It's funny to hear these complaints because I've never experienced these bad things in real life. I have no idea what a slipping clutch feels like or what it's like to have a car stall when it stops, so I have no problem getting used to the CVT and auto-stop. And my old car would get up to 6000 rpm before shifting when accelerating quickly, whereas this car won't touch 4000, so the engine isn't even loud compared to what I'm used to.

 

Note the word "Ford".

 

Ah, the slipping clutch! That was probably the moment when I realized there are really only two diferent kinds of repair on a BMW that's out of warranty: a $600 repair, and a $2500 repair.

As I recall, the slipping clutch was in the $600 camp.

 

Actually it does have this. The illumination just isn't very bright.


I wish it had the fold down rear seat and a sun roof. Hatchback would have been preferred for me, but I understand that they aren't popular in the U.S. as a whole.

 

After my first two days with my HCH these are the things that I would have liked. Several are the same as others.

1. XM standard -- the labor involved in adding it to the HCH is ridiculous (they have to remove all of the trim between the dash and the trunk of the car including the rear seat!).

2. Bluetooth -- cellphone integration

3. Real colors -- either of the std sedan dark blues, a red, and a black would have been nice. The lack of compelling colors was my biggest regret.

4. Auto headlights -- after coming from a string of cars with this feature, I miss it.

5. Official Honda Accessory alternative wheels -- I like the factory wheels, but would have liked to have a couple of more sporty options.

6. Leather interior

7. A sunroof

I probably would have bought a manual if it were available as well, but I do like the CVT.

Terry

 

Interestingly, I believe that Honda avoids automated features like auto-headlights, power seats, etc.... because it is more to go wrong in the car. My parents owned a late 90's pontiac Bonneville that was the perfect example of this....... 12 way power seats, heads up display, auto headlights, etc......... and very few things worked correctly after about 5 years.


Honda keeps it simple, and has extremely high dependability because of it. I was actually a bit dissapointed that the 06 has climate control... I prefer manual control, but understand the benefits with a hybrid.

 

But the Accord (high end) has most of those features.... and it is very reliable isn't it?

 

Guess I haven't driven the new accord.... and I'm speaking more historically. Maybe they are starting to add more bell's and wistle's?

 

Civics, historically have been Honda's entry level car, so it was offered as a basic package with no bells and whistles and up to quite a few options in the higher trim models. The HCH has quite a few options standard because as a package it's easier to justify the vehicle's higher price with more 'included' options. Toyota did the same thing with the Prius when it came out.

 

Vehicle Stability Control, Xenons, Homelink, Bluetooth, Rear View Camera, Better use of the NAV for monitoring Fuel Efficiency, much Better iPod integration - In short everything that you get standard on a Prius Package #6.