[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by ssenhyd

For the combination of long term reliability, engineering finesse, driving dynamics, power, acceleration, safety (and the safety is really top notch, 5 star NCAAP), NVH values, fit and finish, interior quality, looks, fuel efficiency and build quality looks I can get at this price point there is simply no comparison to the Civic in India at this time, period!

The Octavia is as good or better than the Civic on literally every point in your list, possibly aside from long term reliability and looks. It would have found takers at a competitive price but Honda failed to give it that too.

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

The Octavia is as good or better than the Civic on literally every point in your list, possibly aside from long term reliability and looks. It would have found takers at a competitive price but Honda failed to give it that too.

Reliability is a major decision point whenever one decides to plunk in 20+L on a vehicle, unless someone is in an income bracket where this much cash is small change..

In terms of the most recommended compact sedan Honda Civic is the most recommended compact sedan considering all aspects of the car..

Skoda Octavia is a thrilling car due to it's pickup and DCT automatic clutch, and yesy it is a very safe vehicle , as safe as Honda..
But the reliability and ASC department is a major area of concern

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by ssenhyd

I too bought it last October the ZX trim for a Rs 1.5 L cash discount, and for that discount level, IMO, it was great value.. but may not be for 25 L, so I do feel you have a point there..

I agree with your points. I think the Civic gets unnecessarily bashed up because of it's rather limited performance. However these days with (ignoring the Covid situation) speed camera's and speed restrictions how many of us are going to do pedal to the metal legally without getting trouble with the law.

All cars have their flaws, management decision is the Civic's. If the Civic had come for with a manual transmission there would have not much to complain about it. I would blame the Honda India management rather than the car for depriving it the thing which otherwise would have made it a perfect sedan.

Do enjoy your car and I wish you thousands of happy miles in it. Don't bother what people say, they only dream the likes of Skoda has the reliability of a Honda and would have found some reason or the other to bash the Civic anyways even if it had come with a MT. I once bought a Hyundai Verna based on popularity even though my heart was against it and regretted it later. Enjoy your buy. I wish I owned one but at the current price tag it is beyond my reach

[SDO]

Originally Posted by ssenhyd

Skoda Octavia is a thrilling car due to it's pickup and DCT automatic clutch, and yesy it is a very safe vehicle , as safe as Honda..
But the reliability and ASC department is a major area of concern

Octavia surely is a brilliant package with its 1.8L TSI DSG. You will love the way the car accelerates on-tap with almost no lag. So all the comments that favour Octavia are quite true. But the issues around an Octavia are scary enough too, like the DQ200 dry-clutch GB problems, oil seal issues, condenser failures etc. And they rip you off at the dealership. While many folks claim its a better experience at service centers now, its still a far cry based on my interactions with few Skoda owners. So if your car is good, you will be a very happy person owning it. If your car starts facing problems, you have a lot to worry.

For me the brilliance of the Octavia was a polarizing factor, but like you said, I just couldn't choose it ultimately because my mind did not agree with its reliability experience. I surely value the reliability, service and the total experience of a Honda much more than Skoda, even with the comments about decline in Honda service experience (haven't noticed much yet).

I am satisfied with my decision to go for the Civic and I am getting close to a year with the car by Aug. I just love the way the car presents itself when I walk down to the porch. Its a pleasant sight every day. I have enjoyed many city miles and two 1000+km outstation trips. Yes, the CVT presents a characteristic delay in a rapid acceleration moment. But that is just for a wee bit. There is nothing else to actually complain about the CVT unlike say in a Jazz where you feel significant rubber band effect. Civic is quite well built, handles nice, the ride is good and it does pick up speed quite fast.

Honda may have made many wrong choices with its latest models and with Civic too they could have made a manual/VTec combo which surely would have appealed to the enthusiasts. The Gen 8 model being such a strong appeal during its time, that comparison and complaint is not wrong either.

But Civic has consistently beaten its counterparts in the US car market emerging year-on-year as a preferred compact sedan, even with its 2.0 engine. India is a different market though and the same appeal hasn't worked. There surely is a strong love to cross-overs in the garb of SUVs. So sedans have to be at rest and take it low and slow. Its just not their time !

I feel sorry for the gentleman who has faced so many rattles with his Civic. I haven't yet, but yes, it's not good for anyone if it does. Hope it wasn't a test drive car that he bought. One suggestion : not too many Honda service technicians are still well versed with the Civic yet. So when you take the car for service, try going to a center which has more years of dealership/service experience.

Enjoy your Civic !

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by SDO

Octavia surely is a brilliant package with its 1.8L TSI DSG. You will love the way the car accelerates on-tap with almost no lag. So all the comments that favour Octavia are quite true. But the issues around an Octavia are scary enough too, like the DQ200 dry-clutch GB problems, oil seal issues, condenser failures etc. And they rip you off at the dealership. While many folks claim its a better experience at service centers now, its still a far cry based on my interactions with few Skoda owners. So if your car is good, you will be a very happy person owning it. If your car starts facing problems, you have a lot to worry.

You basically stated the same decision process that I went through when I bought my car.. and yes taking everything into consideration for sedans in this category, I still feel that the Civic has the right combination of fun, reliability and engineering refinement..

Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI is definitely more fun, engineering refinement I think Civic is better, but it is really the long term reliability and after sales service that lets Skoda down..

And DCT does not really work well with bumper to bumper stop and go city traffic, that is typically 99% of our daily drive. In such traffic, DCT has to be driven differently if one does not want to wear out the dry clutch.. A DCT just can't be driven the same as say a TC or a CVT in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic..

This too was a major factor for me deciding against going for any DCT aautomatic

[ssenhyd]

Did a 65 KM short drive this weekend (total 130 KM round trip door to door). Got a fuel economy of 16.8 KM/L as per the instrument panel!

I drove with the Eco mode button on both ways and of course air conditioning on with temp set to 26 C. My driving style is sedate and very gentle on the throttle and the brakes, i.e no hard accelerations or sudden braking.. Most of the time the car was driving in the dark green economy zone as per the indicator

There were total 3 adults onboard including myself the driver. Most of the drive was a two lane road without divider. The max speed I did was not more than 80 KM/hr. For most of the time the maximum I could drive safely was between 55 to 70 KM/hr because of oncoming traffic on this road

Road was decent, no rough patches and potholes except at the very end of my destination and pretty smooth tar top. If there were no oncoming traffic, one can easily drive at 100 KM/h on the road safely (just to indicate quality of the road and it's effect on FE), so road condition was favorable. To add to that the road was pretty flat no climbing hills etc.

Of the 130 KM total drive, approximately about 6 KM was a dirt patch road where the average speed was around 8 to 9 KM/hr. In addition around 30 KM included city driving where average speed was around 30 KM/hr with stop and go traffic.

Cold tire pressure for all the four wheels were set to 32 PSI, and the tires have done about 4000 KMs, i.e they were pretty new factory spec, and the one that came with the car - Yokohama Advan DB 215/50 R17 91V.

Considering all the above, I did better than the official mileage of 16.5 KM/liter by around 0.4 KM/l.

Can I trust the mileage figure provided by the onboard car computer?

Have others achieved similar results on such moderately long drives?

[ssenhyd]

One thing I missed adding, the weather was pleasant with temperature 27 C cloudy and no rain, hence the car air conditioner did not have to work too hard and thus adversely impact FE.

There was no strong winds blowing too thus helping the FE

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by ssenhyd

I too bought it last October the ZX trim for a Rs 1.5 L cash discount, and for that discount level, IMO, it was great value.. but may not be for 25 L, so I do feel you have a point there..

How are you coping with the lack of lumbar support in Civic? I felt that was a huge downer, just like the review here says — back pain if you sit in that driver’s seat for a good 15 odd mins.

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

How are you coping with the lack of lumbar support in Civic? I felt that was a huge downer, just like the review here says — back pain if you sit in that driver’s seat for a good 15 odd mins.

This was the first somewhat long drive that I took, and yes after driving for around an hour, I did feel that the lumber support could have been better. However, it remained at the level of slight discomfort, but not back pain..

There are several contoured lumbar support pillows available for the car, you could try one of them to see and attach them to the driver's seat to see if that helps

[kauphylover]

I recently did a 12hr drive. The lack of lumbar support didn't bother me.

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by kauphylover

I recently did a 12hr drive. The lack of lumbar support didn't bother me.

What kind of mileage did you get?

[Atul Parashar]

Originally Posted by ssenhyd

Did a 65 KM short drive this weekend (total 130 KM round trip door to door). Got a fuel economy of 16.8 KM/L as per the instrument panel!

Totally agree with your efficiency figures. Civic (Petrol CVT) invariably manages above 17 KMPL on highway runs if you maintain speeds around 85-90 Kms/hr. My highway travels are usually Chandigarh-Delhi route. Eco mode is usually on with HVAC set at 24 C. Also, I have never faced low back pain issues even with these 5-6 hr drives.

Mod Note - Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Thanks!

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by Atul Parashar

Totally agree with your efficiency figures. Civic (Petrol CVT) invariably manages above 17 KMPL on highway runs if you maintain speeds around 85-90 Kms/hr. .

Thanks for confirming that the FE figure I got was not a one off fluke. Mine is Petrol CVT too

[PB10rider]

Replaced the halogen lamps for Low Beam and Fog Lamps, with HID and LED respectively, on my V-CVT.

For sure the throw of light on road has improved significantly, and ofcourse the aesthetics have improved.

Has anyone changed the High Beam stock lamps? Please advise if they can be changed or should I stick to stock as then there wont be any yellow light for bad weathers. (Though I like white lights personally)

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by PB10rider

Replaced the halogen lamps for Low Beam and Fog Lamps, with HID and LED respectively, on my V-CVT.

Great. I was curious as to if this impacts your Honda warranty coverage..
Did you check?