2000 Honda Civic VTi review from UK and Ireland
"A superb engine in good all round car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Absolutely nothing. It gave faultless reliability over 20,000 miles of hard driving.
General comments?
What an engine! 170 bhp from just 1.8 litres, yet smooth, refined and utterly reliable. It was perfectly tractable and quiet in normal driving, yet provided superb performance and excitement when asked. 0-60 in less than 8 seconds and I've personally seen an indicated 140 mph (on track). In the VTEC zone (5800 - 8500 rpm), more than capable of frightening many supposedly faster cars (as I regularly did!) and what a great noise!
It gripped and handled very well, if not quite up there with the best handlers in it's class (eg 306 GTi), but also had good ride comfort.
It was also comfortable and well equipped with very reasonable running costs given the performance. Only a high insurance group (15) let it down.
My only criticisms would be that just occasionally, you felt the need for more mid-range torque, and secondly, the car was crying out for a sixth gear to calm down it's busy cruising nature (over 4000 rpm at 70 mph!)
Performance, reliability, build quality, practicality- a great all round package. I've regretted selling mine ever since!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 9/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 11000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 31000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 3rd December, 2003 |