Test drove the 8th gen... ehhh...

[jandree22]

Not planning to purchase anything until 9-12 months from now, but I decided to head out and start some test drives tonight, one of which was a manual Civic EX Coupe.

What impressed me...

• Very quiet - Engine, road and wind. No problems, everything was quiet.
• Smooth zippy power - EX isn't a rocket, but had a nice solid pull to it
• Gauges - Better than I expected in person, digital display was large and clear

What disappointed me...

• The shifter - IMO it was horrid. Very notchy and I missed the 2-3 shift several times in the test drive. I could get used to it, but the 7th gen shifter is MUCH slicker.
• Road feel - None. The fact that it was so smooth and quiet was great, except it left me feeling totally isolated from what was going on outside the car.

I also test drove the Subaru Impreza 2.5i tonight just before the Civic, and sorry to tell you all, I fell in love with it. The styling is different, but is growing on me quickly, and had a VERY solid and lively feel. Just seemed to be much more of a spirited driving experience than the Civic... not so much faster, but felt like more of a 'driver's car.' I was gonna drive the WRX, but after I drove the 2.5i, it was all the performance I needed, so no need for the higher sticker price and premium fuel for me.

Not saying the Civic was a bad car, by NO means am I saying that... it's definately very high quality, but it just wasn't a fit for what I'm looking for. I might still stick around here because I'm not 100% decided yet, but just reporting on my experience

[ballplaya4237]

Any civic besides the SI still equals an economy car.. no way around it.. 140HP isn't sporty no matter what it looks like

all that siad.. i love my new civic lol

[DaytonOh]

I have to agree with the road feel. I went from a Spec-V with a stiff suspension, to the Honda, and I can't seem to get a feel for the road. I'm having trouble judging speeds and braking. I figure another week of driving and I'll have a much better feel. It took a while getting used Spec, I figure it's the same with the civic.

[jandree22]

Amen to the speed feel thing! Once or twice I caught myself doing 55mph in a 40 zone with the sales lady sitting shotgun... oops:rolleyes: All that quiet interior and smooth power really sneaks up on you. No hiding it either, that digital spedo announces it loud and clear, haha

[skittleslegend]

You had to have missed your shifts because you weren't paying attention because that's exactly what happened with me. It took me a little while to get used to it because the gearing was so short and the digi speedo was so weird but once I got into it, it felt completely natural. Almost as natural as my 97 HX. That car had no power at all but was so fun to drive, I didn't even care.

The only thing I found strange about my test drive with the 8th gen (MT Coupe) was the interior. I was telling my gf, I'm 6'1-6'2 and I felt sooooooo small in that car. Truth be told, it's got more interior room than my Legend. I hear people complain about the ebrake being in their knees, but I couldn't even get it into my knees on person.

I too had a little trouble initially judging my braking points. It was strange. Til I decided to take it a little further than I was supposed to, near the 'S' curve area around this little lake behind the dealership. There's this really long straight and then a few tight curves. The car oversteered a bit more than I wanted to but I think it was mostly because of me misjudging braking points and going into the turns too fast. I'm going back for another drive on Wed or Thurs, when my gf can go with me. I want her to see if she's comfy in the car.

Haha, you guys had to drive with sales people. I just recently moved to VT and found out that most places around here don't even go with you on your test drive and you can take it overnight to see if you like it. Trust me, it makes a hell of a difference not having somebody talking your ear off about the car's selling points. They let me take the Civic out for a drive by myself. How sweet is that?

[jandree22]

When my wife test drove her Solara, we didn't have a salesperson w/ us but that's because they were insanely busy at the time... IME round these parts they go with ya, ick! Unfortunately, it hinders my experience because I get the feeling I have to baby it while they're with me... especially cause the Civic test drive was with a 50's something lady:rolleyes:

[CameronJr9]

When I test drove, I took the first car out with the salesguy, but then I got to try a different Civic, and the guy let me take it out by myself. There's a big difference. I also have to agree about the "speed feel." I catch myself even now (with nearly 5000 miles) going 85 in a 65. I constantly have to slow down, even with the big speedometer, it's hard to concentrate on the speed of the car.

[Alpinecivic]

Every new car feels the same IMO. When I first bought the 7thgen civic I was constantly speeding, when we bought my wifes 2000 Mitsu Galant, same thing, couldnt tell when I was speeding.

I think its gonna take some time for the suspension to settle and give you more of a feel.

IDK I could be wrong but every car I've purchased new the it takes time to get used to the feel of it.

[skittleslegend]

Originally Posted by jandree22

When my wife test drove her Solara, we didn't have a salesperson w/ us but that's because they were insanely busy at the time... IME round these parts they go with ya, ick! Unfortunately, it hinders my experience because I get the feeling I have to baby it while they're with me... especially cause the Civic test drive was with a 50's something lady:rolleyes:

Grr....I hate that. The lady at Berlin Auto's suckered me into a test drive of a Kia Spetra 5 Hatch, which don't get me wrong, felt a lot like my old Civic HX, but I was a little shaky about Kia's past. Anyway, the lady was in the car with me, I think flirting with me, but she wouldn't shut the heck up so I could drive. She let me rev the crap out of the car though. She thought I was seriously gonna buy it. Joke's on her...all she got was a pre-maturely broken in car at no expense to me :).

[civicdude06]

I looked at Imprezzas too when I looked at the Civic and the main thing that got me there was price difference. My limit was really about 20k so the Imprezza was just out of reach, same as the Mustang. I think that with some suspension mods and and some stiffer side walls I'll be loving the Civic just fine.

I do agree that the shifter is very choppy. If you want butter, test drive a Tiburon. I shudder every time I think about the shifter in that baby.

[seamonkey420]

i also agree on the speed thing.. when i took out a white 06 Civic Coupe (auto tranny, didn't have a stick in at the time), i was easily doing 75 in a 55 w/o even noticing it.. and i'm a fast driver to start with! hehe...

can't wait till they get the showroom Si in to take for a drive..

[jandree22]

Originally Posted by civicdude06

I looked at Imprezzas too when I looked at the Civic and the main thing that got me there was price difference. My limit was really about 20k so the Imprezza was just out of reach, same as the Mustang.

Actually, from what I've seen, the Impreza 2.5i is a bit cheaper than the tag for a EX w/navi... $19k-$20k range. Not that it's of much difference to you now, but just saying.

[06Si_LoveR]

I also test drove the Coupe (5sp MT) merely on the basis of reading various post on different threads of people saying that the new e-brake position was iritating their knees. Im 6'0-6'1 and I didn't have any problems with the e-breke position neither height problems. I was also impressed with the readout of the speedo and the size of it. I also found myself speeding and didn't even notice it, the car handles well (I'm friends with my dealer, so we took it to some curvy back roads and got on it). Acceleration was decent, I just can't wait to get my Si

[6ft5inAllMan]

I am 6'5 and I definitley have the knee and the hand brake problem, but only when I am getting in the car. Because of my height, I have to slide into the car, and the hand brake is rightin my way before I can sit. I test drove the car a few times with a sales man sitting shotgun and yeah, it is kinda anoying listening to them run their mouth. I also wanted to turn the music up, but I didnt want to hurt his ears. I did notice the lack of feel to the road, but I thought that was a good thing until you all mentioned that you can be going faster than you know.

[drbyers]

I had an '03 WRX for a year before trading it in for CR-V for more room.

Subarus absolutely rool, when it comes to surefooted handling. BUT, the transmission was kinda balky when it got cold.

In comparison, my new 06 Civic Coupe EX has a much smoother transmission. The dood that started this thread probably just wasn't used to the feel of a new shifter/transmission on the civic.

It took me a few days to finally get used to driving my civic because it really is different, when compared to previous civics. But that's a good thing, because the car DOES have solid handling now.

My old Civic hatchbox didn't, in comparison.

BTW, there's a vid on the net that shows the new civics actually make almost 140 hp at the wheels. The dyno tester said the new civics are probably making closer to 150-155 horsepower at the crank.

[jandree22]

Originally Posted by drbyers

Subarus absolutely rool,... BUT, the transmission was kinda balky when it got cold.

hmm... interesting. Good to know, though.

In comparison, my new 06 Civic Coupe EX has a much smoother transmission. The dood that started this thread probably just wasn't used to the feel of a new shifter/transmission on the civic.

Valid point. I mean, I was only driving it for 10 min. and generally most owners find it to their liking.