Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 20 Feb 2017 22:11

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - catsdad

I went to the local dealer's Civic launch event this evening.

They had chosen a top of the range model in black. Being all black it toned down the black plastic features in the fussy bumpers which, when the car is in a contrasting colour, jump out at you. In black it looked pretty good and far better than it appears in pictures.

I've never had a problem with interior space in the outgoing model but, although its supposed to be bigger, the new one felt no more spacious. In fact the front headroom felt tighter, maybe due to the thick leather seats and sunroof. I had expected to feel much lower in the new car as most reviews mention this but, at least in the showroom, it felt no lower. It certainly wasn't worth moving the fuel tank to allow the front seats to be lowered at the expense of the magic seats.

Otherwise the cabin was a nice place to be and its a step or two up in apparent quality from the outgoing model.

The array of safety features on all but the base model is impressive with adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, collision avoidance and so on. A lot to go wrong as the car ages. The electric hand brake seems to offer manual and automatic operation options. Again probably OK for the first buyer but I'd prefer the old mechanical system.

Only a simple brochure was available so I couldnt check out stuff like wheel and tyre options but I suspect the 16" has been dropped and they are all 17/18". It seems the only way of getting even just a spacesaver with the more powerful engine is to buy the top model as lower models have a central exhaust that takes up the spare well.

Finally I decided to download the brochure when I got home but Honda UK's link for the 2017 Civic actually takes you to the outgoing model. Unbelievable, don't they want to sell any?

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Mon 20 Feb 2017 22:45

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - Manatee

They want to sell the old ones first:}

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Mon 20 Feb 2017 23:07

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - SLO76

The magic rear seats were delisted in order to make room for a more complex multi-link rear suspension set-up to aid ride comfort which was often criticised on the previous two generations and to be honest despite having this feature on two cars in the past I've yet to actually be in a situation where I really needed it.

I like the look of the new Civic and while I'm in two minds over the new downsized turbo petrol engines, I love the offbeat note of a triple but accept that it's unlikely to last as well as the normally aspirated 1800 in the previous car. It's certainly a car I'll be looking at next time.

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Tue 21 Feb 2017 08:30

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - catsdad

Thanks SLO. Yes Honda say most owners seldom used the magic seats, but we do. We use that feature more often than folding the seats conventionally. As well as carrying tall loads such as plants they are great when we dog-sit as they allow easy access and let a dog snuggle down in the footwell. Also they offer a useful amount of underseat storage space when you leave them down as seats and the boot is full.

Reviewers often used to claim you could put a bike in the magic space but I doubt any of them actually tried that. No full sized adult bike would fit without taking wheels off and who wants an oily bike nestling between their seats with a handlebar ready to stick in your head.

Like you I will take a look when they get in the second hand market. If anyone can make a long- lived small turbo, Honda can. But time will tell.

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Tue 21 Feb 2017 08:56

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - daveyK_UK

Will call into the local showroom and check it out.

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Tue 21 Feb 2017 10:30

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - Steveieb

lets all give Honda the encouragement they deserve for supporting the UK by building the new Civic for world distribution and with no support from the UK government unlike Renault / Nissan and probably Vauxhall

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Tue 21 Feb 2017 20:30

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - SLO76

lets all give Honda the encouragement they deserve for supporting the UK by building the new Civic for world distribution and with no support from the UK government unlike Renault / Nissan and probably Vauxhall

Agree totally. But I'm not a buy British purely for patriotism. It has to be a good product too and Honda's largely are. The new Civic looks like it'll succeed where the previous car struggled.

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Tue 21 Feb 2017 10:55

Honda Civic - Honda Civic Showroom launch - Bolt

Thanks SLO. Yes Honda say most owners seldom used the magic seats, but we do. We use that feature more often than folding the seats conventionally. As well as carrying tall loads such as plants they are great when we dog-sit as they allow easy access and let a dog snuggle down in the footwell. Also they offer a useful amount of underseat storage space when you leave them down as seats and the boot is full. Reviewers often used to claim you could put a bike in the magic space but I doubt any of them actually tried that. No full sized adult bike would fit without taking wheels off and who wants an oily bike nestling between their seats with a handlebar ready to stick in your head. Like you I will take a look when they get in the second hand market. If anyone can make a long- lived small turbo, Honda can. But time will tell.

I dont know where Honda get that from, as most I know/read about, that have magic seats bought the car for that reason, partly my reason as well.

Honda before the new model came here said they would supply the spacesaver as standard, I assume from whats been said they dont?

I might think about it when the bugs are sorted out,untill then I will stick with the tourer

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