My 2006 Civic Review… Long version.
 

I have previously owned a 1998 Civic SI and I still have a 2003 Civic LX and I must say the new Civic is a huge improvement in every way. It doesn’t really fell like you’re driving the cheap economy car that Civics used to be. It feels much more upscale like a TSX and has features and options that many other cars in the same price range do not. Sure it may be bigger and heavier then older Civics, but it’s also safer and has much more to offer.

The colour is Neutron Blue and being an EX, it’s basically loaded. Power everything, one-touch controls on the windows and moonroof, nice stereo, disk brakes all around, alloy wheels, etc. I wanted an SI, but I didn’t want to wait to get one and the extra cost with the increased SI price with insurance and premium gas was more then I wanted to spend having recently purchased a new home.

I’ve had my Civic for almost 2 months now and I’ve accumulated approximately 2500kms of mixed city and highway driving. So far, it’s been a great car that I really enjoy driving. I have a few gripes, but nothing too serious that I’m not getting used to or that can be fixed later with aftermarket parts.

I have borrowed the format and some wording of this review from parts of another. These comments and opinions are my own and they will surely differ from others.


POSITIVES:
- Exterior and interior style
- Exterior and interior build quality
- Suspension feel and steering
- Torque

NEGATIVES:
- Large blind spots
- Lack of lumbar support
- Notchy/vague Shifter


Exterior:

Style/Paint/Build: I feel that the new Civic design is rather polarizing. People like it or don’t. Obviously, I really like the new style and I think that there are no exterior angles where the car looks odd. It has a short low front and a tall rear giving it a raked look. The headlights and taillights give it an aggressive look. The paint is well done and I have not run into any chipping or scratching, which is a very good sign given the amount of salt that is dumped on our roads during the winter. The metallic flake in the Neutron Blue really comes out when the car is clean and I have received many comments on it.

The exterior build quality is excellent. All of the panel gaps are consistent and everything fits together perfect. The front bumper has spots for OEM fogs and from the pictures I’ve seen, they look great too. I’ll be ordering a set in the spring. The doors, hood and trunk all close with a very solid feel. The lip- spoiler on the trunk is very discreet and low-key and I like it much more then the taller SI version. The chrome tailpipe adds a little “bling” to the car, but isn’t overly big either.

Small details and design changes impressed me. The windshield is set in the frame so that when you use the sprayers to wash the windshield, no drips will come down into the side windows and the wipers are the “Reflex” type like C-T sells and they work great.

Interior:

I’ll say right off that the new dash design does take some getting used to. The 2-tier design is very easy to see and the steering wheel adjusts for tilt and reach. The white on blue digital speedometer looks great and does not feel like an add-on. It is very bright at night, so I usually turn it down a little. The centre console is slightly tilted to the driver and position up high. The big knobs for the stereo and HVAC are easy to reach, large and illuminated properly. The stereo sounds great for factory IMO. It plays WMA/MP3, the radio reception is great and it’s very user friendly. The whole interior has painted silver accents on the doors, console and wheel that look very nice.

Sight lines are great due to the large windshield, but the rear windows are very small and the rear pillars quite large making for big blind spots. I find that adjusting my mirrors way out makes it easier to see.

The steering wheel has a great feel and shape. It is much smaller and thicker then my 03 wheel and is somewhat flat along the top like an F1 car.

The climate control functions great. It warms up very fast and does a great job of keeping the widows clear and fog free. The rear defrost is quick and the heated mirrors are a great feature.

The parking brake is in a perfect location beside the shifter and not between the seats. I have read on other forums that it rubs on the driver’s leg, but I have no such problems.

The shifter sits high and looks far away, but it actually falls into your hand quite nicely. The shifts, though short compared to my 03, are a little notchy and vague until the transmission fluid warms up. I hate the fact that Honda uses a cable shifter now compared to the old metal rod shifter. They felt so much better. A shift kit of some kind should help tighten it up a bit. I might switch the transmission fluid to GM Syncromesh because I’ve had good results with it in the past.

The doors close with a very solid “thunk”. Nothing rattles or vibrates excessively. The auto/up and down on the drivers side window works great and the moonroof shares the same feature.

The seats are generally very comfortable and are height adjustable. They have a lot of range of motion, so they should fit everybody. My biggest complaint in the lack of lumbar support, but I also complained about it in both of my other cars. I’m on my feet for close to 12 hours a day so my back is always sore. I have the black cloth interior and this material that almost feels like suede.

The cup holders are easily the best I have ever had in any car. There are 2 and they are located under a sliding panel behind the shifter, where the parking brake usually is. They hold any shape of cup, bottle, mug, etc. Smaller cup holders can be found in the rear, but they wouldn’t hold anything larger than a normal bottle.

Storage areas are plentiful and adequate in space. The armrest storage area is quite large and can fit alot of CD cases. There are also small spaces forward and rear of the shifter and the large door pockets. The armrest cover is adjustable fore and aft, which makes a nice touch to match where the seat is adjusted to.

Wheels/Tires/Brakes/Suspension:

My EX came with 16”, 5 bolt alloy wheels and 205/55/16 Bridgestone Turanza all-season tires. I am very happy with the style of the alloy wheel, but they are the first thing I’ll be changing and upgrading to some 17” wheels. The all-season tires are better then the Firestones that Honda used on both of my other Civics, but still not up to par. They are OK in the snow, but if winter gets any worse, I’m buying snows.

The gap between the top of the tire and the body of the car is very small. My 03 has H&R Sport springs and my 06 has about the same wheel gap (about 2 of my fingers for measurements sake). A very mild drop, 1” maybe would be perfect.

The brakes are disks all around and the car stops excellent. The ABS is sensitive like most Hondas I’ve driven. The car has EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution,) which balancing braking forces front-to-rear and side-to-side for better control.

The 2006 still uses the MacPherson strut type front suspension that most people complain about when compared to the double wishbone type used in other generation Civics. Front and rear anti roll bars are standard. Honda has improved on it since the 01-05 Civic and the car handles great compared to my 03. No more bump-steer, it corners flat and it handles the poor Hamilton roads very well.

Engine:

The new R18 is far superior to the old D16/17 in my other cars. It makes more horsepower and much more torque then the older engines. The engine feels lot stronger than the hp/torque numbers suggest and it gets way better gas mileage. The engine bay has everything laid out in a user-friendly manner and everything of major importance is colour-coded and easy to find. It pulls very good and revs quickly. It even sounds nice. Honda must have done some tuning to the exhaust and intake because it sounds very similar to my old SI with an intake and exhaust.

Conclusion:

As you have read, I definitely feel overwhelmingly positive about the car. I looked at a few other cars before I got this one including an RSX and a Mini Cooper and this Civic has met my expectations. I hope this review has been helpful for those of you who are contemplating a new Civic. The best thing to do is take the car for a spin. You won’t be disappointed.

Great work Mike!
Well worth the long read!

good review... i enjoyed the long read as well...

i believe the 06 coupes still weigh lesser than the rsx, right?

this r18 motor does make all those d and b series seem old...
b18b.... approx 140hp and 127 torque...
now even a base civic has that much power on a r18 motor...

awesome review!!! great read and good information

The R18 has around 20lbs more torque, which is a big improvement over the D series.

My EX weighs about 2700lbs. The new Si and the RSX both weigh around 2800lbs.

If anyone wants more details or has questions, feel free to pm me.

I agree with most of the points in your review. my 06 civic coupe LX has been great. tho i have a few things i dont like. the e-brake does rub on my leg which gets annoying on long trips. the clutch took alot of getting used to at first. i found myself riding teh clutch and reving the engine for the first little while. goods things are everywhere i look honda seems to have stuck a storage compartment. the glove box handle is perfectly placed so the driver can reach it with out putting your face in eh passengers lap. 1 major complaint. although the sound system sounds very good, the fact i cant put in an aftermarket deck without major surgery to my dash bothers me alot. after 11,000km the only thing i would consider changing would be maybe springing for the EX or going with the neutron blue or the white if i could find one instead of my alabaster silver. if my job was closer to home i would have gone for the SI but i wasnt filling up with premium to do 100km each way to work.

whosyodaddy16
To address your complaint, here is a stereo install link with pics and part numbers.

http://www.8thgencivic.com/honda-civ...nstall-ex.html

Your clutch comment reminded me of the same problem I sometimes have. I think the drive-by-wire makes it diffacult to shift smoothly until you get used to it. A brand new grabby clutch can also be to blame.

whosyourdaddy i'm awaiting the arrival of my 06 Civic EX Coupe in Alabaster Silver....why do you wish u could change the color?

i'm iffy on silver too and was thinking of getting it changed to neutro blue also or black

Nice right up

worth the read...
but i still like the design of the 05 on the other hand, i like the safety features of the 06 though

good review.....ya, I really like the 06.....

ya i saw that thread. sill a pain in teh ass. as for teh clutch i blame it on the drive by wire. no other car ive had has been like that. just takes some getting used to.

only because every other car is silver and 90% of the 06 civics ive seen have been silver.....but it does always look clean. but i would go with teh blue if i did it again

I have to agree on your negative points. There is a huge blindspot at the front left A-bar. Along with the fact that the wipers leave a 2-3 inch margin, during rainy days, turning left can be dangerous as you cant see where you are turning into. A quick fix is to move your head towards the center of the car to get a better view.

Front and rear car length predictions are harder. As you cant see the hood, its hard to determine how much distance is between you and the car in front. Need to use the reflection of your lights to help determine the distance.

Same with the rear. The trunk is very short and high. I have troubles determining how much space I have left when I am backing up.

I have a few more negatives to add:

I have an automatic tranny, and when I approach a red light, I try to "coast" the car to save gas. The tranny downshifts and thus, slowing down the car faster than I anticipated. I sometimes need to gas it in order to give it some more momentum to reach my target. This is not very fuel efficient, but it does add safety.

The drive-by-wire throttle is way too sensitive. There is a considerable difference between not touching the gas pedal, and touching it slightly, and I mean slightly!! As I said above, the downshift kicks in if I dont touch the gas pedal, but by touching it slightly, I can maintain 40 kph. I havent been able to achieve a smooth coast to a red light. Maybe I'm too use to the old mechanical gas pedals.

great review

i definitely agree that the car no longer feels like a economy car anymore, it feel far more expensive that it is and looks like a mini TL.

the most noticable improvement imo is the handling. this car is far more superior in stock form versus any civic prior to that (besides sir/si trim) in terms of handling.

problems - the first few batch off the assembly had tons of minor problems. most noticable for all 06 owners is the drive by wire system (gas pedal problem) and the front door panels being different color than the rest of the trim.

Well I say it's an awesome review. Buddy of mine just got his '06 Civic Neutron Blue...Sweet:thumbup: Test drove the car around the block, feel like a million bucks baby:D. Love the smell of a new car, quiet car n nice sound system for a stock car no doubt!
Making me want to trade in my car now...hehehe:blush:

def a good write, lots of info

thx

Indeed, very nice review. Thanks guys!