2008 Civic changes
I can't speak for others, but I know when I got to seriously considering a TCH, I walked away from the test drive thinking... "I find it highly unlikely that I will own a Toyota at least until I'm in my 60's."
The thing floated like my daddy's cadillac - a living room on wheels.
My HCH is no sports car; but it sure is much, much, much better connected to the road that the TCH...
The thing floated like my daddy's cadillac - a living room on wheels.
My HCH is no sports car; but it sure is much, much, much better connected to the road that the TCH...
I like the dash better in the Honda. I like the more nimble feel of the Honda. I like the looks of the Honda better. The gas mileage in my Honda was better, but not that much. Of course, my HCH was about $10,000 cheaper than my TCH, and though the Camry feels much more luxurious, I'd rather have less money in a depreciating automobile.
I do like Toyota's hybrid system better, trunk pass through fold down rear seat(though limited), and push button start and one-touch door unlock.
All that said, even though the Camry has 3 inches more hip room and 5 inches more shoulder room in the back(we have a child car seat in the middle), I wouldn't have traded if Honda offered stability control in the HCH. I bought the Honda thinking I could overcome my need for stability control with a change to better ice gripping tires. They helped some, but an icy road one night showed me that they weren't enough.
I do like Toyota's hybrid system better, trunk pass through fold down rear seat(though limited), and push button start and one-touch door unlock.
All that said, even though the Camry has 3 inches more hip room and 5 inches more shoulder room in the back(we have a child car seat in the middle), I wouldn't have traded if Honda offered stability control in the HCH. I bought the Honda thinking I could overcome my need for stability control with a change to better ice gripping tires. They helped some, but an icy road one night showed me that they weren't enough.
I like the dash better in the Honda. I like the more nimble feel of the Honda. I like the looks of the Honda better. The gas mileage in my Honda was better, but not that much. Of course, my HCH was about $10,000 cheaper than my TCH, and though the Camry feels much more luxurious, I'd rather have less money in a depreciating automobile.
I do like Toyota's hybrid system better, trunk pass through fold down rear seat(though limited), and push button start and one-touch door unlock.
All that said, even though the Camry has 3 inches more hip room and 5 inches more shoulder room in the back(we have a child car seat in the middle), I wouldn't have traded if Honda offered stability control in the HCH. I bought the Honda thinking I could overcome my need for stability control with a change to better ice gripping tires. They helped some, but an icy road one night showed me that they weren't enough.
I do like Toyota's hybrid system better, trunk pass through fold down rear seat(though limited), and push button start and one-touch door unlock.
All that said, even though the Camry has 3 inches more hip room and 5 inches more shoulder room in the back(we have a child car seat in the middle), I wouldn't have traded if Honda offered stability control in the HCH. I bought the Honda thinking I could overcome my need for stability control with a change to better ice gripping tires. They helped some, but an icy road one night showed me that they weren't enough.
I went with Goodyear Triple Treads, which performed very well(and most importantly they look so nice). I still have the wheels/tires, rubber floor mats, and splash guards and they're for sale if you're interested.
I have a funny feeling that leather will not be offered (at least for 2008) in the Civic Hybrid. A leather equipped 2008 EX will likely have an MSRP higher than a 2007 Hybrid! I think that the market can only bear so much.... Don't get me wrong I think that my personal vehicle is a great value; I would even go as far as to say that if it had been offered with a factory installed leather option for around $1000, I likely would have taken advantage of it (all of the other vehicles I have owned in the last 6 or 7 years have been leather equipped). But the average consumer does not think of the Civic as a luxury automobile....
I checked it out before I posted. I felt that the HYBRID model would not be offered with leather. The Civic EX-L with and without Navi will definitely be available. I feel the Civic Hybrid will not. At this point it's all speculation though... I have no facts to support my guess; therefore I could very well be completely wrong. We'll know soon enough.
If your referring to the squirrel feeling on the highway and over passes, and the hard leans on corners or off ramps... then if your adventures enough switch out your suspension for the SI suspension. Makes the car much more stable with minimal ride quality difference. Its a easy switch.
Electronic stability control has no effect on how one's car leans on turns. It effectively prevents a car from over steer or under steer...that tendency a car has to slide sideways on an icy or rain and oil slick highway, or to fishtail and spin when it's slippery or if a driver has over-corrected at speed. It weighs very little, involving just sensors and a control box, and using the existing brakes to do it's work.
It's been called the most important safety innovation since seat belts. Toyota makes it standard in the Prius and TCH. Why can't Honda?
It's been called the most important safety innovation since seat belts. Toyota makes it standard in the Prius and TCH. Why can't Honda?



