2nd May 2012, 13:54

I too have a base (but 2011), with the manual gearbox. No problems so far, have about 13K on it since last year.

You apparently have to use synthetic oil when changing, as the 0w-20 recommended is apparently only sold as a synthetic. The good news is you only have to do it once every 10K miles. I would say however, that is a trend that annoys the hell out of me. The revs do not immediately fall off between shifts for whatever reason (be it emissions, DBW, flywheel weight, whatever).

I have had to completely retrain how I drive stick because of this car, because if you grew up shifting quickly, you will buck your way through the gears as the revs stay up. Also, this is NOT a great shifter, no matter what the "Honda loving" reviews would have you believe --- it is VERY notchy, and often will throw you off as it hesitates to slot into the gear, resulting in embarrassing grinds.

Car is a bit on the noisy side as well (probably not much sound insulation to save weight), although the engine sounds nice when it revs, so it is at least enjoyable noise.

Good news is that other than the aforementioned issues, the car is a blast to drive for an econobox - it's not fast, but it feels very peppy, and the overdrive gearing in the manual is sufficient enough for most highway grades without need of a downshift (base model with 15" tires, RPMs are about 3100 @ 65mph in 5th). First gear is VERY short - when making a left across an intersection, you will NEED to shift to 2nd, which can be rather disconcerting the first time. Sometimes I just start off in 2nd when on flat grades. Steering is unusually responsive and connected for electric assist - I would have guessed it was hydraulic.

So far, averaging 33 mpg since the day I took it home from the dealer, over LOTS of city driving, with some highway sprinkled in.