Honda Civic Hatch - 2009 Facelift?

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FarligOpptreden

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So, last week I became the lucky owner of a brand new Honda Civic Hatch VXI Automatic. First of all, I wasn't even aware that the auto was sold in SA and, second of all, it was fitted with park-distance control and a USB port! :eek: It also has a slightly different front grill and rear bumper, compared to the 2006/2007 models.

So, is this a minor facelift introduced to the Hatch, seeing as the Sedan also got a minor facelift last month? Has anyone got any info wrt the difference in model specification based on the pre- and post-facelift models? I'm just interested to know what's been added since last year.
 
Every subsequent year models there are minor and incremental improvements. I don't own a civic but this is based on my pass experience with Hondas.
 
I cant answer your question but my comment is that all cars undergo a facelift, basically a freshening up of the cars appearance. Reason 1 is that it costs less to improve on the initial design instead of a totally new design, and reason 2, IMO is that it gets the vehicle in the press again and its advertising for the manufacturer and that particular model of car.
 
Well, a less than overwhelming response. Thanks anyway guys.

I'm still interested to know exactly what the changes to the 2009 facelift encompass. Seeing as my in-laws are at the point of signing a contract for one as well (the manual), it would be interesting comparing the VXI manual with the VXI auto this weekend to see which changes were introduced with the auto last month.
 
I'd say the civic is over priced for the VXi due to the price increases. The vxi sedan has gone up R40,000 in price since end of 2007.

last quarter 2007 - R199,000 <-Fair Value
first quarter 2009 - R239,900 <-Not worth it.

For what you get, I would never pay todays price. There must be something else that's better value?
 
andytl5 said:
I'd say the civic is over priced for the VXi due to the price increases. The vxi sedan has gone up R40,000 in price since end of 2007.

last quarter 2007 - R199,000 <-Fair Value
first quarter 2009 - R239,900 <-Not worth it.

For what you get, I would never pay todays price. There must be something else that's better value?
Click to expand...

Wow, R239k. That puts it at about the same price as a Toyota Corolla 1.8 Exclusive (R240k) and we all know that most South Africans would rather buy Toyota than Honda when price is the same (and often when it isn't).

Not a good move by Honda.
 
/grabs Honda-shield

The Civic Hatch VXI is IMHO very good value for money when compared to similar spec'ed vehicles. Granted, the price is pretty high (R249k for the manual), but you get a well-equipped car for the money. It feels a bit unfair that the prices were increased during January and that they AGAIN went up today (hope it's an April-fools joke :p), but I see it is a nation-wide trend amongst all dealerships and not unique to Honda only.

The build of the Civic quality is outstanding and exudes a very up-market feel. Unfortunately the brand-snobs often overlook Honda as "just another Jap car-brand" and place them in the same category as Toyota and Mazda, which I feel is unfair. To me, Honda compares to Toyota in the same way Volkswagen compares to Audi...

The Honda Civic was justly awarded the "Best Buy" in the sub-compact segment according to CAR magazine during March. It is an outstanding vehicle.
 
FarligOpptreden said:
/grabs Honda-shield

The Civic Hatch VXI is IMHO very good value for money when compared to similar spec'ed vehicles. Granted, the price is pretty high (R249k for the manual), but you get a well-equipped car for the money. It feels a bit unfair that the prices were increased during January and that they AGAIN went up today (hope it's an April-fools joke :p), but I see it is a nation-wide trend amongst all dealerships and not unique to Honda only.

The build of the Civic quality is outstanding and exudes a very up-market feel. Unfortunately the brand-snobs often overlook Honda as "just another Jap car-brand" and place them in the same category as Toyota and Mazda, which I feel is unfair. To me, Honda compares to Toyota in the same way Volkswagen compares to Audi...

The Honda Civic was justly awarded the "Best Buy" in the sub-compact segment according to CAR magazine during March. It is an outstanding vehicle.
Click to expand...

I agree about Honda quality. I own a 2006 Honda Civic hatch which I bought for R204k. As much as I like Honda, there's no way I would buy the same car at today's prices.
 
I also have a 2007 Civic but theres no way i will pay todays price for that car.

@FarligOpptreden would you mind taking some pics and putting it in the photo section so we can see the upgrades ?
 
SlinkyMike said:
Always found the look very futuristic but very cool too:)
Question: how fast are those cars?
Click to expand...

Honda claims a top speed of 205km/h, but I've never gone anywhere near that speed in the car. Generally, it's a lively car to drive when the revs are above 3500 rpm, but if you're looking to dice or try and impress people with your car's performance then this is not the car for you. If you want decent performance with excellent fuel economy then the Civic is a winner.
 
The Civic 1.8 manual does 0-100 in 8.9-9sec. Which is good for a 1.8 petrol. Max torque is at around 3500-4000revs and max power is at 6500-7000revs. You do have to give it the beans if you need some speed, changing down is a must for overtaking, but that's the nature of this vtec engine. E.g 2nd gear goes to 80-85km/h
 
Wow, sorry for not replying in this thread guys. I'm usually busy in the Software Development and Gaming sections, since I'm a geek... :p

Anyway I got a pretty good deal on the Civic Hatch at Honda Midrand after finding out I was royally screwed over by McCarthy Toyota. I decided to trade my Toyota in for the Civic. I recently found out that the front-grill and rear-bumper changes are specific to the auto model and there was no face-lift introduced to the Hatch this year. The auto was introduced in SA during March '09... :)

Regarding the speed / power of the car, I must say I jump somewhere between impressed and dissatisfied, depending on the driving situation. For normal commuting purposes, it's a definite winner - overtaking speed is more than enough and it can keep up with the flow of traffic with ease. It might be the fact that it's the auto-box, but sometimes it feels a bit underpowered when I need a specific burst of speed. That's the nature of autos I guess... :p

The manual has 6 gears, while the auto just has 5. You can "emulate" a manual box in the auto by changing between the provided 1st, 2nd and "auto 3rd" gears using the shift-stick. According to the owner's manual, the auto can accelerate to the following speeds in these gears:
- 1st: 60km/h
- 2nd: 125km/h
- 3rd: 156km/h

I decided to take the auto because I sit in traffic pretty much every single weekday, so I opted for comfort this time around. The auto also comes with rear park-distance sensors, which the manual doesn't offer. The auto also has the slightly different front-grill and rear-bumper which gives the car a slightly more "classy" look compared to the other Hatch models available. Besides all of those reasons, I got a nice deal from the Honda Midrand guys which just sealed the deal.
 
manuals in traffic can really get to your heels or balls of the feet! sounds like a good choice.
 
Yeah, I also have the "added benefit" of a slightly flat left foot, so prolonged "clutching" with the foot sometimes created excruciating pain. So the auto really was the best choice... :)

EDIT: OH! Another thing I forgot to mention is the sexy new 17" alloys the auto comes out with. I like it a lot more than the standard rims the Civic Hatch comes with. It's apparently also specific to the auto version... :p
 
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*BUMP*

So, I discovered that the Civic Hatch Auto is in line with the Australian-spec Civic SI which was released in March down under. It has the same body and about 90% of the same spec. Updates from the manual include:
- Automatic gearbox (obviously)
- Different front-grill
- Different rear-bumper
- Different style 17" alloys
- Rear park-distance sensors
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Automatic headlights
- Tyre-deflation warning system
- USB, Aux-input and 12V power outlet in console box
- Carbon-fiber-look trim on the dash around the driver's side (sourced from the Type-R)

Since my brother-in-law got a new Civic Hatch manual this weekend I'll try and spot more differences in the versions.

All-in-all, I must say that the updated spec in the VXI Auto is well worth the R13k above the manual derivative of the VXI Manual.

EDIT: Here's a pic of what the VXI Auto looks like. You can see the updated front-grill and alloys in the photo. This is also exactly the same color as my Civic. :p

http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/car-images/honda-civic-hatch-1-big.jpg
 
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I should think so to with the price of it, they needed to increase the trim/spec level

I think for resale your better off with the sedan. There are a lot more of those around. Each to their own, and nevertheless you will enjoy this car.
 
I am enjoying it! I specifically opted for the Hatch, based on its youthful appearance. I'm just not ready for a "toppie" car (again, anyway :p)...
 
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