2008 Honda Civic

This review is about the Honda Civic EX with an automatic transmission and without a navigation system. It can also be used as a rough review for other Civic models excluding sedans and the Si models. This is my second car, my first being a 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante, with which I will be comparing it from time to time.

Another point I would like to make before starting is that I will update this review for times, once per week, with any requests you may write in the comments section, so feel free to check back. I will state in the title the last time I have updated this guide. Also, please do not ask me to list things like cargo space and the dimensions of the car. These can easily be found on the Honda website, and will be more accurate than what I would write here. And now, on to the juicy stuff.

Looks: Too subjective to rate.
I very much like the looks of this car. Its one of the reasons I bought it over some of its competitors (VW Rabbit for example). This is of course a very subjective topic, and you should go to a dealer and judge for yourself. One feature I suggest you look at is the gauge cluster, which has two tiers. The lower holds all the lights as well as the tachometer, while the top displays a digital readout of the speed, temperature, and fuel. It's a love it or hate it design. It will also feel awkward for the first week of driving, but you get used to it. The gauge cluster is the same on all models except the Si, which has a red backlight, as opposed to the standard blue backlight.

Brakes: Excellent (5 out of 5)
The brakes on this car are amazing. They're very strong and take a while to fade. They have not failed me yet, and I'm quite demanding of my car. I've had the car for about 14,000 miles, and the brake pads are still good, although I'll be changing them soon just to be on the safe side. My only complaint is that they're a bit touchy when you start the car, and tend to be jerky. This goes away after a few minutes, after which they feel great, not too touchy, but not numb. The EX model has four wheel disc brakes, while all models below this trim have rear drum brakes and front discs. This will hurt braking performance. The Si model should have better brakes, but I don't know enough to speak of them.

Handling: Very Good (4 out of 5)
The handling on this car is great. There is very little body roll in the corners, and it sticks to the ground very well, even in wet weather. I drive aggressively and really like to let loose on twisty roads, so I can say with confidence that this car is more than suitable for everyday situations and the occasional spirited run down a back road. I think this is due to the suspension setup, although I don't know very much about this sort of thing. The suspension is the same for all Civics except the Si model, so they should all handle the same way. The Si has better suspension than the standard Civic, and from my experience driving it, handles far better than a regular Civic.

Ride Quality: Very Good (4 out of 5) Subjective
I believe the ride quality on this car is great. Bumps get absorbed with minimal fuss, which makes for a very smooth ride on normal roads. It's no Cadillac, though. If the roads start to get rough, you'll feel it. The ride is a bit stiff for this kind of car though, which is the way I prefer it. Some people will want a softer ride, while others might want a stiffer one. I would suggest taking a test drive since this is a subjective matter. The Si model has a stiffer ride due to the suspension settings and sportier tires.

Fuel: Great (5 out of 5)
If you're looking for fuel economy, this is the car for you. The EPA estimates 36 miles per gallon on the highway. If I drive conservatively, I can get up to 42 miles per gallon. Almost all of my driving is on the highway or aggressive driving on twisty roads. If I drive aggressively on the highway, I get around 20 miles to the gallon, which is about the same as what I get on the twisty roads. The Si will get worse mileage due to its higher output engine. All other Civic models will get about the same amount of mileage. Getting a manual transmission, however, might improve your city mileage. The Si comes in manual only.

Engine: Good (3 out of 5)
The engine seems to be very reliable. It revs up to 7,000 rpm, which is more than the typical car by about 1,000 rpm. The fuel economy is good, but I greatly prefer power over fuel economy. If power doesn't make a difference to you, than the engine, in my opinion, gets a 4 out of 5. The engine just seems very sturdy and confident. It also loves to rev, which is typical of Honda engines. Not paying attention to this might cost you a few miles per gallon. This does not apply to the Si engine, which is completely different.

Power: Poor (2 out if 5)
I don't like the power of this car at all. It's quite slow and needs to be revved when going up hills. I understand that this was done in the name of fuel economy, but I'm still quite disappointed. I guess that this car is aimed at people who don't care about power, but I think its still a relevant topic. The lack of power may cost you some fuel economy if you live in a mountainous are, since you will be revving a lot. This applies to all models except the Si, since they all have the same engine.

Tires: Mediocre (2.5 out of 5)
I don't like the tires on this car. They are called Bridgestone Turanza's. They are comfortable enough, but they don't offer the amount of grip I would like. They handle fine in the rain, and don't make very much noise. They're just average tires. My biggest complaint is their life. I've been told that these tires have a very short life span, but I didn't think this was true since these are not high performance tires, but it appears to be true. At 14,000 miles, they are starting to lose their grip, even after I rotated them. I will be changing them soon. I would recommend either the Bridgestone Potenza G009's, which are a better all around tire, although they might have a slightly less comfortable ride, but are vastly superior in all other areas. My second recommendation is the Bridgestone Potenza RE050, which are much more sporty but sacrifice comfort and wet weather grip. They also wear quite quickly. I will probably be getting the G009. This does not apply to the Civic SI, which has different tires.

Stereo: Varies (1.5-4 out of 5)
The stereo is quite odd in this car. It sounds amazing for some songs, but absolutely terrible for others. I can't find a pattern either. It's quite baffling. I suggest going to the dealership and and playing a Cd of your favorite songs and play it in the car. Make sure you play it in the right model though. The EX and higher trims have a subwoofer, while the lower trims do not, so play it in the trim level you are considering.

Headlights: Poor (2 out of 5)
I hold headlights to a higher standard than other features (except brakes) since they are so important, and these are flawed. They are bright enough, and light up the road very well at night, but they send absolutely no light upward, even with the high beams. This means that if you're driving at night, you will not be able to see any signs on the highway or street unless they are illuminated by some other source of light. One of the biggest problems with this car. I'm not sure if this applies to the Si model or the sedan models.\

Road Noise: Below average (2.5 out of 5)
Road noise enters the cabin at any speed. The faster you go, the more road noise there is. It's annoying when the radio is off, but much less noticeable when it's on. I generally drive with the radio on, so it doesn't bother me much, but it is something to take note of. I don't know if this is the case in the Si and sedan models.

Maintenance Reminder System: Terrible (0 out of 5)
This is a serious flaw. This system is supposed to tell you when to change the oil in the car. It shows you the oil quality in percent. When it starts getting low, you're supposed to change the oil. The only problem is that its set up for synthetic oil, while the car comes with regular oil, so instead of driving the 3,000 miles per oil change that you're supposed to, you end up driving around 5,000 miles per oil change, which is absolutely terrible for your car, and will eventually destroy your engine. Most people do no know this, and it will become a costly problem. If you do know about it, it's just a useless feature, unless you switch to synthetic like I did. I'm not sure if this applies to the Si model, but it applies to all others.

View Out: (4 out of 5) while driving. (2.5 out of 5) while parking.
When driving, the view out of the car is great. There are very little blind spots aside from the normal ones present in most coupes, namely the blind spots just to the side, behind the car, due to the small rear side windows. One more to note is a slight created by the somewhat thick A pillars (the ones connecting the windshield and the front windows). It doesn't pose a safety risk though. When parking, however, the view out is much worse. It is impossible to see the front bumper of the car and, due to the design of the rear, it is also impossible to see where the back bumper is, which makes parking quite a pain. It gets easier as you do it, but you can never be as precise as you can with a car that let's you see the front and rear bumpers. This applies to all coupe models. I don't know if it applies to the sedans.

If you would like me to discuss anything else in this review, feel free to leave me a comment, and I will update in a week. I hope this helped you. Also, I'm six feet tall and have plenty of headroom. My seat is set to the lowest position.