This Can't Be a Civic - It's Too Nice - 2016 Honda Civic Long-Term Road Test

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This Can't Be a Civic - It's Too Nice - 2016 Honda Civic Long-Term Road Test

Our newest long-term vehicle, the 2016 Honda Civic, comes from a long line of inexpensive economy cars. But it's stepped up its game quite a bit.

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daryleason

@tlangness : I'm not sure what you want either. You just said that no one over the age of 18 would want to drive a riced-out Civic like they had in TF&TF, but then said you aren't sure if you want the "bigger, better, more grown-up Civic." So does that mean you really don't like the Civic even though it's roomy and rides well? I'm not sure what you're saying with this post.

bankerdanny

It seems to me he is saying he prefers something in the middle, something more like the Si's from a couple generations back.

That said, I am confident that the overall market prefers a Civic like this one and that it will be a big hit for Honda.

kirkhilles1

Awesome. I would love to see a picture of a couple of adults in the back seat as a reference. I'm also not a big fan of the red color - not sure why you'd choose that when there are much prettier colors out there for the Civic. Otherwise, it sounds like Honda has hit a home run. Expecting 20,000 uneventful miles, plus some cool turbo performance testing.

daryleason

It may just be me, but the profile shot makes the front fender arch look weird.It's almost like someone grafted on a Porsche fender to the Civic. The beltline sort of harkens back to a Hyundai to me. However, those taillights scream "Honda" for sure.

darex

I sat in this car at the Car Show (an EX model), together with a long-term Honda-fan friend, and we both were actually rather disappointed by the low-rent feeling of some of the materials inside, as well as their flimsiness. I am beginning to think that this car's reputation is far more hyped by the Auto Press than deserved.

kirkhilles1

darex said:

I sat in this car at the Car Show (an EX model), together with a long-term Honda-fan friend, and we both were actually rather disappointed by the low-rent feeling of some of the materials inside, as well as their flimsiness. I am beginning to think that this car's reputation is far more hyped by the Auto Press than deserved.

Keep in mind that you can get an LX for about $17k and an EX for $19k, so I think its to be expected. Now, a fully loaded one might feel a bit overpriced...

allthingshonda

darex said:

I sat in this car at the Car Show (an EX model), together with a long-term Honda-fan friend, and we both were actually rather disappointed by the low-rent feeling of some of the materials inside, as well as their flimsiness. I am beginning to think that this car's reputation is far more hyped by the Auto Press than deserved.

What kind of material quality are you expecting in a car that has a starting price below 20 grand? I think people have heard "soft touch" referred to so many times that they get in cars and press on every surface expecting "soft touch" materials everywhere. This is fine if you're sitting in a $50,000+ car but really what do you expect in a Civic, Corolla, Cruze, Focus etc. If you want disappointment look at the interior of any new pickup truck. I promise you're going to say "this doesn't look or feel like it costs $40,000.00"

schen72

I've test driven this car two times now and I'm still impressed by the interior quality. It's definitely a huge step upmarket.

diigii

For me, the 1990 Honda Civic SI 5-speed hatchback is the best Civic ever manufactured. My older brother bought a used model and he let me drove it a few times. It was not mechanically modified, except for the aftermarket alloy rims. And I enjoyed driving that car.

reminder

They'll sell zillions of them.
It'll run like a watch, get excellent fuel economy & hold its value well.
Won't have to endure a 40% + hit when you sell it to Carmax.
Mustang = Ouch!

5vzfe

I've already seen dozens of these tooling around town with dealer plates still on. There was someone else here that dislikes the red but I think it looks pretty sharp. Should be a winner for Honda.

emajor

I had a 1993 Civic. It was an excellent car and good to drive, but it was very loud, quite cramped, and felt tinny and insubstantial--the quintessential Civic that triggers Civic nostalgia. But I wouldn't want the modern iteration of that car. I want some sound deadening and to be able to fit a carseat in the backseat. I don't want to sit on the floorpan of a compact sedan and lose my hearing on the highway. This current model looks seriously appealing and far, far better than the prior. Reviews suggest it combines driving enjoyment with some maturity and space, much like a some VWs, but with the expectation of high reliability. Well, the 2.0 engine recall has me questioning that one, but time will tell. It is the Civic I would want.

carboy21

2016 Hyundai Elantra is a much better car aesthetically and economically.

allthingshonda

The 2.0 engines will be reliable. Honda has identified the problem, recalled affected models and made the necessary changes on the production line. All 2.0 engines produced now are not affected. All manufacturers can run into early production problems, even Honda, but what matters is when they admit it and do a recall to fix the problem.

emajor

"The 2.0 engines will be reliable"

Given your screen name, I'm guessing this is the same statement you would have made before a serious assembly issue came to light that could result in the engine destroying itself on a brand new always-reliable Honda. Or perhaps the self-destructing transmissions in V6 models of the early 2000s as well.

As I said, time will tell.

darex

allthingshonda said:

darex said:

I sat in this car at the Car Show (an EX model), together with a long-term Honda-fan friend, and we both were actually rather disappointed by the low-rent feeling of some of the materials inside, as well as their flimsiness. I am beginning to think that this car's reputation is far more hyped by the Auto Press than deserved.

What kind of material quality are you expecting in a car that has a starting price below 20 grand? I think people have heard "soft touch" referred to so many times that they get in cars and press on every surface expecting "soft touch" materials everywhere. This is fine if you're sitting in a $50,000+ car but really what do you expect in a Civic, Corolla, Cruze, Focus etc. If you want disappointment look at the interior of any new pickup truck. I promise you're going to say "this doesn't look or feel like it costs $40,000.00"

Say what you want about other aspects of their cars, but sit in a new SantaFe or other Hyundai, and the interiors and fit-and-finish blow away Honda's latest efforts. In particular, the Civic's interior felt like garbage compared with the Elantra's or Tucson's or SantaFe's. That was our take-home impression, and my Honda-fan buddy has only ever made fun of Hyundai, until that day, a few weeks ago.

guargum

I just drove the "all-new" 2017 Elantra pretty significantly. While Hyundai has done an excellent job, the design, quality and fit and finish do not match that of the Civic. In particular, the ride/suspension/steering of the Honda are light years ahead. Although I'm not a fan of Honda's volume knob-less infotainment system at all.

allthingshonda

emajor said:

"The 2.0 engines will be reliable"

Given your screen name, I'm guessing this is the same statement you would have made before a serious assembly issue came to light that could result in the engine destroying itself on a brand new always-reliable Honda. Or perhaps the self-destructing transmissions in V6 models of the early 2000s as well.

As I said, time will tell.

Yes, you're right, I would have said it before a serious assembly issue came to light since I nor any one else can know something before it happens. The point is they are correcting the problem not just taking care of cars breaking under warranty. Also, I said before that I owned a V6 Accord whose transmission went out when it was 10 years old and had 150,000 miles on it so I know something about the transmission problem. Even then, without me asking for it, Honda paid for some of the total repair cost. They had no obligation whatsoever to pay for anything on a 10 year old car with that many miles on it but they owned their mistakes and took responsibility for it. And they weren't given a high reliability reputation, they earned it. Say what you want but given the choice of buying a high mileage old Chevy Cobalt or Honda Civic most people will take the Honda all day everyday. Check resale values and depreciation if you don't believe me.

@darex, my girlfriend owns a 2011 Sonata and I think it's a great car. It has the smoothest transmission I have ever driven in any car at any price and has not caused her any mechanical problems. However, it also has some hard surfaces throughout the cabin just like everybody else. As it ages it's starting to get a few rattles here, there and some interior trim is showing wear and since we live with very bad roads it's needed two alignments in 50,000 miles. My Acura is older and has 100,000 more miles and has had one alignment and the interior is rattle free. Since I have lived with Honda and Hyundai for years and thousands of miles not just a test drive I can say that although Hyundai is good and I would recommend it to anyone, they don't age as well as Honda.