Honda Civic 2001
| Reviewed by: | Vlad, Oakland | | Year: | 2001 | | Engine and transmission: | D17A 1700cc, variator | | Period of ownership: | as yet 2 weeks |
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REVEIW:
General impressions:
Appearance:
The car is very good-looking and state-of-the-art. I was choosing between Civic and Caldina, however the latter looks more like the car from the late nineties, not the beginning of the new millennium. In any way, the last 5 years have seen some great changes in automobile design.
On photos, the car seems smaller than it actually is. In fact, it isn’t at all small – far bigger than the previous Civic (ÅÊ). I will write later about the interiors.
Gigantic xenon headlights look really cool. Small wart-like projections near the turn signals are not too noticeable (for instance those on Familia, in comparison with Civic, looked totally ugly (only Sport 2.0 doesn’t have those)).
Factory tinting on the windows (the Japanese call this “the UV-protection”) is done very well. Side window deflectors look pretty smart, but I almost never use them, since I am a non-smoker and seldom open the windows when driving in town.
The car arrived with a few small scratches on the rear bumper, plus the rear bumper was a little bit bent (1mm). There is also a small chip on the windshield: a chip + a crack = about 5 mm all in all.
The tires were almost new – with smart-looking, stylish tread.
Interior:
From the inside, the car seems just huge. With the front passenger seat moved all the way back, the rear occupant's knees barely touch the seatback – even if that rear passenger is of considerable stature. Visually, the inside of the car seems bigger than in the previous model (CF), though the difference is in fact only 5-7 mm.
There’s not much space for the front passenger to rest his legs, which is because the engine section is protruding into the passenger compartment – however, there is quite enough room (could be better, but that’s all right).
The seats fold back and forth as you wish – you can lie down if you want, or transport long objects, or anything. What you cannot do however is turn the seats so that the front and back passengers face one another.
There is no hole between the seats, which makes the room visually even more spacious.
The ceiling is extremely high – that’s one of the coolest things about this car and is the main thing responsible for the impression of hugeness. There are some 15 cm above your head when you’re in.
Large windows make the inside of the car seem light and spacious. You even get the feeling you’re not driving but walking along the street because the windows allow you to see everything…
In other respects, Civic is Civic. The interior decoration is quite scanty, the glovebox could be bigger, and I would mind a light in the boot (there is only one small lamp in the jack section, but it’s too faint). I also wish there were a display for the temperature, fuel consumption as well as the time.
The ventilation system is quite good – there is even an air tap to the hind passengers’ feet. But as for the driver’s seat, it’s really scorching on one side, and on the other – the draught is too weak; could be much better if there were two vents on both sides. But we have what we have.
The dashboard is just enormous and extends 40-50 cm from the steering wheel – again, because the engine section is partially inside the passenger compartment. So the hood is actually out of sight, and you can see the road right over the windshield.
The steering wheel is three-spoke, which isn’t what I like, but it’s not too bad. Well, could be better.
The driver’s armrests are comfortably ergonomic.
Among the shortcomings is that the windows are blocked all at a time, including the driver’s one. This is totally wrong: the driver should be able to operate the windows even when the passengers’ ones are blocked.
It’s a good thing that the wipers operate in 9 modes (that is, at 9 different intervals).
Speeding and performance:
The variator is something that blew my mind from the start. You step on the gas – the speedometer shows 2,000 rpm and freezes – while the speed rises up from 20 to 80 kmph…
In the drive mode it can reach up to 4,000 – 4,500 without really forcing the engine, not too bad in fact.
In the sports mode it reaches 6,000 - 6,500 really fast and keeps this way until you let go off the gas… I haven’t tried to speed up to 180 kmph so far because I haven’t changed the fluids yet.
So this is the general effect so far… I will probably write more in a year’s time, when I have enough operating experience.
To sum up, I’m so happy with the car – the beautiful and fashionable baby, ready to pick up speed at any time. It also teaches you to be serene: this car is meant for life, not for racing.
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What I like in this car: |
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What I dislike in this car: |
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