Honda Cars

Inasmuch as I want to adore the new 2007 sedan lineup of Honda – which include the Civic and the City – for the mass consumer, I just cannot do so. Why not, you ask? Because underneath their new looks, they’re essentially the same innards as past Honda models – and in some cases, they don’t even do them justice.

Allow me to begin with the 2007 Civic – it has three engine ranges (1.5, 1.8, and 2.0) and with higher-value models for the elite consumer in the works (which are probably out now by this writing). The thing is, sure they look prettier than past iterations – the curves are the in thing nowadays, and the overall design screams just right to warrant a look. But specs-wise, the 2007 Civic is just a repackaged Honda Civic SIR which came out almost a decade ago. As a matter of fact the SIR – which had an engine range of 2.0 – was discontinued as it received high casualty reports (it was way too fast for the mass consumer). But now, the 2007 Civic returns with the same engine rating and VTEC organs, making it underwhelming as a touted new release. The 2002 Civic RS had more class than this, and that was using a retooled VTEC engine at that.

As for the City, it’s just plain abysmal. Still rated at low speeds, it’s definitely more affordable but, as the moniker goes, you get what you pay for. By comparison the Toyota Vios has more character and a better engine spec. Yes, you heard me – the 2007 City is just downright ugly. I expected that when a car goes through the annual drawing board it comes out better than the previous model – this isn’t the case here. It’s more like a step back, in my humble opinion.

If you’re shopping for a new car and prefer Honda, you’re better off getting a secondhand 1999 SIR or a 1997 Civic and spend the rest fixing up its exterior. It’s more affordable than getting a brand new one that’s essentially the same thing inside.

Interior shots of the impressive Type R

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 at 10:29 pm and is filed under Car Reviews, Honda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.