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Consumer Reports removes 2012 Honda Civic 'Recommended' rating

Z

zoiks

Lifer
On Autoblog.

Snippet of CR press release.

The Civic has slid backward with its redesign. It feels insubstantial against recently-redesigned competition.. Vague steering weakens its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel. Stopping distances are long, the ride is choppy, and road noise is pronounced. The Honda Civic LX ($19,405 MSRP as tested), is powered by a 140-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that provides adequate acceleration and gets an impressive 30 mpg overall in CR's own fuel economy tests. The five-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly. The interior feels cheap, a letdown from previous Civics. CR is currently testing a Civic hybrid and will report on it next month. Cargo space is Good.
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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/01/honda-civic-loses-recommended-rating-from-consumer-reports/
 
If nobody has noticed yet, the civic has stopped being a "civic" since 7th gen.

This report is no surprise to me.
 
Can't say I disagree much. I was vastly disappointed that Honda didn't choose to bring the Civic forward given the intense competition in the compact segment now.

At least resale should still remain very high for a while yet, and they're pretty reliable cars as well, so it's not all negative. I do think educated consumers would be better with almost any other choice though (Elantra, Mazda3, Focus, Cruze, etc).

CR is CR though. At least this seems a little more timely than their usual way late routine.
 
They'll still sell oodles and oodles of them but perhaps a little less than before given the added competition.

Hopefully this is the wake-up call that Honda needed, it's not just the Civic is a lazy rehash - it's actually worse. I'm not sure who they thought they were foolin' with this crap.

The new SI reminds me of the 5th gen SI that completely sucked balls and was bought by virtually no one, yeah this turd with the column shifter. I feel pity for the 1 or 2 owners I see a year driving those pos's.

250px-Honda_Civic_Si_EP3.jpg
 
The sad thing is I like the EP3. Too bad we got the watered down version compared to everyone else.

And the shifter wasn't column mounted; it jutted out of the dash 😉
 
it appears (to me, at least) that CR journalists may have been previous Ford employees. fire them all. but i agree that the '12s are fugly. i'd still take it over a Focus any day.
 
I liked the 2012 Focus when I drove it. I can see their points about the MyTouch HD or whatever being a bit complex and overall it was a nice car. I don't trust the powershift transmission though.....

I nearly bought one but somehow the Honda I got just felt better in some intangible way.
 
NutBucket said:
The sad thing is I like the EP3. Too bad we got the watered down version compared to everyone else.

And the shifter wasn't column mounted; it jutted out of the dash 😉
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Yeah, I guess I should have said - there's a shifter where the HVAC controls should be. 😛
 
SandEagle said:
it appears (to me, at least) that CR journalists may have been previous Ford employees. fire them all. but i agree that the '12s are fugly. i'd still take it over a Focus any day.
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CR has been in the bag for the japanese auto makers since the beginning of time, so I'm not sure what you mean. That's why this is so shocking, it would be like C&D saying the 3 series sucks.
 
The new Civics are just downright not attractive.
I refrained from using UGLY but its such a big step down from the previous generation.
First time I saw one, I said "WTF were they thinking".
 
It is somewhat expected. The Civic is the low cost entry model. What they want to do is get you into the Acura line.
 
Honda and Toyota have been in total malaise mode for years now. It's too bad - I always like the price/performance/fun package of Hondas from the early 80s until the mid-late 90s.
 
"My" 2010 Civic is shit. Since 5th gen redesign I think. Interior is ok, I like the digital speedo and temp dials.

Otherwise, the thing is piss poorly designed. I can't count how many times I just blurted a "come on" or "fu*k you, let's go" because it had no power if I didn't floor it. But it's the terrible A-pillar that blocks my view, the invisible hood, and big ass that kill it for me.
 
Pocatello said:
Honda dropped the ball on this one. The redesigned Civic looks almost identical to the last generation Civic.
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From first hand experience, the interior is absolutely shit compared to the 2006-2011 civics.

It feels like the car was built with a bean counter dictating the cost.

Cutting cost = higher profits. Which in term, results in a substandard cheap POS.
 
SandEagle said:
it appears (to me, at least) that CR journalists may have been previous Ford employees. fire them all. but i agree that the '12s are fugly. i'd still take it over a Focus any day.
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Lots more ignorant people like you will buy the Civic, I'm sure.
 
They tested the LX model, which is the low end model(the DX doesn't have Air Conditioning or a Radio so I really don't think they sell too many of them in the US). The LX is missing a lot of features that EX and EX-L have including safety feature. Rear Drum Brakes is a big problem with the Civic, I'd imagine had they tested the EX or EX-L it would have tested a bit higher. I'm not too keen on Honda switching to an electric power steering unit as it seems like a bad move just to save a few MPG(the corolla did this in 09 and had its ratings drop like a stone).
(I own a 2008 Civic Coupe btw, well made, reliable car, likely the most reliable car I've ever owned infact)

I'm not sure that Honda realizes that cars like Hyundai have 4 wheel disc brakes on even low end models like the Accent let alone the Elantra. And thats why Hyundai has been improving by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years.
 
jmarti445 said:
They tested the LX model, which is the low end model(the DX doesn't have Air Conditioning or a Radio so I really don't think they sell too many of them in the US). The LX is missing a lot of features that EX and EX-L have including safety feature. Rear Drum Brakes is a big problem with the Civic, I'd imagine had they tested the EX or EX-L it would have tested a bit higher. I'm not too keen on Honda switching to an electric power steering unit as it seems like a bad move just to save a few MPG(the corolla did this in 09 and had its ratings drop like a stone).
(I own a 2008 Civic Coupe btw, well made, reliable car, likely the most reliable car I've ever owned infact)

I'm not sure that Honda realizes that cars like Hyundai have 4 wheel disc brakes on even low end models like the Accent let alone the Elantra. And thats why Hyundai has been improving by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years.
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Most auto makers are switching to this now. It's the future, but the difference is some have the steering feel down pat. The new Focus has electric power steering and CR praises it's handling and steering feel. Ditto on the new Mustang. It's all about how you calibrate things. My Fusion Hybrid has it and while it's a little numb feeling at 65MPG it's direct and feels very precise at lower speeds.

I think CR is basically calling Honda out and saying you can't offer imitation krab meat when the competition is offering king crab meat. Not to mention Honda saying it's the completely redesigned Civic...really? Because it looks 90% the same to me.

And the rest I agree with you, about offering more content on small cars. One other note, I don't think a higher trim line would necessarily make a difference, and they tested a lower trim line because that's what most people will drive and buy.
 
They test the Civic LX is because that's the model that most consumers buy. Too bad you guys didn't see or feel the interior in real life. It is absolutely horrendous.
 
Imp said:
"My" 2010 Civic is shit. Since 5th gen redesign I think. Interior is ok, I like the digital speedo and temp dials.

Otherwise, the thing is piss poorly designed. I can't count how many times I just blurted a "come on" or "fu*k you, let's go" because it had no power if I didn't floor it. But it's the terrible A-pillar that blocks my view, the invisible hood, and big ass that kill it for me.
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You are suppose to test drive cars before you buy them.
I love my '11. I knew it had 140HP when I bought it so stuff like the passing power is moot. It gets incredible gas mileage and that is why I bought this car in the first place.
 
jmarti445 said:
I'm not too keen on Honda switching to an electric power steering unit as it seems like a bad move just to save a few MPG(the corolla did this in 09 and had its ratings drop like a stone).
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I still don't understand what most people are bitching about. I have the 2010 corolla with the electric steering and it has never been a problem. The steering works fine.
 
CraigRT said:
You are suppose to test drive cars before you buy them.
I love my '11. I knew it had 140HP when I bought it so stuff like the passing power is moot. It gets incredible gas mileage and that is why I bought this car in the first place.
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Civic fuel economy is no better, and in many cases notably worse than competitive models now, even compared to cars with substantially more power/features.

It's good that you enjoy your car though. There are still positives :

High Resale
Reasonably good crash ratings
Average fuel economy for the class
Good reliability
 
It all comes down to choices. Obviously different people will like different cars. For example, I simply do not like the way the 2011 Sonata drives yet it is a very highly rated car. And really, its hard to make a bad choice since there are lots of good/great cars being made.

And Shawn, pay attention. Nobody said it didn't work; its a question of feel and feedback.
 
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