2013 Honda Civic sedan - quick review

[Kaido]

They make it difficult to replace the stock stereo. But at least speakers would help a little.

Yeah, I was actually looking at that yesterday...plus it already has Bluetooth calling & audio-streaming built-in, which are really my main requirements, so ultimately just swapping out the speakers and maybe splicing a sub into the rear speakers would do the trick. The existing ones are fine for podcasts, but really stink for music. They're the musical equivalent of the stock white iPod earbuds :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Getting warmer here...finally got the A/C going. Very anemic...worse than the Fit haha. Might be one of the wimpiest A/C units I've ever used in a car! Strangely, however, I am now getting 35 MPG with the A/C on (same daily route, about 4 weeks into driving it with about 1700 miles so far)...I figured the A/C would suck out a lot more MPG than the heater would, but apparently the systems are reversed on the 2013 Civic - I get 30/31 with the heater on, and 34/35 with the A/C on. Go figure.

I also definitely notice a power hit with the A/C on, especially with Eco Mode & the A/C on...feels like there's a sponge under the gas pedal preventing you from accelerating. Scared the crud out of me when I was trying to take my 3-lane quick merge home the other day...I just couldn't get the power I needed to hop through traffic until I popped Eco mode off, and then even better after I turned down the A/C. The combination of A/C & Eco Mode really sucks the acceleration power out of the car.

Still getting the weird micro-vibrations at around 70 MPH. Also has a bit of a bob on the highway due to the size...I miss driving my Kia Soul, which was extremely solid on the highway. But the Civic is a lot smoother all around and has surprisingly comfortable seats, so I can't complain too much

 

[Kaido]

I also think I've decided on a stereo system...since I'm driving the car full-time now, I do want something better - the stock Civic LX's speaker system sounds like iPod earbuds to me :\

Pretty much just a basic system...I've never come across a component system I like, definitely prefer the sound of a full-range speaker, so I think the Pioneer TS series and an Autotuba sub should do it. I like the stock head unit because it's already integrated into the car (Bluetooth speakerphone, Bluetooth audio streaming, etc.), so that would need to be rigged up to a line-output adapter. Here's what I'm looking at:

Fronts: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-A16...dp/B00A0LZHYS/

Rears: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-G16...dp/B005GINKRQ/

L2Ci line-output converter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CTBYGE

4-channel amp: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-R1004-4-...dp/B004S50ZDA/

Sub: http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/autotuba.html

Sub amp: http://www.amazon.com/R1100M-Monoblo.../dp/B004S4XNEO

Pretty el-cheapo amps, but I don't listen to the speakers at crazy-loud levels so it should be fine for a >$300 system. Any recommendations on wiring? Been a long, long time since I've put in a car system

 

[Kaido]

Oh, and one of my favorite features:

http://i.imgur.com/SEFkVk3.jpg

The USB port is in the armrest console in the center. You can snake your phone's charging cable through the grooves when you close the lid, so you can keep your phone on the seat or a cupholder/vent mount, which is pretty awesome.

I also like that I can control the MOG music app with the steering wheel controls (despite it not being the "iPod" music app).

Also, the seats seemed to have finished out-gassing with the seat heaters - they don't smell like burning anymore

 

[SearchMaster]

You're getting better mileage because it's warmer, not because you're using the A/C

 

[nerp]

And the car is broken in. Mileage always increases after a few thousand miles.

USB ports in the armrest is great. I actually just leave my phone in the compartment since I don't text and drive and I can accept and make phone calls and control my music through the factory system. Nice and tidy, the way I like it.

Interesting you can feel the AC sap power from the car. My 2003 Golf did that and it was disappointing on really hot days to have to turn off the A/C if I was going up a decent incline on the freeway. I forgot all about that until your post. And you're right about freeway comfort with wind. You think the Civic is bad, try a Yaris, which is what I drove before my current vehicle. It was scary at times, especially when you're getting passed by semis and contending with drafts and cross-drafts along with wind gusts. I've been more scared in that little box on the freeway surrounded by huge trucks than any other car driving too fast or recklessly. I don't do that anymore.

 

[Kaido]

You're getting better mileage because it's warmer, not because you're using the A/C

I always thought using the A/C cuts down on the MPG more than the temperature

 

[Kaido]

And the car is broken in. Mileage always increases after a few thousand miles.

USB ports in the armrest is great. I actually just leave my phone in the compartment since I don't text and drive and I can accept and make phone calls and control my music through the factory system. Nice and tidy, the way I like it.

Interesting you can feel the AC sap power from the car. My 2003 Golf did that and it was disappointing on really hot days to have to turn off the A/C if I was going up a decent incline on the freeway. I forgot all about that until your post. And you're right about freeway comfort with wind. You think the Civic is bad, try a Yaris, which is what I drove before my current vehicle. It was scary at times, especially when you're getting passed by semis and contending with drafts and cross-drafts along with wind gusts. I've been more scared in that little box on the freeway surrounded by huge trucks than any other car driving too fast or recklessly. I don't do that anymore.

Yeah, the USB armrest port is great, and the little slot to thread the wire through is the icing on the cake...I use my phone as a GPS sometimes, so it's handy to have it out of the center console.

I checked out a Yaris a couple years ago...didn't even take it out of the dealership, felt like I was going to snap off the shifter lol. Definitely on the Civic, the combination of Eco Mode & A/C is really horrible...it was just plain scary trying to squeeze into traffic and just having no power to jump forward. One or the other isn't bad, but especially the combination of both just has a really lousy effect on performance. So I'll be leaving Eco Mode off, especially since it seems to actually reduce my MPG based on my testing. It also seems to have a mind of it's own...the dealer said you have to press the Eco mode on every time you get in the car if you want to use it, but sometimes it stays on when I get back in the car, and sometimes it turns itself off. Weird.

 

[nerp]

Be glad you don't have automatic climate control. You'll never know if the A/C is on or off and why it's blowing at your feet and windshield and not your face, etc. Luckily, the system in my car is pretty smart, but there are times I just grab control or simply shut it off if it's not too hot or cold out.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

They really haven't improved the civic since 06. My wives 08 drives just as good as the 13 we test drove. Sure it had more features like the backup camera and the Bluetooth. It actually would have been a step down as my wife has a loaded EX L and we were looking at a base civic. We ended up with the fit. The utility of the fit can't be beat. With the design and magic seats it has more cargo room than anything in the small car class and probably more than a lot of midsize vehicles. With the fit we can leave my full size truck at the house a lot more. With another civic we would still have to drive my truck to the biweekly Costco trips or garage/estate sales we like to visit.

 

[Kaido]

Be glad you don't have automatic climate control. You'll never know if the A/C is on or off and why it's blowing at your feet and windshield and not your face, etc. Luckily, the system in my car is pretty smart, but there are times I just grab control or simply shut it off if it's not too hot or cold out.

Yeah, my wife's Volvo has that...randomly blows air on you and then shuts off. Kinda cool but I prefer manual control for sure.

 

[Kaido]

They really haven't improved the civic since 06. My wives 08 drives just as good as the 13 we test drove. Sure it had more features like the backup camera and the Bluetooth. It actually would have been a step down as my wife has a loaded EX L and we were looking at a base civic. We ended up with the fit. The utility of the fit can't be beat. With the design and magic seats it has more cargo room than anything in the small car class and probably more than a lot of midsize vehicles. With the fit we can leave my full size truck at the house a lot more. With another civic we would still have to drive my truck to the biweekly Costco trips or garage/estate sales we like to visit.

Definitely...we miss our Fit a lot! The Fit is one of the most practical cars you can buy, imo. The versatility was awesome...I've been able to go without a truck because of it (only had to rent a Home Depot truck a couple times when I had really big projects).

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Definitely...we miss our Fit a lot! The Fit is one of the most practical cars you can buy, imo. The versatility was awesome...I've been able to go without a truck because of it (only had to rent a Home Depot truck a couple times when I had really big projects).

The civic is still a good car. I have no doubts it will serve you well. I was hoping it would have been a much better ride than my wives 08 and it just wasn't. It really needs a complete refresh.

 

[crabbyman]

Getting warmer here...finally got the A/C going. Very anemic...worse than the Fit haha. Might be one of the wimpiest A/C units I've ever used in a car! Strangely, however, I am now getting 35 MPG with the A/C on (same daily route, about 4 weeks into driving it with about 1700 miles so far)...I figured the A/C would suck out a lot more MPG than the heater would, but apparently the systems are reversed on the 2013 Civic - I get 30/31 with the heater on, and 34/35 with the A/C on. Go figure.

I also definitely notice a power hit with the A/C on, especially with Eco Mode & the A/C on...feels like there's a sponge under the gas pedal preventing you from accelerating. Scared the crud out of me when I was trying to take my 3-lane quick merge home the other day...I just couldn't get the power I needed to hop through traffic until I popped Eco mode off, and then even better after I turned down the A/C. The combination of A/C & Eco Mode really sucks the acceleration power out of the car.

Still getting the weird micro-vibrations at around 70 MPH. Also has a bit of a bob on the highway due to the size...I miss driving my Kia Soul, which was extremely solid on the highway. But the Civic is a lot smoother all around and has surprisingly comfortable seats, so I can't complain too much

In my Geo Metro I called the A/C button my "turbo button". I had to hit the A/C off to wind up the 3 cylinder beast and get it up to highway speeds.

I miss that car and it's personality!

 

[crabbyman]

I also think I've decided on a stereo system...since I'm driving the car full-time now, I do want something better - the stock Civic LX's speaker system sounds like iPod earbuds to me :\

Pretty much just a basic system...I've never come across a component system I like, definitely prefer the sound of a full-range speaker, so I think the Pioneer TS series and an Autotuba sub should do it. I like the stock head unit because it's already integrated into the car (Bluetooth speakerphone, Bluetooth audio streaming, etc.), so that would need to be rigged up to a line-output adapter. Here's what I'm looking at:

Fronts: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-A16...dp/B00A0LZHYS/

Rears: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-G16...dp/B005GINKRQ/

L2Ci line-output converter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CTBYGE

4-channel amp: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-R1004-4-...dp/B004S50ZDA/

Sub: http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/autotuba.html

Sub amp: http://www.amazon.com/R1100M-Monoblo.../dp/B004S4XNEO

Pretty el-cheapo amps, but I don't listen to the speakers at crazy-loud levels so it should be fine for a >$300 system. Any recommendations on wiring? Been a long, long time since I've put in a car system

I suggest this company for wiring... http://www.knukonceptz.com/

Pioneer are decent sound speakers for the money. I can't comment on the amp or sub though.

 

[Kaido]

In my Geo Metro I called the A/C button my "turbo button". I had to hit the A/C off to wind up the 3 cylinder beast and get it up to highway speeds.

I miss that car and it's personality!

Hah, my buddy has a '94 ragtop stick Metro and is currently averaging 54 MPG on his highway commute :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

I suggest this company for wiring... http://www.knukonceptz.com/

Pioneer are decent sound speakers for the money. I can't comment on the amp or sub though.

Oh, they're garbage amps, but they're cheap to match the speakers - I don't listen to the speakers at insanely-loud levels and the sub hardly requires any power, so it should be more than fine.

Thanks for the link!

 

[corinthos]

Has anyone noticed that the AC on the 2013 Civic LX Sedan doesn't seem to be as cold as it could be? feels like just barely enough to keep you cool while it's blowing on you, but the cabin doesn't really feel cold, just cooler than it otherwise would be... and this is with econ mode off and max AC on and fan at or near MAX...

 

[NutBucket]

Standard issue Japanese car. They always seem to have slightly undersized AC systems, generally speaking. My wife and I noticed it when test driving both the Pilot and MDX.

 

[Kaido]

Has anyone noticed that the AC on the 2013 Civic LX Sedan doesn't seem to be as cold as it could be? feels like just barely enough to keep you cool while it's blowing on you, but the cabin doesn't really feel cold, just cooler than it otherwise would be... and this is with econ mode off and max AC on and fan at or near MAX...

Yup, it's weak. Our last Honda Fit was colder, but it still weak too. My other cars usually got ice-cold.

 

[vshah]

The ac will generally only get to super cold temps if you're above 2-2.5k rpm for extended periods I.e. highway driving.

 

[nerp]

I couldn't live with that, especially with my car's nearly all-black interior. The system has to work hard to get rid of the residual heat. The A/C in the Charger is mighty powerful so I'm totally comfortable in 2-3 minutes after starting the car when it has been sitting in a parking lot all day in 90+ heat.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

My fit is black on black and I live in Texas and the air works good enough. I have never felt uncomfortable even on 100 degree days.

Then again I grew up poor and remember not having air conditioning in my home or cars as a kid. So I tend to not be such a pansy like most these days.

 

[AEvj]

I am having the EXACT same vibration problem on my 2013 Civic @ 70mph--
I have an appointment at the dealership on Monday, and would like to be able to point them in the right direction to get this fixed, if possible-- did you ever get it fixed?

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks-
A