Topic: Test Drive: 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback

[AutoTrader.ca]

Sales superiority
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[tooscoops]

black really does nothing on this car... i like what they have done though. made a somewhat polarizing sedan into quite a polarizing hatch... and why not? hatches might *seem* more useful, but really, the people who use the vertical space tend to not really mind a tiny bit of "boy racer"...

seriously though... i never thought i would see a black car that i disliked so much more than a "coloured" one...

shame about the infotainment... i guess we are eventually going to use all voice control or something...

[Noto]

I mean, it's still a Civic...but to me, the bigger news here is the LX trim vs the higher ones.  I found that the interior feels far less impressive in the lower trims due to the materials choice.  It's ok, but we're still talking about >$21,000 MSRP here (and without big discounts to be had). 

This is a unique niche vehicle that most other manufactures won't fill.  Kudos, Honda!

[tortoise]

black really does nothing on this car...

Disagree, it hides the fake black vents.

A friend has one and really likes it.  Their lifetime average is 6.1 L/100 km.

I agree with the reviewer in that the road noise was more than I expected.  It's certainly a lot noisier than the Golf wagon.

[Scaerio]

black really does nothing on this car...

Disagree, it hides the fake black vents.

Exactly.

[pi314]

black really does nothing on this car...

Disagree, it hides the fake black vents.

A friend has one and really likes it.  Their lifetime average is 6.1 L/100 km.

I agree with the reviewer in that the road noise was more than I expected.  It's certainly a lot noisier than the Golf wagon.

6.1? What is their %% highway driving? Maybe I really should switch to a civic hatch in a couple years.....

Hondas in my experience are always loud. Found noise higher in my fit as well as my mom's odyssey compared to other vehicles in the class.

[sszoomzoom]

black really does nothing on this car...

Disagree, it hides the fake black vents.

A friend has one and really likes it.  Their lifetime average is 6.1 L/100 km.

I agree with the reviewer in that the road noise was more than I expected.  It's certainly a lot noisier than the Golf wagon.

6.1? What is their %% highway driving? Maybe I really should switch to a civic hatch in a couple years.....

Hondas in my experience are always loud. Found noise higher in my fit as well as my mom's odyssey compared to other vehicles in the class.

My Mazda 3 is sitting at 5.9 and my drive is 60% Hwy and 40% city with a heavy foot, and is more quiet than my previous 2012.

[tortoise]

I'd say they're also 60/40 city/hwy.

[dkaz]

My Mazda 3 would have excellent fuel economy if it weren't for all the missing under body and inner fender plastics. It has the coefficient of drag of a sailboat plus engine is overcooling in some situations.

black really does nothing on this car... i like what they have done though. made a somewhat polarizing sedan into quite a polarizing hatch... and why not? hatches might *seem* more useful, but really, the people who use the vertical space tend to not really mind a tiny bit of "boy racer"...

Yup, I definitely prefer having more depth than height for cargo space.

[Noto]

My Mazda 3 would have excellent fuel economy if it weren't for all the missing under body and inner fender plastics. It has the coefficient of drag of a sailboat plus engine is overcooling in some situations.

How much could it cost to replace those?  You could easily install them yourself (it's just bolts), and the parts are readily available on ebay...

[Solstice2006]

I mean, it's still a Civic...but to me, the bigger news here is the LX trim vs the higher ones.  I found that the interior feels far less impressive in the lower trims due to the materials choice.  It's ok, but we're still talking about >$21,000 MSRP here (and without big discounts to be had). 

This is a unique niche vehicle that most other manufactures won't fill.  Kudos, Honda!

unique niche vehicle?  there are more hatches now than ever. 

[OliverD]

We hosted a birthday party for my wife's parents last month and someone showed up in a Civic hatch. Everyone was talking about how sporty it looked and I assumed it was a Sport but it turned out to be an LX. So it seems like the general public thinks it's a fairly aggressive design even in base trim.

[dirtyjeffer]

We hosted a birthday party for my wife's parents last month and someone showed up in a Civic hatch. Everyone was talking about how sporty it looked and I assumed it was a Sport but it turned out to be an LX. So it seems like the general public thinks it's a fairly aggressive design even in base trim.

yea, a former coworker bought one earlier this year and this really nice blue colour...the only thing odd looking is the fake vents on the front and back...i think it looks good other than that.

[dkaz]

My Mazda 3 would have excellent fuel economy if it weren't for all the missing under body and inner fender plastics. It has the coefficient of drag of a sailboat plus engine is overcooling in some situations.

How much could it cost to replace those?  You could easily install them yourself (it's just bolts), and the parts are readily available on ebay...

I was able to rescue one of the fender liners so the other would be $67 US plus shipping, we'll see how much the Kelowna Motors stealership charges. Underbody tray I have it but I haven't closely looked to see if it was salvageable or not, I noticed one bolt hole was ripped. I do need the separate front tray that directs air through the radiator. Otherwise yea it's just a whole bunch of fasteners.

[Noto]

My Mazda 3 would have excellent fuel economy if it weren't for all the missing under body and inner fender plastics. It has the coefficient of drag of a sailboat plus engine is overcooling in some situations.

How much could it cost to replace those?  You could easily install them yourself (it's just bolts), and the parts are readily available on ebay...

I was able to rescue one of the fender liners so the other would be $67 US plus shipping, we'll see how much the Kelowna Motors stealership charges. Underbody tray I have it but I haven't closely looked to see if it was salvageable or not, I noticed one bolt hole was ripped. I do need the separate front tray that directs air through the radiator. Otherwise yea it's just a whole bunch of fasteners.

My wife's grandmother hit something with the front lip on the 3.  I'm contemplating getting a new one - the part off eBay is like $25 (plus another $30 for shipping  ), but the installation would be simple.

This is a unique niche vehicle that most other manufactures won't fill.

unique niche vehicle?  there are more hatches now than ever. 

Niche doesn't necessarily have to be in a class of 1.  It means:

denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.

[dkaz]

My wife's grandmother hit something with the front lip on the 3.  I'm contemplating getting a new one - the part off eBay is like $25 (plus another $30 for shipping  ), but the installation would be simple.

Interesting I'll have to check, I have all the part numbers. It might be easier to older bolts and fasteners from an online shop or the stealership.

[Noto]

The only thing stopping me is that the damage is so tiny, it's hardly worth the $50.  I didn't even notice it until like my 3rd day with it.

[dkaz]

If it's there, i wouldn't bother. For me, it's actually increased my fuel consumption by 25 to 50%.

[Solstice2006]

My Mazda 3 would have excellent fuel economy if it weren't for all the missing under body and inner fender plastics. It has the coefficient of drag of a sailboat plus engine is overcooling in some situations.

How much could it cost to replace those?  You could easily install them yourself (it's just bolts), and the parts are readily available on ebay...

I was able to rescue one of the fender liners so the other would be $67 US plus shipping, we'll see how much the Kelowna Motors stealership charges. Underbody tray I have it but I haven't closely looked to see if it was salvageable or not, I noticed one bolt hole was ripped. I do need the separate front tray that directs air through the radiator. Otherwise yea it's just a whole bunch of fasteners.

My wife's grandmother hit something with the front lip on the 3.  I'm contemplating getting a new one - the part off eBay is like $25 (plus another $30 for shipping  ), but the installation would be simple.

This is a unique niche vehicle that most other manufactures won't fill.

unique niche vehicle?  there are more hatches now than ever. 

Niche doesn't necessarily have to be in a class of 1.  It means:

denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.

Yes.  But you said "unique".  Mean unique looking, that's for damn sure. 

[sailor723]

The review raised several of interesting points in my mind....not unique to Honda but about today's cars in general.

1. Visibility   This seems to be a more frequently occurring problem in new designs. With manufacturers always talking up safety you would think being able to see traffic around you would be considered a priority.

2. Equipment  In reading the LX's equipment list it strikes me how items that were only available on the higher trim levels a few years ago are now expected as standard equipment on even entry level models.

3. Infotainment.  it seems to me that cars are coming with more and more complex electronics without the Manufacturers giving sufficient weight to how people can use them and still drive safely.