 years.

Wow, generalize much? 

Jaeger

Dubbs really owns a Cobalt.

[Jaeger]

Drove this vehicle back to back with a VW Golf, and what a difference. I can't see how people continue to buy this vehicle, or any asian vehicle for that matter. VW is leaps and bounds ahead of Honda/Toyota in terms of feel and fun to drive factor. I would take a "base" Golf 2.5 over a loaded Honda Civic in a heartbeat.

PS I have owned 1 Honda (POS) and 2 Toyotas (Very Reliable) in the last 9 years.

Wow, generalize much? 

Jaeger

Dubbs really owns a Cobalt.

 

[bikenut]

vw no doubt makes some great driving cars , it's unfortuneate that they are near the bottom of all reliability studies or i would consider owning one
i remember taking an automatic integra , 3rd gen on the highway and wishing it had another gear , revs were high enough to put me off the car , nice to know the auto civic doesn't have that problem with it's 1.8

[johngenx]

When we bought the Corolla we had a quick look at the VW products.  We found the dealer seriously off-putting with an arrogant attitude.  Fuel economy is dismal for the 2.0 and though the 2.5 has good power, still poor economy.  Insurance for the VW is higher, and service costs are higher.  We wanted an economical commuter, and the VW wasn't it.

The Rabbit was nice, but honestly, the City didn't really have much of an advantage over any of the other compact class.  It's still a FWD four banger car (and low on the go) and though the doors close a little nicer, well, the cons outweighed the pluses for us.

I would like a TDI.  I would REALLY like a TDI 4-motion Jetta/Golf wagon for $28K.  I'd overlook some of the VW shortcomings for that!!  (Our local dealers are horrid!!)

[dkaz]

Mazda 3s... great driving cars without the reliability problems. Get a used 1st gen if you can't stand the happy 2nd gen.

[Dante]

The Honda gets better real world fuel mileage.  And some will say over the long haul, it will be more reliable.

Just some... and perhaps who had no exposure to 2000+ models.

[Gamefreak]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the lack of knee room with the E-brake positioned where it is.  

[vaff3]

I'm not sure what readers expect Honda to do.  Perhaps they should have stuck with the "LX" name if "Sport" so offends potential customers.They can't change the engine, as the Acura CSX would suffer (even though that is a great engine and should be in more products than just the CSX).  They have upgraded the tires and brakes and some of the interior features.  My '08 is great,and this one has more features than mine.

 I agree that it should have stability control, but the safety that is already engineered into this car is impressive. The two tear dash allows for a smaller steering wheel, and a tall driver like me is not peering through or over the wheel to see the speedo.  I actually like the design. The car is light, peppy, has a great manual transmission, gas mileage, and is as large inside as my dad's 88 Accord.  No real complaints here.

Perhaps the competition is getting stronger, but more options (Bluetooth...) doesn't always make for better driving.

[carsncars]

Um, Greg:

"While engine braking prevents the car from picking up too much speed going downhill, I often wonder how much fuel is sacrificed."

The car probably uses less gas when engine braking. Almost all cars in the past two decade or so are intelligent enough to cut off the fuel when engine braking--this is what produces the braking effect. The wheels turn the engine, which essentially becomes an air compressor of sorts. If it was consuming fuel to turn the engine, there wouldn't be any braking, would there? Hop in a car with instantaneous fuel economy reading and watch the consumption drop to 0.0 L/100km when engine braking down a hill.

This is why in many cases engine braking uses less fuel than coasting downhill in neutral (which is also dangerous)--in neutral, gas has to be consumed to keep the engine at idle.

[Jaeger]

I'm not sure what readers expect Honda to do.  Perhaps they should have stuck with the "LX" name if "Sport" so offends potential customers.

I agree.  Some of the responses have a bit of a tempest in a teapot sound to them.   In the last year of a given model generation, manufacturers (not just Honda) frequently resort to messing with labels and "special editions" that may amount to nothing more than re-shuffling of options packages or maybe a new paint colour.  It's an obvious effort to keep the aging model in the spotlight a little longer until it is replaced.  Clearly, this is NOT the time for a manufacturer to invest in significant powertrain or other performance upgrades for a model that is about to disappear.

Honda has nothing to apologize for in the Civic.  They have turned out a product that has been the best selling car in Canada for over a decade.  And while this particular Civic may not add much in the way of sport beyond the label, Honda will happily sell you a Civic Si - in either coupe or sedan form - if a real performance upgrade is what you are after.

Jaeger

[Shaoul]

A big problem with the current Civic, imo, is the the windshield wipers motion from the center outwards. In good weather days, this is perfectly ok, but when it's snowing, it's almost hazardous since snow accumulates on either side of the windshield, doubling the A-pillar size (which is already too thick) and creating serious blind spots. I have a friend who drives a Civic and he complains bitterly about that every winter!

[Shaoul]

A big problem with the current Civic, imo, is the the windshield wipers motion from the center outwards. In good weather days, this is perfectly ok, but when it's snowing, it's almost hazardous since snow accumulates on either side of the windshield, doubling the A-pillar size (which is already too thick) and creating serious blind spots. I have a friend who drives a Civic and he complains bitterly about that every winter!

What I meant to say in rainy days, they're perfectly ok; you don't need the wipers in good weather days

[Thinking Out Loud]

I'm not sure what readers expect Honda to do.  Perhaps they should have stuck with the "LX" name if "Sport" so offends potential customers.

Sport isn't offensive...hell, even BMW has crapped out on the engine-displacement-follows-model designation, so why should Honda's nomenclature be any more accurate than BMW's?

But WHY 'Sport' (and this applies as earlier mentioned to Jeep)?  Why not 'Extra' (like Nissan did with the Altima). Or to your point, LX-S?  Or 'Canada Edition' like GM?  

[SJP]

Honda indeed has nothing to apologize for with the Civic. It is the top of it's class, offers great value, and is a pleasure to drive as well. Any other manufacturer would be very happy indeed to have a Civic in their line up. The extra content is very standard near the end of a model cycle, to try to add more value to an older platform. This cna be a great time to buy a model, since most of the bugs will be worked out, and the price/content ratio is most favorable. I think the only issue with this model(and honestly, it isn't really an issue, just an interesting thing to comment on) is the use of "sport" Along with "GT" it is way overused, and just implies something that may not be true. A bit amusing, but certainly doesn't take anything from this car. Special edition is maybe a bit more accurate?

[oldscool]

This test has really inspired a lot of comments, and like only a few commentors, I actually own an 08 5 speed. The sloped windshield and long dash, with the two-tier speedo takes all of about 30 minutes with which to become familiar. I also found the lower seat-back bolster initially quite imposing, and overall the seating a bit uncomfortable, with my longish legs. However, after following my wife's suggestion (believe it or not) of tilting the seatback with a bit more rake, everything fell into place, and even the park brake lever is not a concern. We just finished a 9500 km trip to New Mexico and return, and I love the thing. The overall feel of the car is extremely solid, economy is great, very comfortable, with very good visibility. Like Mazda, resale values for Honda are great here in BC, so that is a bonus come trade-in time. One commentor spoke of being unable to "see" the front of the car. I don't know of too many now-days that you can. Perhaps some would like a nice big hood ornament from the '70's so they can aim the car. Like the old saying "Ask the man who owns one".

[diceman]

Well the Civic is still the 2nd best car in a class of has-beens. Save for the Mazda I see a bunch od cars with lousy interiors and questionable looks. Thankfully the new Focus and Cruze are just around the corner.