Faults:

Various minor (but annoying problems) :

Noisy brakes

'Squeaking' clutch release mechanism

Poor gear change (weak synchromesh on 5th gear)

Various interior trim rattles (drivers' door, behind the instrument cluster and from behind the radio)

Sticking wind deflector on sunroof (sticking in the down position)

Variable idle speed (on occasion it would try and idle at 300-400rpm, fail dismally, cough splutter and then return to a more sensible idle speed)

General Comments:

In general this has been a very disappointing car to own and spent more time off the road having problems attended to in 9 months than any previous car I have owned in 9 years.

In particular the gearbox could only be described as ‘horrible’, the quality of gear change being directly related to temperature. In temperatures of <10C it needed a good 30 – 45 minutes of driving to get the gearbox warm enough to be able to engage all gears cleanly.

The interior plastics seem to be very susceptible to damage and quickly start to look rather ‘worn’.

Fuel economy was OK around town, (average 40-42 mpg) but rather disappointing on long (faster) motorway journeys. (anywhere from 38mpg to low 40’s)

Road, engine and wind noise are all higher than the average for the class of car (this was not apparent on the test drive as it was raining heavily and blowing a gale!), and the engine which needs to be worked hard if you want any kind of performance is not very refined when you do.

Given the reputation that Honda has for quality I can’t say that this car lived up to expectations. I’m prepared to accept that I was unlucky (and this car was built on a Friday), but I’m not going to buy another Honda to find out!

Faults:

When pulling out onto a main road in the morning, car loses all power. It's like taking off in 5th gear for 3 or 4 seconds which can be very dangerous.

Rolls quite a lot.

Extremely under powered. Similar 1.4 petrol models have a great deal more power.

General Comments:

Dealer has told us that the problem with early morning sluggishness is due to 2005 emissions restrictions and that there is nothing they can do. They have suggested we over rev the car to compensate. Sounds like a old 1982 Fiesta I had.

Faults:

Tape player jammed when the car was 2 months old.

Glove box hinge broke after 8 months.

Dash board plastics started to look worn after only 2 months.

General Comments:

The performance is very good for a 1.6 however 1st gear is very low compared to other similar cars I have driven.

The clutch pedal is very light to use and the dash mounted gear lever is comfortable and smooth.

The Dealer's response was very poor when I had a problem with the cassette player. They initially said that the faulty unit had to be removed from the car and sent away which would have left me with a hole in the dashboard for 3 weeks. The Salesman even claimed that he would be fined £1,000 by Honda if the garage exchanged the radio! I contacted other Honda dealers who said that this was untrue and that they would order a new unit from Honda and exchange it for the faulty one. In the end I contacted Honda UK who arranged for a replacement unit and compensated me by offering a separate CD player for £100.

There is only one rear ashtray, which is door mounted, if there a 2 smokers in the rear they have to hold the ashtray between them. Surely it wouldn't cost very much for an extra rear ashtray to be fitted.

Also the supplying dealer does not supply a courtesy car when my car is in for service or repair.

Faults:

Rear Door Window Seal came loose. Dealer replaced it straight away under the warranty.

General Comments:

A very good family car. We have just come back from holiday having covered 1000 miles and it was a joy to drive.