GTP Cool Wall: 2006-2010 Honda Civic (European variant)

[Leonidae@MFT]

Cool. Got to work on few of these, and the back seat arrangement is innovative for carrying large things. Buut, I would take Citroen C2 over this.

 

[Joey D]

The Type R engine is included.

I missed that due to the stupid way that engine sizes are displayed in the Cool Wall. I suppose it doesn't really change my vote though.

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As for the rice comments? What is the 2000? I don't think people "rice" Civics any more and a vast majority of drives I see are in their 30's and 40's driving back and forth to work because they wanted good fuel economy.

 

[Roger the Horse]

In 2006, Honda took a car called 'Civic', and somehow managed to make it cool.

Would be sub zero if it weren't called the Civic, but it would be uncool if Honda did what Toyota did with the Corolla/Auris thing and tried to claim it wasn't a Civic. Oh, what a conundrum.

 

[Tornado]

Civics are cars that try to be sporty, but fail miserably. I'd take a Cadillac Cimarron before this.

But would you take a Sunbird?

 

[Aquarelle]

I will defend the Honda Civic until the day I die, few cars are as enjoyable on a mountain road at such a shockingly low entrance fee with none of the fan hype that hikes prices (Read: AE86)

The Honda Civic isn't good in spite of the small engine and FWD layout, it's good BECAUSE of these so called "handicaps"

HOWEVER

This generation? No. I won't even begin to say a good thing about the rocket ship, it's as uncool as uncool gets.

But, I'll give it a meh. Just because they at least tried something new and interesting.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

These two guys, @Slash and I, were raised on American muscle and the feeling that its the best way to go. You better believe our opinions are heavily influenced by that fact.

As for how I vote on the Civic, I vote Uncool. It could be a Meh or a Cool, but the amount of riced out Civics I see on a weekly basis, it feels like if I vote higher than I did, it'd give the ricers an even more ricer attitude. That of which I already can't stand.

EDIT: There is more that I didn't say, I just chose to keep it out.

I was raised on it as well and even taught how to build small block V8s...you don't see me using it is a defense or a woe as me tactic. It's because unlike you guys I decided to be my own person and teach myself if it was true or not, rather than live in that shadow. Some people are contempt with carrying what their families teach them, others want to learn more than what they're told. When you decide to do the former and then broadcast it you're giving people a field day to tell you exactly why you're one sided thinking is wrong and not as right as you think.

 

[Tornado]

This generation? No. I won't even begin to say a good thing about the rocket ship, it's as uncool as uncool gets.

But, I'll give it a meh. Just because they at least tried something new and interesting.

It is interesting as a look into design ethos, though. Compare this to the previous Civic hatch:

The impossibly breadvan-esque proportions (especially with the little donut tires the lesser models got) which somehow combine with complete anonymity.

The city bus-esque driving position and control design, with the shifter that never wasn't awkward feeling even if it was smooth. At least in the Element you sat a lot higher so you could still reach down to the shifter. Note how if it wasn't for that public transit center stack, the interior would be comically nodescript.




Now compare it to how... absolutely not anything like that the British Civic was:

It's easily the most visually striking design in the class since the original Focus, and I can't help but like it far more than the one we got (and there wasn't a single change for the newer U.K. one that wasn't inferior); even if I do think that they went a bit overboard trying to distance itself from the 2001 car.

 

[Aquarelle]

snip

Interestingly, the eight gen Civic was actually within a couple inches of the predecessor in size - it was simply the proportions that made it look so tall and off putting.

The shifter was certainly bizarre, I could never get my head around it especially after the comfortable and traditional layout of the EK, but if you manage to ignore the bizarre placement it felt remarkably solid!.

I'll readily admit that outside of the Type R the seventh generation never sparked anything in me, the extra weight and the spongier suspension in the "typical" 7th gen just wasn't good enough.

The eighth gen Civic "Rocket ship" certainly has the most striking design and I'm sure it would impress some people but, I find it's trying far, far too hard.

The fact is, the Civic knows what it is - it's for the most part transit for the masses - however, once you're in a Type R? or at least a properly modified "Normal" civic? The real spirit of these little cars comes alive and you will fall in love if you have the driving ability to keep up.

Of course, none of that makes it cool! Just a very, very good car.

 

[Wolfe]

Civics can't be cool until they're old, and this one isn't old enough yet. It's also unattractive and had a notably lame marketing campaign as I recall. It doesn't possess any other special qualities to redeem it, because it's a Civic. I went with Seriously Uncool, although a simple "uncool" may have been enough in hindsight.

 

[Kent]

Cool.
Nothing is cooler than blending in with a practical, reliable car that can have variants capable of providing an enthusiastic driving experience.
Not most people's cup of tea but I find these to be good enough to work out of meh and into cool.

Is it cool to other people?
I don't know, I answer these threads based on what I think of a car, not what I think other people think of the car.

 

[JMoney]

But would you take a Sunbird?

Actually I like the appearance of Sunbirds, and I love Pontiacs, so yes.

 

[GTPorsche]

Uncool. Looks like a spaceship influenced by a hamster, but without the cuteness factor.

I'm sure it's a good car since it's a Honda, but good doesn't make for cool.

 

[Crash]

Typically just a regular nondescript grocery getter, so meh it is.

 

[Grayfox]

a light bar on the front.

What is pictured is the 2006-2008 version.

The 2009-2010 had a facelift done.

The car had one more facelift in 2011

I am getting the 2011 sports grill for mine.
Thing is some love the Trophy Cabinet(as it is known to owners) version

 

[JMoney]

What is pictured is the 2006-2008 version.

The 2009-2010 had a facelift done.

The car had one more facelift in 2011

I am getting the 2011 sports grill for mine.
Thing is some love the Trophy Cabinet(as it is known to owners) version

Yeah they finally figured it out in 2011... but it's still seriously uncool.

 

[Grayfox]

Yeah they finally figured it out in 2011... but it's still seriously uncool.

The "sports grill" is the same one that the type R has had since the type R got released but without the red R badge.

I am saving up for this one, which a UK dealership paints.
Stealth look FTW.

 

[Wiegert]

It's remarkable how a car with such an ultramodern design - both inside and out - began to look practically ordinary by the end of the 00s due partly to their prevalence and popularity. Granted, it's still terribly modern even compared to the fresher-looking 9th gen. But after two or three years of production, it began to elicit nothing more than the occasional yawn.

I also don't think it's aged quite as well I was expecting it to either. Possibly because they're virtually everywhere these days and make up a considerable percentage of everyday traffic, so they look pretty average by today's standards. Good-looking? Sure. Just not in a way that generates wondrous reactions as it did nearly a decade ago.

The small open grill intakes on the first facelift looked awful too. While Type-R inspired full grille was the best looking that generation Civic ever was. Even when the earlier models remained so much more cutting-edge with the full perspex grille blending seamlessly with the headlights.

I could have stretched and given it a cool in 2006 when there was nothing else like it on the road. These days it's just another Honda hatch that would pass by without a glance. Uncool.

 

[edawg456]

Even though I prefer older civics, this is still a solid cool.

 

[VXR]

My neighbour has had two 3-door Type-S models, first blue and now red.

I prefer the window line of the 5-door personally. Meh bordering on cool, for me.

 

[homeforsummer]

Cool. Got to work on few of these, and the back seat arrangement is innovative for carrying large things. Buut, I would take Citroen C2 over this.

That is a very odd combination of words. "Cool"? Fair enough, whatever floats your boat. But I'm not sure I'd have justified it by telling everyone how awesome and practical the back seat is. And I certainly wouldn't put forward the Citroen C2 as an alternative, not least as it's in a completely different market segment.

The city bus-esque driving position and control design, with the shifter that never wasn't awkward feeling even if it was smooth. At least in the Element you sat a lot higher so you could still reach down to the shifter. Note how if it wasn't for that public transit center stack, the interior would be comically nodescript.

I'm gonna step in and defend the old Civic's shifter here. It certainly looks a bit odd and the driving position was rather high, but I much prefer high-set shifters to low-set ones. It's within a palm's width of the wheel, which is great if you're really pressing on - my old Panda 100HP had a similar arrangement and it was great having the shifter a flick of the wrist away. In that respect it's more like a Miata or something - the driving position is different obviously, but the position of the steering wheel relative to the shifter is actually pretty similar - rather than reaching down between the seats for it.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Well, I didn't get to drive it as we were just replacing the fuel filler cap due to recall for such, but we got to do some stuff on the inside. This was back when they were new.. And it's cool because I still like the shape it has, despite of being 5-door instead of 3-door. I put out the C2 as an alternative as it's equally quirky and gimmicky as this gen of Civic.. Well, IMHO at least.

 

[niky]

Surprisingly, despite the striking looks... uncool. Not seriously, though, that's reserved for the old breadvan variant that looked more like a baby Odyssey or a suspiciously short-wheelbased Stream MPV.

-

This was an interesting car... nice choice of engines, but even with the available Type-R and the "Magic Seats", I prefer the Fit... from which the Civic borrowed those Magic Seats and the rear beam suspension that makes them work.

 

[Azure Flare]

An automated manual in a Civic? Would be slightly better if it was used the right way. Pushing it forward to change up? That's just plain wrong.

I voted Meh, it doesn't do too much for me. I don't hate it in any way, I just can't seem to care that much. The Type R on the other hand...

It would be nice if Honda would sell the same Civic is the US as they would in Europe.

 

[Turtle]

An automated manual in a Civic? Would be slightly better if it was used the right way. Pushing it forward to change up? That's just plain wrong.

Up until recently, I thought that's how they worked. I only learned it wasn't like that because they had some Japanese arcade racing game with that kind of shifter. Took some time to get used to, for sure, but it definitely makes more sense to me now.

And that game was the only one I played at the entire arcade, by the way. I probably spent nearly $30 on it. I only ever left it when a little kid asked if he could play, so I walked around for a few minutes, tried to ignore the screaming children, and went back.