1998 Honda Civic 1.4i

Summary:

Ace student motor with tons of potential!

Faults:

Passenger side headlight bulb has needed changing since I got the car.

General Comments:

What a car!

Love the thing to bits, starts first time and always performs when I put my foot down. Raced several other 1.4's eg Astra etc and left them for dead.

Extra kick comes from nowhere when the rev counter reaches around 5000RPM and the sound is lovely!

Go out and get one!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th December, 2006

1998 Honda Civic Illusion 1.4i

Summary:

I'm sticking with Honda

Faults:

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong!

General Comments:

Considering it's a 1.4 litre car, it performs like a car with a much larger engine.

Its 0 to 60 is around 7.5 seconds.

I don't know what its top speed is, but I was very easily able to get 118mph in 4th gear with 500rpm left to go. Taking that into account, it should do over 120mph in 4th gear, and maybe 130mph in 5th gear!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th July, 2006

18th Oct 2006, 09:57

Mine is similar, in that it is a 1998 limited edition Illusion model as well as yours and could easily be mistaken for a 1.6i if not a 1.8i, The reason for this by the way is because the EJ9 Illusion civic is actually a 1.4i Twincam & weighs only around 910kg. The engine output to the wheels is 98.7bhp, but I personally have raced a 1998 110bhp 1.6i Twincam Toyota Corolla G6R which is also a two door sports hatch and my EJ9 Illusion civic had no trouble staying ahead of it! by the way the Illusion can go just over 130mph and I was stupid enough to drive in 4th gear till the redline and got 124mph, but at this point 5th gear will only add about 7 or 8 mph extra to your 124mph!

26th Jul 2007, 00:43

I drove one of these, and as I remember it, they max out in 4th gear. Once you change into 5th, they don't have the torque to pull any faster in that gear, and start to decelerate. My max in 4th was approx 122 mph.

0-60 in 7.5 seconds? That's roughly the same as an Accord Rype R! Believe me, an Accord TR would hand a 1.4 Civic its backside on a plate LOL.

27th Jul 2007, 03:30

I think it's more like 0 - 60 in 11 seconds; where did you get 7.5 from? The 1.6 VTi roughly does it in that time.

14th Aug 2009, 10:09

This sounds all very amusing because I have owned one for 2 years now. They are cheap reliable cars to buy, nothing has gone wrong with mine in 2 years and I love it to bits! But 7.5 seconds?? I know it doesn't do 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, and I also know it does not exceed 115mph; trust me I have tried it many times...

And also the comment about it does not accelerate in 5 gear after 4 has been maxed out is also true; it does start to slow down... Can't believe people can say it can be mistaken for a 1.6 or even 1.8!!! No chance.

29th Aug 2009, 16:56

I have driven Vauxhalls for a lot of years, but got sick of fixing them and always letting me down. I bought my Honda Civic Illusion to see if they are as reliable as most owners swear by.

I must say... it has surprised me, I've owned mine for 3 years now and can vouch for the car and recommend to anyone.

An exceptionally good car for the money, reliable and very quick for a 1.4 engine, will beat any Corsa up to a 1.6 easily.

Honda from now on...

1998 Honda Civic VTI-S 1.6

Summary:

Fast, Reliable Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

I remember being unsure as to whether I should buy this car... but was converted after the test drive. Hit 5500rpm and all hell breaks loose. Hitting 60mph in 2nd gear whilst the car is bouncing off the rev limiter is one of motoring's finer moments.

As for the every day grind, the car hasn't missed a beat, and given that the VTI-S was a dealership special, it came with air con and a sunroof as standard, all the better to hear the VTEC howl.

As a cheap, second hand hot hatch, the car has been unbeatable, and having used it for the occasional track day at Donnington Park my respect for the car gets ever higher. It's so easy to control the car on the limit (using Toyo Proxes T1-R tyres) and yet when you need it to, it will do the Tesco shopping run with ease and still return 30mpg in the urban cycle.

The only modifications to the car have been a K & N air filter and a Recaro Seat (the original driver's seat was awful, and it's good to see that the current Civic Type R is now fitted with Recaros).

Age may wither her, but I plan on keeping the car, buying the newer Civic Type R, and using the VTI as a trackday car. Long live Honda. Long live VTEC.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st May, 2006

3rd Mar 2007, 02:39

Just as an update to the previous review, my car is now coming up to 9 years old and is about to be booked into the local garage for a new front engine mount and rear suspension bushes. All in all not bad as the only issues in such a long time of motoring.

Honda, I salute you...

6th Jul 2008, 05:20

Further update: car still running faultlessly, and the engine is still more than willing to bounce off the red line.

I'm thinking of upgrading to a turbo charged car next (perhaps a GTI or a VXR) but the little Honda just keeps on going...

6th Jul 2008, 15:22

Get a VXR, you'll never look back, I didn't.

7th Jul 2008, 17:17

And I've had a VXR for 2 years and never missed a beat. No doubt you had an old Carlton or Vectra and are judging a VXR by their low standards.

p.s. I came from a Type R and they're not as reliable as you Honda boys make out; in 3 years a wheel bearing went, cable going to the clutch got a hole in it, and a spark plug went; still loved it though.