1998 Honda Civic Illusion from UK and Ireland - Comments

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

Hey, I also own a Civic Illusion 1.4 and I have to say it is a very fast car for the size of its engine. I've had mine at just over 115mph in 4th gear, and then by changing to 5th it did start to slow a bit. Not to sure on my 0-60, but I do beat most other 1.4's on the road, plus 1.6's eg. Fiesta Zetec Ss/Saxo & C2 VTR/VTSs and a lot more.

Mines has been slightly modified.. so far - clim-air wind deflectors/5 spoke bk's/90mm down on jamex coilovers, and bits here and there. Can't remember what make my exhaust is, but it's an OK make, sounds really loud, but not raspy like some euro rubbish LOL. Sounds powerful.

Soon to get my windows tinted, K&N air intake, Mugen lip kit, and hopefully a... B16!!! Woohoo LOL.

BTW my Civic is 108357 miles and still pulling like it was brand new.

My M.O.T. failed on, C.V. boot, and a cracked spring, cost me £18 for C.V. boot, and I was getting coilovers anyway so fitted them and now it's sweet LOL. STAY Japanese! HONDA ALL THE WAY!!!

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...

I have owned one of these for about a year now, and the performance for a 1.4 is very good, it DOES get mistaken for a 1.6 as it's faster than a lot of 1.6's. It beats Fiesta Zetec-S', that's a 1.6 Sport in a lighter car, yet the 1.4 Honda wins... but 0-60 in 7.5 seconds is way off, it's more like 10-11 seconds.

Just to clear doubts up, the ej9 Civic uses the d14a4 non-vtec motor. SOHC, not twin cam, and puts out 89bhp standard.