New Honda Civic 1.8 ES i-VTEC Review

Overall Rating

The style is great, dash futuristic, cruise control spot on, handling superb, i-shift gearbox great if used in manual mode.

No rear wiper, lower dash indicators hard to see, not enough adjustment in steering wheel. Automatic gearbox jerky in Auto mode. Poor after care (but is this just my local dealer?)

I ordered a 1.8 ES I-shift in March 06 and took delivery on June 29th. The car had a paint problem and a small crease in the near side panels that were sorted by the dealership satisfactorily. However the speedo reads 5mph high and the auto lights do not operate in conjunction with the auto wipers. Both faults were reported to the dealer and both faults are still there after the paint repair (the car was in for a week).

The car itself is great to drive, particularly in the manual mode, effectively giving a auto clutch option. My only gripe is at low speeds it tends to drop the gear to 1st causing a jerk or wheel spin as you pull away. I get round this by dropping into 1st myself. Do not bother driving it in full Auto mode, the gearchange is too jerky.

Inside the car is great, the ride is stiff but then you get great handling for that. Getting the seat position right can be a bit annoying so you can see all the indicators on the lower dash. The cruise control is spot on, even at 30mph, great for the speed camera routine. Other cars I've had struggled to control speed below 50 mph.

The design is beautiful and the little touches excellent, such as the clips for the rear seat belts when lowering the seats for bulky objects (like my golf clubs!!).

The next generation will have a rear wiper, or a courtsey squeegee supplied, as I have to wipe the dew/rain off the rear screen each morning. Once going it does not gather spray on the rear screen but in traffic in the rain, use the mirrors as the rear screen does not clear.

The instruction manual is comprehensive but would you believe I am returning to the dealership to find out where the oil level marks are on the dipstick. This is embarrassing, because as a qualified graduate engineer even I can't work it out!

Visibilty is ok, although the rear pillars do give a big blindspot when reversing around corners or out the drive, but more care resolves that issue.

Generally I love the car, the handling being superb and playing with the VTEC engine revs (when she isn't in the car!) is great, you have to rev high to find the real power, but don't be frightened to do it, the engine is designed that way.