2007 Honda Civic LS 1.8 from Israel

Summary:

Good, but not as good as a Corolla

Faults:

Like my previous Toyota Corolla, nothing has gone wrong, and I don't expect it will.

General Comments:

I traded in my previous Toyota Corolla after 110,000 trouble free kilometers, I have only had the Civic a month, but I can't help comparing it with my previous Corolla.

There are two bugs with the Civic which make me sorry that I bought it, firstly - that handbrake! What a silly place to put it, it digs into my leg, and makes any journey for over a half an hour a real pain (literally).

Secondly, the lack of leg room for the front passenger, the front passenger foot-well is much shorter than the drivers side. Consequently, my average height wife has to push her seat right back to get comfortable, so there is no room for a passenger in the back! Also it is difficult to open the front glove box all the way without banging ones knees.

I don't agree with other writers concerning the noise, my car is very quiet, except for some tyre roar, which I expect to eliminate by changing those horrible Bridgestone tyres for Michelin.

The seats are reasonably comfortable if a little hard, most Japanese cars have hard seats especially compared to European ones, but I find that the Civic seats are harder and less comfortable than my previous Corolla's.

The Civic is certainly a faster car, with much better acceleration, and with discs brakes all around, ABS, EDB, traction control, & 4 airbags fitted as standard, I certainly feel safe!

The sound system, and air-conditioning are good, and

I also enjoy driving this Civic more than the Corolla, but it is not as comfortable, especially on longer journeys.

I am still annoyed with Toyota for not producing their european Corolla & Auris with a standard automatic gearbox, which forced me to by the Civic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th September, 2007

20th Sep 2007, 20:44

I own a 2000 Civic and I think it is better than a Corolla. Hands down!

12th Oct 2007, 22:55

I drove a Civic the other day and I hurt myself getting in that small car! Nothing is in right place if you are a big guy. The Corolla was much nicer to drive and very fast. The Civic is just a plain car without much real thought or consideration for passengers. It's as reliable as the Corolla, but not as comfortable. Nor does the Civic get as good gas mileage. Most people have to put on a big tin can muffler on their Civic to get any kind of power from it. The Civic was never meant to be a comfortable car, they just made it super light to make it as fast as possible. The Corolla is far safer, it doesn't crush as much in the test crashes you find on You Tube. I'm sure this guy will eventually sell the Civic and buy a Corolla... read between the lines!

3rd Dec 2007, 03:33

To comment #3

RHD Civics have the same problem with the handbrake. Honda put that stupid handbrake lever on the right-hand side of the gear lever.

21st Jun 2008, 01:46

Civic used to be somewhat sporty with their reclining, contoured bucket seats and double wishbone, ground hugging suspension and low clearance. On long trips, the seats fit like a glove, and the car just seemed to glide effortlessly over pavement to the tune of 50+mpg. The huge front windshield gives a very clear view of the entire road in front, and I felt in control of the world. A true joy to drive!

Honda have lost something very important, and you'll be very hard-pressed to find it with any vehicle manufacturer nowadays. That's because they're all trading simplicity and reliability in favor of more useless luxury features and needless fluff. But then, isn't that what the American people demand?

2007 Honda Civic VTI 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Looks fantastic and drives well

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

The car looks great inside/out, and handles the road well. It is also pretty powerful for the 1.8L engine.

Nice extras for a standard model - just to name a few: power windows, cruse control etc.

The only thing I am concerned about though, is that the engine is making strange electronic noise when accelerating. It sounds like alternator going off. I can't recall whether it was making that noise when I first bought it.

The acceleration itself is also a bit noisy for a brand new car; it certainly wasn't at first, but I've only done 300km on this car. I don't mind all this given it is all normal for this model.

Also the engine starts on high revs when the car hasn't been driven for a few hours, even in warm weather. I will address these issues at the first service. I hope it is just me being paranoid.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th August, 2007

9th Sep 2007, 07:02

Hi, I own a 2006 Honda Civic VTI-L. The noise you are describing is a newly built engine still running in. (Mine did the same and stopped around 2 to 3 thousand Km's.).

Treat it very gently in the run in period and your car will give you years of trouble free motoring. Nothing has gone wrong with ours, and we have owned it for 1 year. (Have done 9500 km's at the time of writing this).

24th Sep 2007, 19:44

Thanks for your comment. I mentioned that noise on my first service and Honda replaced a power steering pump which is designed to assist the power steering. The noise is still there so I guess they replaced that part for no reason just to shut me up (customer is always right).

25th Dec 2007, 15:04

Model: 2007 civic vti auto.

Usage: 7000km in 2 months.

Impressive fuel economy especially on highway is only matched by its refined drive train. The engine turning just over 1700rpm @ 100km/hr when coupled to the auto. Affording both exceptional economy and little to none engine noise. In fact the only thing audible on highway speed is some wind noise from the outside rear view mirror and minimal tyre droning when the radio is off.

Clever packaging liberate much interior room for passengers and cargo. Light gray upholstery could be easily marked. Soft touch plastic on the chunky steering wheel and gear knob help elevate sense of material quality.

Auto transmission makes a disturbing loud click when shifting from Park to drive and vice versa. Otherwise shift quality is impeccable. Its smart 5 speed auto will adapt to my varying driving condition through shift timing and point. Accounting for gradient, engine load and throttle input.