Went to see the car in the showroom at Cochin - Vision Honda
Could not do a TD as It was a Sunday (Read Lazy employees)
Saw a Red ZX and a Silver VX
Some observations
Exteriors
- Car does look good and big in person
- Ground clearance was good, comparable to Amaze parked nearby 170mm
- The rear end looks good, though did not have that effect on me that the 8th generation civic had - Those "after burners" were trend of the town
- Sloping roof line looks good
- The ZX looks better with those smashing LED headlamps, The projectors in the VX makes it look like a generation old, rather an evolution of the previous civic. More over the VX looks more different from an Amaze than the ZX.
- The DRLs are very bright and looks good.
- The red colour looks good and seems like "fade ready" unless you are a detailing freak
- I liked the silver more as the chrome did not stand out. I looked more neater. Chrome with red was not my taste. If a buy a red one, wrapping those hideous chrome strips would be the fist thing on my to-do list
- The alloy design on the 17s were not to my taste, but definitely futuristic and is ("may be") slightly better looking than the 16 inchers on the VXI
- I concentrated more on the VXI as that was the model I was more interested in
- The boot was not built to my expectations. It felt flimsy. May be I am used to the heavy S cross hatch. I would say the hatch door on the S cross is better built than the civic hatch.
- The doors were also not that well built. They were not that reassuring to close, seems to be a class below the elantra and ofcourse miles behind the german doors, The door even on the S cross felt more solid.
- The perceptable build quality is only on par with the Japanese competetion, not as good as the Compass, Octavia or the older Jetta.
The Silver VX
Along with the Red ZX
Coming to interiors
- Seats are very low. I mean very very low.
- I am six feet tall and rather flabby and my core body strength is not good.
- I found myself falling into the seat, courtesy my poorly built truncal muscles
- Really could find some inspiration for core body strengthening for getting in and off the seat
- Once you are seated it is very comfortable. It is quite relaxing place to be in. Once the doors are shut you feel some silence inside
- In the ZX I found my head to be dangerously close to the roof, courtesy the lower roof with the sun roof. But in VX, I had atleast an inch and a half above my head. Points to VX here.
- Interior fit and finish are so-so
- The upper dashboard has some quality materials, but I did not find it a significant step above the S cross.
- Steering feel was good, as the leather wrap was impressive. The steering wheel buttons felt cheap and not built to last. I would rate it on par or slightly below the Maruti steering buttons. You cannot compare it with the Germans or even the Elantra.
- The Fit was good, but finish on surfaces especially on doors were screaming C segment, fit for college students in the West.
- The A and B pedals were at different levels, The A pedal atleast a couple of inches deeper that the B. I felt it quite weird. I could not do the sweeping movement with the right heel in place when I am seated in my comfortable position. I had to push the seat back by an inch for doing that easily.
- The knee up position makes doing that more weird
- Under thigh support is okay for six footers, though not impressive
- My left knee was free, since I moved to S cross from the Dzire. In the civic the left knee was resting on the unusually bulky central console. It did not feel uncomfortable. Hope it would be okay as I need not use the left foot on the clutch. The dead pedal was excellent.
- The left arm rest was perfectly placed for my height
- The console and gear levers were really good
- The lower portion of the dash, especially the place to keep the mobile phone looks really cheap, especially the rubber with those cable management holes
- The steering column also is built poorly, especially you can see the cheap rubber flap between the column and the dashboard.
- Rear seat is angled well. It is comfortable for 2-3
- Legroom is adequate for a six footer, especially when the front seat is adjusted to my liking
- Missed the front passenger powered seats, though it takes less time to find the ideal seating position
Note the low hip point
Left knee brushing the console
Waiting for the TD scheduled on Tuesday.