mmarshall

I read CR's report on the latest version, and the fall from grace in the Non-Recommendation rating seems to be from a worsening of the car's reliability lately, to below average (which is rare for any Honda product I can remember, except for the Isuzu-rebadge Honda Passport SUV of the mid-1990s, which was not a Honda design to start with). CR's report did not seem to have any major problems with the car's overall design or performance, which they praised except for the hard-to-use video stereo screen in upper-line models and the restriction of the way some features are marketed in trim lies.

Nevertheless, my curiosity is raised a little here, and, for what little my opinion is worth LOL, I'm going to go take a look at the new Civic myself today.....I haven't checked it out yet. (and my earlier comment about me not knowing anyone who has gotten a lemon Civic does not necessarily apply to the latest version, as I don't know anyone right off-hand who owns one).

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

let me guess, they're were civics from 1985?

these 'owners reports' of 'reliability' 'problems', i wonder what the problems were? couldn't figure out how to pair their bluetooth phone? thought the cvt didn't shift the way they're used to? what were the ACTUAL problems? and basing a ranking on a COUNT of problems is completely stupid, because not all problems are the same. CR never gives details, so the rankings are a joke.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

what does that mean? what's 'lately'? how do they define 'worsening'?

i'm not sure how you can determine reliability from a look at a brand new one at a dealer.

mmarshall

Pretty simple to me. As I understand it, "worsening" reliability means in increase in the number of times, on a specific make/model, that car-owners have problems serious enough that they take it to the dealer (or other service shop) for repair or addressing a recall. "Lately", as I'm using the term, means the latest-generation model.


No, you misunderstood me. Obviously, one cannot check reliability (or safety crash-testing) in the showroom....only CR's database can do that. I'm going to see if there is anything else in a simple static or road review that could explain it (for what little my opinion is worth, I don't always agree with CR 100%). Besides, I haven't personally seen it yet, and it is an extremely popular car, often with five or six-figure sales annually in the U.S. market. It's worth a look.

SW17LS

My only comment about the new Civic, and you'll see if when you look at it, is that it's really low. Getting in and out of it is tough for me, your knees will take a beating lol

LexBob2

So I guess the Lexus and Toyota rankings being discussed in another thread are bogus too? Got it.

bagwell

I love it!!! LMAO!!!



It's not that difficult to understand CR --- you have to think like a NON-ENTHUSIAST -- an enthusiast will get nothing out of it except for the reliability data which I find useful as input in car buying.


oh, and yes they do great with safety issues too ----

bagwell

Come on, you really have no clue what reliability means? Hint- it has nothing to do with not being able to pair a Bluetooth phone...stop hating, or if you insist plz come up with a better whine.

SW17LS

Here's the problem though, they'e hiding the reliability info within this "total vehicle score" which includes their subjective driving opinions. You have to dig down to find just the reliability info, making them a lot less valuable. Non enthusiasts don't look at what goes into the rating, they just see that score. They would chose a 7 over an LS because the "score" is higher, when their own reported reliability for the 7 is much lower.

He happens to be correct. Have you ever filled out a CR survey?

mmarshall

OK, Folks.........I'm not going to take the time to write up a long review per se (just a relatively short write-up here), but I looked over a number of different new Civics today, LX and EX models, coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks. (an aside note.....the BIG Honda dealership I was at today provides all of its electric power from a wind-turbine, unusual for this area....you could see the big propeller-blades spinning from some distance away). Consumer Reports may (?) have some reason to remove its former Recommended rating for something not readily apparent in the showroom or on the lot, like a bad NHTSA/IIHS crash-test result or worsening reliability. But after a careful inspection, I could not find anything significant in the overall design, build/assembly quality, or road manners of this car (I test-drove an LX model with the N/A 2.0L four and CVT that listed for 20K) that would cause it to be panned for any of those reasons. Of course, I did not do any extreme maneuvers on the skidpad, panic-stops, or pedal-to-the metal 0-60 runs...so I can't comment on the car's behavior at the limits. But, in typical suburban driving, it was perfectly acceptable. It had a strong, refined engine for its size. The CVT was one of the best-performing that I've sampled yet (no motorboating or rubber-banding)....with stepped-banding that imitated a conventional automatic very well. After the initial second or so, with even moderate throttle, it really shot forward in first "gear".....you had to be careful of the car in front of you. The chassis, with the LX-level suspension/tires (stamped-steel wheels and plastic covers, not alloys), was a fairly good combination of ride and handling, slightly slower steering response than I expected, but still agile. Wind noise was well-controlled, though the (usual) Honda road noise in its lower-end vehicles was there. Brakes were much better than the old Push-and-Pray pedal I can remember from a couple of decades ago....Civic brakes have been steadily improving over the years.

The general assembly-quality, inside and out, is still (mostly) the same, usual Honda care and attention to detail, fit/finish, and material quality, and, by the standards of this class, doors shut like bank vaults. Although there was a lot of hard plastic in the LX trim inside (EX models had fabric instead of plastic on the door-panels), it seemed high quality plastic, not overly-cheap stuff. Only the somewhat flimsy-feeling glove-box latch and somewhat loosely-attached outside chrome strips above the headlights subtracted from the traditional Honda Swiss-Watch precision assembly and quality of materials. I wasn't very impressed with the flat, firmly-padded seats, but there was nothing really wrong with them...and they had a durable-feeling fabric. The stereo was relatively easy to use in the LX model.....much less so in the EX, where the controls are embedded into the video-screen. I also didn't care for the digital speedometer in the middle of the central-mount tach, but that is a personal preference, not something objective.

Last, of course, today's Civic (comparatively) is BIG. If you haven't seen or driven one lately, it has grown to basically to the size of what an Accord was not long ago. That's one reason why Honda brought the Fit (Jazz) here to the U.S. from overseas...to have a new small entry-level product to take the place where the older, smaller Civics once occupied.

So......IMHO, unless this car has really developed some reliability problems lately, or is not very safe in an accident, I can see no reason not to consider it. In fact, if it were my money, I'd take one home before the (competing) Ford Focus, which I never liked.

Steve, I may not have one foot in the grave yet, but I'm no Spring Chicken....remember, I'm a Baby-Boomer that grew up with the classic 1960s cars. My knees take somewhat of a beating no matter what I get in and out of.

Aron9000

They were both early-mid 2000's, the design before the space ship dash and the design after the "ek" Civic hatch that all the tuner guys like. They got rid of them years ago though, but transmission failure before 100k miles in two cars tells me either both were driven very hard or Honda was putting junk transmissions in them, or a combination of both.

Just saying that a Civic isn't 100% bullet-proof. They're great cars, but some people do have problems with them, just like any other car.

jer

I believe this is one of the reasons CR knocked down the Civic. They also take into consideration 'ease of use' of which this is not, at least not until one gets used to it. CR as another point of reference is good, however one must read their reviews, as many items they may knock a vehicle for is something you may be looking for. Example- CR states ride is 'stiff', but this is your preference. Same goes with access to controls. CR does not like the screen only controls. They look for dials, buttons, etc.

mmarshall

Though not luxury-soft, the ride was not particularly stiff on the LX-level suspension and tires I sampled.

I prefer traditional buttons and dials myself, but that does not necessarily make a car unacceptable. On the LX model I sampled, some of the stereo functions could also be adjusted by the controls on the steering wheel spokes.

dseag2

That's why dealers have very few on the lots and CR panned them.

mmarshall

The huge Honda place I was at today had dozens of new Civics in stock...every trim level, body style, and color you could think of. My knees got sore from walking around just LOOKING at them LOL.