Autonet.ca (new version of Canadian Driver.com) Review: 2006-2011 Honda Civic

An old Japanese nameplate
History Honda Civic is one of the oldest Japanese nameplates sold in Canada, having been launched here in 1972, and has been the best-selling car in this country for the past 13 years.
The 8th generation of the Japanese compact was marketed from 2006-11, until an all-new 2012 model came out this spring. Despite the popularity of hatchback models in Canada, Civic has been available only as a coupe or sedan since 2006, although a hybrid version also was available. At the 2006 Canadian Car of the Year Awards, Civic Si was named best new sports car and Civic sedan best new economy car. Search available trim options for the 2006-2011 Honda Civic

The good stuff
With its rugged ACE body structure (which stands for Advanced Compatibility Engineering), the 8th generation Civic is one of the safest compacts and has earned 5-star ratings from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for both driver and passenger in frontal crash testing. Si models, available in both coupe and sedan form, have a potent 2.0-litre inline four making 197 hp. From 2006-11 Natural Resources Canada named Civic Hybrid as the most fuel-efficient compact sold here, with ratings of 4.3L/100 km highway and 4.7 city. Civic seats were once too thin and hard, but now are extremely comfortable - even on long trips.

Heads up!
2006-07 models, both coupes and sedans, suffered from an unusual number of recalls (for Honda), the most serious of which was a leak that could cause rear wheel bearing failure and which affected 107,653 cars. Something to be wary of in these times of high prices at the pump: the Si burns premium fuel. The 1999 and 2000 Civic Si has had the dubious distinction of being the most stolen car in Canada for several years running. This problem has been solved with the anti-theft engine immobilizer that is standard on 8th generation vehicles. The Si is a willing performer, but the 2.0-litre engine is a bit of a screamer when driven to its 8,000 rpm limit.

Overall
Except for the Hybrid, which is made in Japan, Civics sold in Canada are built at Honda’s Alliston, Ont. assembly plant and sold in several trim levels. The two-tier instrument panel was controversial at first and does take some getting used to. Fuel economy with the 1.8L gas engine won’t approach that of the Hybrid, but still will be in the range of 7.5L/100 km highway. As with all popular cars, used Civics sell at a premium - especially newer, low-mileage examples.

Prices at a glance
Year range Approx. price range
2006 $8,000 - $14,000
2007 $9,000 - $15,000
2008 $10,000 - $19,000
2009 $13,000 - $21,000
2010 $14,000 - $23,000
2011 $15,000 - $25,000

Vitals
Engine: 1.8L SOHC I4 (140 hp); 2.0L DOHC I4 (197 hp); hybrid system, 1.3L SOHC I4 plus electric motor (110 hp) Transmissions:5-speed manual; 5-speed automatic; 6-speed manual (Si); CVT (hybrid) Layout:front engine; FWD. Body: 4-door sedan; 2-door coupe.

Source;
http://www.autonet.ca/autos/search/usedmodels/2011/05/26/18196891-autonet.html

Top 10 'Friendliest' Cars

Apparently the study rates the 'friendliest' people who drive certain cars. Anyway, the Honda Civic placed 2nd.

The top 10 ‘friendliest’ cars according to Carcraft’s research* are:

1) Mini Cooper

2) Honda Civic

3) Ford Fiesta

4) Ford Ka

5) VW Golf

6) Renault Clio

7) VW Polo

8) Vauxhall Corsa

9) Toyota Yaris

10) Audi A3

*Research based on the top 30 makes and models of car and figures calculated in March 2008.

Source;

http://4wheelsblog.com/released/the-top-10-‘friendliest’-cars

DB Walkaround; 2008 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan -PART TWO-

The 2008 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan -Part TWO-

Features, Advantages, and Benefits

Honda has raised the bar as far as what the Honda Civic comes with for features. Let's start with the basic features that most cars have and move on from there.

The 2008 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan comes with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic transmission, yeah, that's right a 5-speed automatic transmission. I am not saying that this is unique to Honda, but I will say it is pretty unique to a 4 cylinder engine, most manufacturer's give you a 4-speed automatic (almost all give you a 5-speed manual). By having the extra gear to kick into, when you are at higher speeds (hwy) you will idle lower, making for a quieter engine/quieter ride and rpm's are lower so you conserve gas (check it out, at around 110km's/hr, the idle sits just over 2,000/rpm's - most vehicles will be at or over 2,500/rpm's).

The air conditioning unit comes with a micron filter which works like a heppa filter on a vaccum, filtering out alot of the debris in the air, this helps those out with alergies, etc. The Civic comes with both a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, which means that not only will the steering wheel tilt up and down - but it will also move in and out. This is great for people of my body type. I am not the tallest guy in the world (5'8") and what height I do have is in my legs, so when I sit in a seat I sit further back because of my longer legs, so I find I end up reaching a bit for the steering wheel. By having the telescoping steering wheel, I can move it closer to me (in/out) so I don't have to compromise my seating position, which makes for a more comfortable ride. Electronic Cruise Control is on the car, so you can comfortably set your speed and rest your foot on a long drive or for you 'lead-foots'. The full power group is included on this trim, power windows, power door locks, power heated side door mirrors, and a power moonroof with the tilt feature, all convenience features made to make life easier!

The audio is something pretty good for a factory deck. In most cases it is made by Alpine (I have seen decks made by Panasonic as well), I don't know why they don't brag about this, Alpine and Panasonic make good electronic's. The decks will play most +/- burnt CD's and mp3 files. There is also an auxillary jack located below the power outlet to plug in a i-pod or mp3 player, all you have to do is get a 'stereo cable' (has two male ends that look like the end of a earphone cable). It will not charge your i-pod at the time and you have to use your i-pod to control the songs etc., however you can get what's called an 'i-link' from Honda where you can do both.

The first thing that you will be drawn to when you step inside of the car is the new 'heads up' display. You'll notice that all of your most commonly used guages are always within your front periferal vision, you do not have to peek through the steering wheel in order to see what the speed, gas, or oil temperature is at. The more your eyes are on the road the safer you'll be. You really have to hand it to Honda for putting together such a dramatically different dash together than ever before (competitor's included), they could have kept turning out the same old stuff and still sold a whack of cars.

The middle armrest actually can be pulled forward to give you more of an armrest (or is some cases of sitting closer to the dash a armrest at all). Inside of the armrest is a generous storage compartment that will fit 10X CD cases and also has another power outlet for a cel phone. This extra power outlet gives you 2X in all. The nice thing about the power outlet being tucked away in the armrest/storage compartment is that when you charge your cel phone in the armrest it will be out of sight, so if you stop for a coffee at 7-Eleven (http://www.7-eleven.com/) a thief doesn't pass by, sees it and does a smash and grab. Plus, having the cel phone out of the way while you are charging it, you won't have all the cables in the way of the shifter.

Exclusive to the 2008 Civic EX-L's is the Leather with heated front seats. If you have kids or pets, leather is easier to keep clean than cloth. There is a manual height adjustable seat as well, perfect for me being long in the leg, so I can 'pump it up'.

DB Walkaround; 2008 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan -PART ONE-

The 2008 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan -Part ONE-

Introduction

This is the second from the top of the line Civic Si that is available in Canada (and US). The 'L' in EX-L stands for Leather. This is the first year for a Leather model in Canada, techinically speaking it was previously called an Acura CSX in Canada which was not available in the US, sold in Canada Only. This bodystyle was first introduced in the 2006 model year, where it became a significant upgrade from the previous 2001-2005 generation. Honda wanted the Civic to have a more 'upscale' look and feel to it and they 'borrowed' design cues from various successful vehicles. (Acura and BMW come to mind). In its first year on the market, the eight generation Civic was recognized as the NAIAS (North American International Auto Show) Car of the Year, the Motor Trend Car of the Year and the AJAC (Automotive Journalists Association of Canada) Car of the Year.

Under the Hood

All Civic's (excluding the Si model) are powered by a 4 cylinder 1.8 litre SOHC i-vtec engine which produces 140 horse power. A key component to the Honda engine is the i-vtec. This stands for I=Intelligent, V=Variable, T=Timing, E=Electronic, C=Control. Now the 1.8 litre is small compared to some other 4 cylinder engines (2.0 or 2.3 litre's in some cases), but it is able to produce a very 'spirited' experience (don't get me wrong, you won't mistake it for a large V6, but it will give a small V6 a run for its money). Basically manufacturer's have two schools of thought with regards to generating power out of an engine, one being build a bigger engine (hence go from a 1.8 litre to a 2.0 or 2.3 litre), the second is making that engine work more efficiently/effectively. The latter is what Honda subscribes to with the i-vtec and vtec engines. Here is a quick analogy to help better understand how i-vtec works; picture 2X baskets, one filled with tennis balls, the other empty, you have a shovel to move tennis balls from the full basket to the empty one. The shovel represents your engine, the tennis balls represent the power generated. To generate more power/move more tennis balls from the full to the empty basket, you could A) make a bigger shovel or B) make that smaller shovel move faster. 'B' is what the Honda i-vtec does.

Starting with the 2006 model year, Honda has switched from Timing Belts to Timing Chains, which means there is one less thing you have to do to maintain your Honda Civic. In previous Civic's if a Timing Belt went, you would be looking at a hefty repair and could destroy your engine, so you change it every 5yrs or 100,000km's. The Timing Chain should go for the life of the vehicle, but if it does go, it is only the chain that is effected.

You will notice that all of the fluid canisters (washer fluid, engine coolant, power steering fluid, and power braking fluid) are in clear plastic containers. So, if you're the type of person interested in where your fluid levels are before you take off on a long trip, you can do so with ease. You will also notice that a fuse box is located under the hood on the passenger side (a triangular container). Most fuse boxes are located under the steering wheel and is hard to get at and see, especially if the fuse to the lights is the one out (murphy's law!), Honda has the more obscure ones still under the steering wheel, but the more common ones are located under the hood. The whole idea behind this is so that when a fuse goes, it's more accessable and you can pull up to a street lamp to see if it is dark out.