[vtecharry]

Now keep in mind I have owned 3 Civics before, a '93 DX coupe, '97 DX HB, '01 EX coupe. All manual trans. and bought new. I also own a '99 Integra GSR with lots of mods which I bought new.
Warning: This is a little long but worth reading!

I 've only had the LX coupe 3 days and here are the problems I 'm having in the order of importance to me:

1. Car is not stable at highway speeds or anything over 45-50mph. I have to use both hands on the wheel and constant correction is required so I don't go into the next lane. ie: the car WONDERS a lot from left to right. Steering doesn't seem to be accurate either maybe because it seems too sensitive. I have a long commute, 80mi. each way mostly highway, and want to have a relaxing drive and listen to the radio or music. I don't want to be concentrating heavily on keeping this car in its lane. It becomes almost nerve racking especially when you know you 're driving a brand new car and it should be tracking nicely. Doesn't seem to be the alignment because the car doesn't pull this way or that way only. To me it seems that the shocks are not valved properly so the springs rebound excessively or something wrong with the suspension geometry. Could be the caster is off too. Bad/wrong caster makes the car to wonder too.
My other 3 Civic always tracked perfectly straight even several years later or just pulled to 1 side when alignment was needed.

2. When the wind blows more than 10mph, the car is moving left & right and is very hard to keep it in the lane. I 'm not talking about 30-40mph gusts. I 'm talking a steady 10-15mph wind as reported on the radio at the time I was driving the car. When winds are under 10mph, the car is fine. Anything more than and it starts moving violently. My other 3 Civics were very stable. Again I think this is caused by some kind of faulty engineering in the suspension and partly aerodynamics.

3. RATTLE coming from the dashboard on the passenger side. Can't really locate it because it seems to be either behind the vent or on top of the glove box inside the dahsbord/airbag or between the glovebox and the passenger door where it's hard to get at. It's moderately loud and annoying. It only goes away if I rev past 3,200 RPM (which is 74-75mph in 5th) or if I crank up the stereo a lot.
All 3 previous Civics did not have rattles when new. Sometimes rattles go away after things settle, we 'll wait and see.

4. Experiencing some slight torque steer when accelerating. Again I believe there is something going on with the front struts or rear shocks. Could be one of them is off (wrong valving or on its way out) causing instability and lateral movement. Have not REVed past 4500 RPM. New cars, 4cyl. ones, should not experience torque steer when new (with new motor & tranny mounts, bushings, shocks, etc.), unless maybe when redlined. Previous Civics did not exhibit this behavior, only the '01 EX after 90k mi. when 1 motor mount broke.

5. Brakes are below average and seem barely adequate to properly stop this car in a reasonable distance. ABS kicks in very quickly in the dry mostly due to lack of traction in the tires. Could be tires are greasy because they 're new and this condition will improve as the tires break in. Will wait and see. Brake pedal also travels down too much and feels slightly spongy. Should be engaging higher. Previous Civics had perfect balance when braking and stopped in shorter distances. Brake pedal engaged higher and braking was more confident.

6. Gas is not smooth. Meaning after you 're coasting, you step on the gas and the car jerks in all gears. This should be a smooth transition. Clutch, shifting and gas are not easy to engage all in one smooth motion. It will take a lot to get used to the clutch and gas without jerking the car. It was a breeze in previous Civics to shift or launch the car perfectly smoothly and with no jerking.

7. My knee hits or rests on the hand brake. Tip of plastic hand brake developed a scratch/discoloration on the 2nd day but I think most are having this problem.

So needless to say I 'm not happy with this new Civic having been very happy or at least very content with the previous gen Civics. I don't see too many improvements or much enjoyment in the driving experience of this car as compared to my 3 older Civics. There are good things about it like a more quiet cabin, smoother engine, etc. But the fundemental things like shifting/smooth launches, and good road/highway stability that makes a pleasurable driving experience are not there. I also don't think the new Civic has as good a road feel through the steering wheel as did the older Civics. The steering feels "funny" is the only way I can explain it. It is a little too sensitive and responsive which would make you think it's a good thing, but it just doesn't feel right.

Please tell me if you are experiencing any of these things I have described here with your LX or EX coupe or if you agree with anything I 've said.

I will take it to the dealer soon to have the alignment checked first and I 'll take it from there. I looked at the alignment specs in the owner's manual and they are much different than previous gens. It says 0 camber in the front. This car definitly needs at least 3/4 to -1 deg. of negative camber in the front IMO. But they list -1.3 deg. of camber in the rear! which is very strange. FWD cars don't handle very well with too much camber in the rear. Anyone who autocrosses knows that (like me).

I 'm also going to put EX wheels on it with summer or better tires and see if the "instability" improves at all but I don't think it will. I think this car needs aftermarket springs and shocks (as well as a bigger rear sway bar) to make it ride like a normal car or some fundemental change in its suspension geometry (hopefully not!). I don't know why Honda can't get the suspension right for 2 gens now. If I can't resolve this issue with the car wondering, I 'll be getting a Mazda 3. I drove my brother's new '06 3 S and it had everything I look for in a car: very stable, good road feel, excellent handling, braking, shifter/clutch was good, everything the Civic should have but doesn't.