Honda Civic Hatch 1.5T - 1year update

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Today is 365th day of my ownership of 2017 Civic Hatchback. 365days - 1yr - 16,000mi on the clock! figured it's a good opportunity to share my experience with this car for those out there that are currently in the market for a sedan.

Car was purchased brand new and had roughly 20mi on the clock (with around 5-8 that I've put during the test drive). Car was pre-ordered since I opted for a manual transmission (never was a fan of CVT and never will be I guess) and was supposed to arrive in April. Sales guys called me early in Feb and told that they got one with the color I wanted (polished metal metallic) but with black/biege interior (LX trim). Since I didn't care much for the fabric material Honda used in these generation of Civic (fabric is horrendous, total junk) I opted for leather upholstery by Katzkin. Two days later in the dealership signing the check and here I am driving it home.

1. Engine/transmission. Perfect combo. Engine has plenty of power and torque which paired with manual trans is really, really fun to drive. Clutch is super soft and transmission is easy to operate. Car is completely stock with the exception of oil catch can installed at around 4k.
2. Gas consumption - I've been tracking all fill-ups and based on fuelly app my average in 16K mi is 37.1 - can't ask for me. And I'm not babying it at all.
3. Interior - comfortable and very solid interior. No rattles and quite enough. Basic radio with dial knobs that works perfect for me. Katzkin leather is super soft and comfortable and held up very well.
4. Exterior - the looks are subjective but I find it very attractive. I finally did full paint correction and ceramic coated the car so I think it looks awesome.
5. Reliability - car has been back to the dealership once for recall work. That's it. 3 oil changes done by myself. No issues whatsoever.

I can continue talking about the car but I'll just wrap it up - I love it and it gives me smiles every time I get behind the steering wheel. Hope this helps someone out there trying to make a choice. Few pictures are a must. Cheers



 
thanks
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30+ hrs in compounding/polishing/prepping/coating
 
Thanks for taking the time to provide a one year review, looks like a really nice engineered and built ride.
 
Yes, a very nice daily driver especially in the LX w/manual tranny.

Just for curiosity(not sarcasm), is your MPG(37 mpg) based on the vehicle's computer(dash reading) or with your own calculated measurement after each fillup?

^^^The reason I ask(curiosity) about MPG is because, most of the people I know claiming to be getting great MPG(and Civic's do very well indeed) in their vehicles, are only looking at the dash screen(even after clearing at fillups). Until I tell them to measure the MPG after filling with gas and calculating their MPG with a calculator(handheld or phone calc). Every car that I've owned with an MPG dash reading, always show about 2-3 MPG higher that my hard calculated reading.

Even most of the Youtube reviewers only take the dash reading. And those who do a hard reading like I do get similar results as I do.
 
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Totally agree - I can't ask for a better daily driver for the money I've paid!

As far as the mpg goes - it's manually calculated (miles driven/gallons put in the tank). I always fill up full tank so it's easy to calculate (plus phone app does it for me lol).

Honda computer doesn't do a very good job in calculating average - it usually is 2-3mpg off of what I really get. Same thing in my pilot.

The best mpg i was able to get (real world mpg) was around 40miles to a gallon - 100% highway at 70-75mph. Even 37 is pretty good I think. The only "cons" is a tiny tank - I can't get more than 10gal in it a fillup. I wish it was a bit bigger.
 
Thanks for the link! yeah, I've seen this review when I was shopping for a car. I guess, I've seen every single one review on this car that was available on youtube at that time! LOL
 
I really like the Civic LX Sedan 2.0L w/CVT. I do like CVT's even in my Altima. I'm not an aggressive driver but when I need to be aggressive, I still can!
My only concern with any CVT's is their reliability(in any brand) but, so far, so good!
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I understand that Toyota CVT's are really reliable and I haven't heard anything bad about Subaru CVT's yet.
 
Yes, this hatchback is made in the UK.

I'm not to crazy about the ugly wheels and fake scoops on front and rear bumpers. This car would look great with the 2017 Accord Sport wheels.

How much did you pay for your Civic ?
I might buy one later this year.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Is that make in the U.K.? Thought I read Civic hatches are made in Europe.


Just looked up my own question. The current generation Civic hatchbacks are made in the United Kingdom.
The first letter on the VIN# starts with an S on UK made vehicles.
 
Like i mentioned before, car looks are very subjective. Wheels look OK to me but I'm not crazy over them either.

I paid 20.7 OTD, roughly 2k below MSRP, that was as good of a deal as I was able to find.
 
yes, they are assembled in UK. although engine is built in india and transmission in thailand. and then everything shipped to US! what a mess lol
 
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you did well opting for the leather. I got my daughter the Civic coupe in my sig and it has the light grey interior. Worst interior ive ever owned. Shows dirt like crazy and any water spots are hard to get out, have to clean the entire seat not just where the spot is.
overall a very nice car
 
I really like the leather,was the Katzkin leather a special order,or is it a Honda oem option? I know of alot of 300ZX owners who redo their worn leather with Katzkin. I really like those Honda oem wheels too,I think they look great,especially the black accents on them.
 
Being as OCD as i am about spotless interior this would drive me nuts. With that in mind i swallowed that extra i had to pay and don’t regret a single dollar paid. And shame on honda for using so poor quality fabric
 
Katzkin installs interiors for pretty much all makes and models.any type of leather, any color scheme. Good quality leather actually, holding up really well (granted i’m taking care of it of course).
 
Parshisa, you are still the only owner of a Honda 1.5T UOA I’ve seen that didn’t show high levels of fuel dilution.

As you may be aware, there’s quite a bit of complaining from 1.5T owners in cold weather climates here and in China about rising sump levels, triggered CELs, stalls, and at least one engine replacement from this phenomenon. Owners in China have made life miserable for Honda, blockading dealers and the like and forcing Honda to react. Honda in China issued its response today, which said (as far as I can figure given the translation):

1) Fuel is introduced into the engine oil by slipping past the piston rings
2) In normal operation, sump temperatures volatize this fuel and it’s then burned in combustion (via PCV, one assumes)
3) If oil level gets more than 21mm above the full mark on the dipstick a CEL may be triggered
4) Honda has found no engine damage occurs from this phenomenon. In China at least.
5) An ECU reprogram will be performed, but the effect of this is seemingly (tranlsation?) limited to making the engine warm up faster so volatilization can occur.

All well and good, but:

1) It doesn’t deal with the root cause of fuel dilution, so fuel will continue to enter the sump in some abundance
2) It ignores the permanent damage fuel can do to engine oil even if it volatiles
3) It ignores the rather large % of gasoline that will not volatilze at typical sump temps
4) Honda is essentially acknowledging significant fuel dilution is a normal characteristic of this engine

In other words, a typical Honda response to a problem. Until a class-action lawsuit at least.

You don’t seem to have the problem, whether from being lucky with manufacturing tolerances, break-in, driving style, country of manufacture, fuel grade choice, etc. But at least you know as long as your sump level isn’t more than 21mm above full, you’re golden.
 
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