General Comments:
My third Honda (following a 1984 Prelude and 1998 Civic respectively), purchased because I couldn't resist it for the price it was offered at.
I do not normally run cars this new (or expensive), but decided to invest in it to keep for the longer term, as a reliable car to be used for business and suchlike.
The car was purchased from a Honda franchise having a used car "clearance sale", and as such did not have the standard Honda Approved 12 month warranty. I had to purchase an external 3 month warranty - with the problem outlined above, it always pays to read the small print carefully...
Incidentally, now the car is out of warranty I get servicing done at a local Honda specialist, as Honda main dealer labour rates are very expensive.
The 2-litre engine is the one to have if you get the automatic - my father has a 1.8 model and the 2.0 has noticeably better acceleration. However, the auto blunts the initial take-up - the VTEC engine doesn't really seem well suited to an automatic, as nothing much happens under 3000rpm. Revs smoothly and cleanly to the redline.
Autobox can sometimes stumble and jerk occasionally, such as in stop/go traffic, but does not otherwise give cause for concern. Shifts up seamlessly at 3/4 throttle.
Thirsty for a car of it's size and weight in this day and age - even when only motorway cruising at 70mph, it will not give more than 30mpg. Mainly I get 25-26mpg, although the figure doesn't vary that much if the car is used hard or in town driving a lot, or if the air conditioning is run all the time.
Lots of toys - electric windows all round, electric sunroof and mirrors, (ice cold) air conditioning, cruise control, remote locking - and they all work well. Build quality is excellent, although some of the plastics on the dashboard and door panels are a bit hard and shiny.
Standard (Pioneer) stereo has lots of tiny buttons and is hard to fathom. Give a decent sound though, and is easy to connect a CD multichanger to.
Rear seats not as roomy as the Mondeo or Passat (or even the latest Civic). Front seats are quite comfortable, but can give lower backache on long runs, exacerbated by poorly-angled footrest for "clutch" foot. Boot is a decent size, and rear seats fold.
Ride and handling good, but not outstanding - damping is not perfect. I didn't like the original 15" steel wheels, so these were changed for a set of 16" OZ Superturismos with 50-profile tyres - the car now has fantastic grip, but tends to tramline a little. Power steering doesn't give a lot of feedback.
A good car for safety - Euro NCAP 4 star rating and 4 airbags. Hopefully I will never have to use them.
In conclusion, it seems to do everything a Mercedes-Benz C-Class does, but at a lower price. Long may it continue.
