5,000 Miles and Counting - 2016 Honda Civic Long-Term Road Test
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5,000 Miles and Counting - 2016 Honda Civic Long-Term Road Test
Our 2016 Honda Civic is a very likeable car that is equally good around town and on the open road, but it hasn't amassed miles as quickly as I expected.
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The 2016 car is a remarkable value. We chose the EX-T specifically due to bang for the buck factor--in our opinion it was the sweet spot of what you get for what you pay. Heated seats, dual zone climate control, moonroof, the turbo engine, upgraded wheels, etc. The upgrades you get on the Touring were of little value to us. Neither my wife nor I really care for leather seats. We use our phones for navigation when the occasion arises. You can get the Honda Sensing package even on the LX if you so desire (kudos to Honda for structuring it that way), but we opted out of that after reading some online reviews of the system, and talking with a coworker who has it on her Acura. We'll get it on our next car, when the tech has matured a bit.
Anyway, back to our likes and dislikes...
Likes:
The turbo engine is a great compromise between power and fuel efficiency. The engine in our '16 is light years better than the one in our '14. The '14 feels like a dog in comparison. I did test drive the non-turbo version of the 2016 car, and it was also far better than our old Civic. The price bump from EX to EX-T is so small, though, you're crazy to get the NA engine in my opinion.
The CVT is vastly improved. Our older car seems to hunt all the time for the right ratio. If you need any acceleration at all, the revs head for the sky. Encounter a hill, revs shoot up. Very "busy", and the trans is constantly apparent. The new car, you hardly notice the transmission. It just works. Very seamless. I'm still not a fan of CVTs, but the one in our '16 Civic is pretty good, and the one in our '14 is an annoyance.
Steering/suspension. The '16 strikes a really good balance of ride and handling for the average person. Firm but not harsh. Very good implementation of electric power steering--an area where some manufacturers fall short (Hyundai).
Low belt line. I hate the trend in modern cars that the belt line or side window sill is really high. The 2016 Civic returns to the old Honda ways, with the impression that the belt line and hood are low. Reminds me of the Hondas my family had in the 80s and 90s. Thank you, Honda, for resisting the trend to make cars into pillboxes with gun slits for windows. This being said, rearward visibility is still a minor weak point, but not too bad.
Feeling of value. When I drive our new Civic, and realize that we only paid a little over 20 grand for this car, I feel like we got more than what we paid for. It's really incredible what an economy car is these days. The average new vehicle sold in the USA costs 12 or 13 grand more than what we paid for this Civic. Fantastic value.
Fuel economy. My wife is the primary driver of our '16. She reports a little over 40 mpg so far. She gets stuck in a lot of rush hour stop and go stuff, so that's an impressive number. I took our '14 on a 100 mile highway round trip with no traffic last night, averaged 35. The new car is getting over 10% better MPG and has way more power, and isn't even broken in yet.
Gauge cluster. Excellent. The digital/analog instruments are superb.
Sound system. The sound system in our 2014 EX is terrible. The 2016, it's livable. Not great, but good enough for an econo car, and no longer a glaring weak point as in our 2014. By the way, I've read much wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the lack of volume knob. This is not really an issue if you have any adaptation skills whatsoever. The steering controls are excellent, and on the 2016 Honda has placed a small, ribbed slider on the steering wheel that allows you to easily sweep your thumb up or down for control. A rapid swipe down mutes the system. It works well in practice if you give it a chance.
Dislikes/Nitpicks:
Un-Honda like lack of attention to detail. For instance, the body panel gaps on our 2014 are consistently very tight and uniform. The gaps on our 2016 make a Saturn S Series look like a Lexus. They are at least twice the width of any panel gap on our older Civic. I'm not impressed. Sloppy. I expect more from Honda, and I'm amazed this kind of thing meets their internal standards.
Sheet metal. Incredibly thin on the new car. Even using very gentle pressure when washing or waxing the car, the hood oil cans like a Royalex canoe.
Some blatant details that reek of cost cutting, in comparison to our '14 equivalent. For example, the rear door panels on the '16 are plainer and more basic than those in the front. The rear seat seems to be constructed of cheaper fabric and with less dense foam than the front seats. The rear headrests in our '14 are individually adjustable and removable--the 2016 features integral headrests molded into the rear seat back cushion. Some of the plastic exterior trim, such as bumpers, fog lights, etc, seem flimsier than their counterparts on our 2014. The black plastic trim piece on the lower aspect of our car's rear bumper is already pulling away from the painted portion. I'm sure the dealer will tell me this is my fault somehow since it's on the bumper, i.e. we were hit, etc. Nope, been that way since we got home with the car.
Fabric on center console and armrest. For some reason, Honda put fabric on the top edges of the center console, running from the shifter area rearward to the armrest, on the lateral edges of the cupholder/cubby area. This was a poor choice, and I can see this material experiencing high wear over time. It looks nice, but putting relatively fragile upholstery in this area is a sketchy idea.
That's all I can think of right now. Any user that has a specific question about the 2016 can feel free to ask and I'll do my best to respond.
You made me miss one of my all time favorite rides - my circa 1978 Blue Hole OCA. It was heavy enough that the ("original" before they moved the factory) Royalex didn't oil can all that badly.
Guess my only question about your new Civic is whether you have roof racks for it.
We do have a canoe, a fiberglass (or whatever Wenonah calls their layup) Spirit 2. I have a pretty slick hitch extender support that I use with my old pickup to haul the boat. Haven't tried hauling the canoe with a Civic yet, but this is a case where I miss a station wagon with integrated roof rails/bars. Our old Focus wagon hauled canoes and kayaks pretty well.
Speaking of Royalex, I don't think they make it anymore. Not sure what the industry has in mind to replace it.