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'06 EX Sedan Test Drive

3K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  vanillanova 
#1 ·
:driving:

Like many others, I got an opportunity for a quick test drive in the 2006 Civic EX Sedan (automatic) this afternoon. I wanted to post a few of my first impressions about the car. After reading several other first ride reviews, I think that my experience was very similar.

1) Fit & Finish seems to be more substantial/impressive than 7th Gen. There is a more pronounced clunk when closing the doors. Interior components are high quality hard plastic (as expected from Honda) and everything seems to work as it should.

2) This dash is HUGE. You really don't get a feel for how big the dash is in this car until you sit behind the wheel. There's a lot of real estate under the dash that is not in the hood of the car any longer. It's interesting.

3) Two-tiered instrumentation is a winner. This was the major thing that I had concerns about, and honestly, it was disorienting at first. The speedo sits SO FAR in front of the tachometer (lower cluster) that it seems disconnected. However, the numerals are very large for the speedometer (over an inch) and you really can focus on the road. It's like a heads-up display. Also, I had concerns about the steering wheel blocking my view of one of the clusters, but that is not the case, thanks to the tilt/telescope wheel. Blue illumination is also way cool. Me like! :thumb:

4) Sedan stereo (160watt) is not great. Admittedly, I'm used to a 7-speaker sound system in my Wrangler with a subwoofer. This is not the same. The controls, however are logical and I like the fact that it doesn't look DIN. (just a personal preference). I'm itching to hear the 350watt sound system in the EX Coupe!

5) Firm, supportive seats are also comfortable. I wasn't squirming for the right seating position either.

6) Lots of trunk space, and I (for one) love the idea of the split folding seatback releases being located in the trunk. I hated having to climb in the back of my Preludes to get the friggin key to unlock the seatback. This is much more convenient in my opinion. It's also nice to have the remote trunk release on the keyless entry.

7) DRLs! I always turn on my headlights while driving so this helps make it a no-brainer.

8) Acceleration is responsive with the automatic...but I couldn't tell that much difference in speed between this and the 7th Gen automatic that I drove. However, I'm not an automatic driver. I will have to drive the 5-speed to really get a feel for the car. But, this car does feel more substantial on the road than the 7th Gen.

9) Steering/Handling response is very good. It's what I would expect from Honda and it was a noticeable difference between this and 7th Gen. And while I'm thinking about the steering wheel...thank you Honda for the remote steering wheel controls. :)

10) Road noise has been reduced, but is still noticeable. It's still not as quiet as the Accord, but then again, it's cheaper. It is much better than 7th Gen.

11) Sunroof controls are actually in the RIGHT place for the first time! :thumb:

So those are my initial impressions.....feel free to chime in with yours.
 
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#5 ·
I dove a 4 door auto (140hp) (Honda of Bowie) and when I got on it (floored it) it didn't have that much power.. and the car shook, was not too impressed with the 4 door. Yesterday I drove the 2 door 5sp man (140hp) (Honda of Germantown..Middlebrook Rd) I did not like the 'drive by wire throttle', when I would shift gears the engine would rev up. I think people can do this on purpose (double clutching or something) but at any rate, the delay for both pushing ON and letting OFF the gas was way noticable, Like you let off the gas and push in the clutch real fast, but the computer dosn't know that you let off the gas and the clutch is in, so it revs. The 2 door is slower than my 04 Si, dispite what TOV was saying (136 Whp, 155 Crank hp)... look forward to testing the Si.
 
#6 ·
Drove an auto coupe this past weekend. Some of my concerns: Dash board is HUGE. Bigger than I expected and gave the car a bulky feel compared to previous models. Not sure I liked it. During my test drive the sun came through the driver's side window and washed out the digital speedo. Was difficult to read until I turned the car away. I too "floored" the gas while merging on the highway and the car lacked the pep I was expecting. Acceleration didn't seem to be there. Overall, I liked the car but the RSX auto handling and accleration seemed more competent.
 
#9 ·
RSX Auto - Curb Weight:2809

Civic EX Coupe Auto - Curb Weight: 2767

basically the same

HP:

RSX auto - HP 155/ tq- 139
Civic Auto - HP 140/ tq- 128

not a huge difference there either.

RSX MPG - 25/34
Civic MPG- 30/40

5 more mpg in the city and 6 more mpg on the highway. That's all I can say about the two really. I haven't actually driven the NON type S auto RSX so I can't really comment on the pickup (pep). I didn't look up the base rsx gearing, but it surely could be geared differently. That could probably explain the mpg differences.
 
#10 ·
Drive By Wire

After driving the new civic now for 2 weeks, I prefer the drive by wire. There is a slight 1-2 milisecond delay when u first press the gas, but you get used to it. The drive by wire is great when you suddenly get on the gas, as the auto tranny seems to downshift quicker. It also seems to take less pedal effort to mainstain a constant speed. This is my experience in my auto. I can see how a little lag from the drive by wire system can unnerve a manual tranny owner however...
 
#13 ·
I have an 09 civic sedan ex. It's actually nicer than my sister's 08. The interior is much quieter, road noise is minimal considering it's a compact, everything is way impressive for the price. I am coming off an 03 coupe, so it's a drastic change for the better, but I love this car, much better then anything else in it's class.
 
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