Topic: First Drive: 2011 Honda Civic

[Autos_Editor]

The ninth-generation 2012 Honda Civic model line-up is not a radical redesign, but more an evolution from the previous generation, reports Paul Williams.

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[darkharbour]

Ugh. My biggest complaint with the previous version was that it was so ugly, inside and out.

Now it's ugly AND cheap looking, inside and out.

[ipolski]

Hey Paul, the title says "2011 Civic", I think it should be 2012...

[hemusbull]

No question, of of the best family in its class. Amaizing improvement of the whole line - from Hybrid with it's more powerful engine and higher density battery, through "ordinary" one with more aggressive pricing and evolutionary rework, to the Si with (finally) a decent engine but all with the same "distinctive bi-level instrument panel". What I don't understand is why Honda, following evolutionary approach, continues to offer this revolutionary and tottally inadequate double deck?

[CanuckS2K]

Not a fan of that interior at all.  As an overall package I find it to be very .

[JohnM]

Not that radical but definitely a step forward from the current model which is the highwater mark in compact car design for the masses.

The fuel economy numbers are very impressive and I say that being certain that a prudent individual can actually achieve or better them.  In my experience, small Hondas and Toyotas can fairly easily beat their rated consumption figures.

The release of the Civic points out two things.  One, that the true state of the art advances slowly.  Two, that the new Elantra has polevaulted right up into cutting edge design territory and now sits with the leaders but doesn't move beyond them.

I'll be very interested to read the slew of full tests of the new Civic models and see how real world efficiency, RPM at 100k and NHV stack up.

Certainly the Civic at $15,000 is going to continue to be at or near the top of the sales chart.

Cheers,
John M.

[Ex-airbalancer]

No one thought it was boring in 2005 

http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php/topic,40075.0.html

[Mike]

Be wary of the "$15 000 Civic"; read the fine print.  $15 000 gets you a manual civic coupe with NO A/C or Radio. (US for sure, assume Canada as well)

The real Civics start just above $17 000 (still not too bad)

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Hmm, my interest is in the changes wrought on the Civic SI.  I owned an 8th Gen SI Coupe and just fell in love with the screaming 8000 rpm redline.  The fun involved in throwing the perfect 2-3 shift right before the rev limiter engaged more than made up for the lack of torque.  I hope they've managed to squeeze out a few more revs from the 2.4 than it has in the Accord.  And if they can make it sound like the old K20 engine, then BONUS.

[Jaeger]

Hey Paul, the title says "2011 Civic", I think it should be 2012...

No kidding - I was wondering why they bothered to review the 2011 at this stage...

Not sure at all about Honda's strategy to offer a slightly warmed-over version of the existing car, when competitors are significantly upping the game with their newer entries (Elantra, Focus, Cruze).  "Playing it safe" is one way to look at it.  "Dangerous complacency" is another.

Jaeger

[Dante]

Ugly(ier) and cheap(er) like in cheaper interior bits and less standard features most likely. I guess it will continue to sell, but not because it is a better car than the competition.
Very boring to look at for sure.

[JohnM]

"Be wary of the "$15 000 Civic"; read the fine print.  $15 000 gets you a manual civic coupe with NO A/C or Radio. (US for sure, assume Canada as well)"

No radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it.  It would be marketing suicide.

That said, let's be clear that the new Civic may still be the best overall compact out there despite the new offerings from other manufacturers.  The fact that it is not a huge leap forward just shows how advanced the current model is.

Probably the most improved version is the hybrid which needed to be upgraded to compete with the Prius.

And on yet another tack, if the SI is a significant improvement then it must be one slick machine.  In my short time behind the wheel of an '06 (??) I was extremely impressed at the beautifully the engine chassis and gearbox all worked together.

Cheers,
John M.

[aaronk]

This looks like an evolutionary improvement, which is a welcome change, but the outgoing car was not bad to begin with. While it looked at bit odd when it debuted, the styling lasted well - I still see 2011's on the lot that don't strike me as looking 'old', like some other models that debuted around the same time. Compared to the new car, I would be tempted by a 2011 Si model that can be had for a very reasonable monthly payment right now, probably close to that of a mid-level 2012 model with the higher interest rates associated with new model introductions.

I wonder if the 2012 Si still takes premium? 22% More torque is nice...

[aaronk]

"Be wary of the "$15 000 Civic"; read the fine print.  $15 000 gets you a manual civic coupe with NO A/C or Radio. (US for sure, assume Canada as well)"

No radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it.  It would be marketing suicide.

$200 from BestBuy will fix that, and it would sound better than the factory system anyways, no biggie. As for the A/C, this is typically a dealer-installed option, and other garages can do it for less. I'm glad manufacturers are offering this type of stripper model for those that don't want all the extra gear - give the people what they want, and many people want affordable, reliable transportation. $15K is the price of lots of 3-year-old compacts, getting a brand-new Honda for this price is awesome.

[Golly]

No one thought it was boring in 2005 

http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php/topic,40075.0.html

Not boring in 2005 but compared to the new Elantra and Focus etc, it is a little staid.

[msherman77]

Too bad there is no Civic station wagon, sort of like Elantra Touring or Mazda3.
Would have been my first choice.

[Weels]

This looks like an evolutionary improvement, which is a welcome change, but the outgoing car was not bad to begin with. While it looked at bit odd when it debuted, the styling lasted well - I still see 2011's on the lot that don't strike me as looking 'old', like some other models that debuted around the same time. Compared to the new car, I would be tempted by a 2011 Si model that can be had for a very reasonable monthly payment right now, probably close to that of a mid-level 2012 model with the higher interest rates associated with new model introductions.

I wonder if the 2012 Si still takes premium? 22% More torque is nice...

The 2.4 sounds like the same motor in TSX which drinks premium, so i'd say yes

[Spec5]

"Be wary of the "$15 000 Civic"; read the fine print.  $15 000 gets you a manual civic coupe with NO A/C or Radio. (US for sure, assume Canada as well)"

No radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it.  It would be marketing suicide.

$200 from BestBuy will fix that, and it would sound better than the factory system anyways, no biggie. As for the A/C, this is typically a dealer-installed option, and other garages can do it for less. I'm glad manufacturers are offering this type of stripper model for those that don't want all the extra gear - give the people what they want, and many people want affordable, reliable transportation. $15K is the price of lots of 3-year-old compacts, getting a brand-new Honda for this price is awesome.

I have never heard of anyone who comes up with the logic "I just bought a car with no A/C because it'll save me $2k but now I'm going to get EITHER a shop or the dealer to install it" - I'd love to see actual sales numbers of people who buy cars with no A/C and then have the dealer install it and it actually be a cost savings. Thats almost as ridiculous as buying a vehicle with no audio system in it... Oh wait.... My buddies '87 Tercel back in highschool didn't have one and I found it odd back then!

$200 from best buy will just get you a deck and a brutally cheap component set (although I do agree this would probably sound better than the stock system as they're garbage to begin with) -  you still have to install it all. And then you get the luxury of dealing with best buy for whatever audio issues you may have down the road (or at least until the 1 year warranty is up) vs. it being covered by the dealer. Seriously?! You'd have to be  walking zombie to think this is any kind of a deal.

The base model vehicles (for all manfs. btw) are just there to get people in the door. This one however is taking it a little too far. Next thing you know it won't come with rear defrost either. I'm so sick and tired of the Honda arrogance - "the price on the window is what you pay because we know we'll sell every one of these we get in on the lot" - quoted from the lovely salesman at my local Honda dealership when inquiring about a Honda Ridgeline and pretty much repeated when the mother-in-law was looking for her new wheels. Its that mentality and Honda's slow response to change that will (and has) cost them. http://www.desrosiers.ca/Monthly%20Updates/sales.pdf The gaps are closing on reliability and durability with the Koreans (and domestics for that matter) - just about everyone is competitive in this market these days. I agree with Jaeger - this is more like dangerous complacency - unless this thing gets phenomenal fuel mileage (and even at that) I think you'll see Civic sales slide with this "new" one.

[ArtW]

Spec5 summerized it pretty well...
I'd also like to see an after market AC system that works well with all of today's electronic bells and whistles.
"New" Civic? Ugly like an 80yr old man's butt!!! While other manufacturers (read Hyundai) please the eye with their good looking models Honda (and Toyota) continue selling us (save for a very few decent looking but not striking models like say Fit) extra reliable wheelbarrows. Shame on them... include Nissan here too! Hats off to Hyundai and (I'd never thought I'd say that) to Ford for their Fiesta, (new) Focus and Fusion!

[Mustachio]

Today's Honda is definitely not the same one I bought a 1994 and 1998 Civic Coupe Si from. Both of those Civic's had the style and quality materials used throughout that made the competition's offerings look like the dollar-store junk it actually was.

I have trouble looking around a Honda dealer's lot today and finding something that remotely looks attractive. Honda's never been on the cutting edge of automotive styling, but they seem to have been bent on making the ugliest vehicles on the road lately, especially when you look at sister-brand Acura's lineup. The new Civic does nothing to change this. I'm mostly disappointed in the interior that, while I haven't actually seen it in person yet, it is very obvious to me from the photos that it is using cheap materials that are more at home in a Cobalt than a Honda, especially a Honda built in 2011.

There's nothing here to keep me from looking at a Mazda3, Ford Focus, or Hyundai Elantra. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd seriously consider a Ford and a Hyundai a better car than a Honda, but yet, there it is.