I think it was Edmunds that was hosting a live chat with engineers who developed the new Civic. That of course is akin to a discussion regarding the finer of taste library paste......... :D :rolleyes:

Edited August 31, 200519 yr by SoCalCTS

Ugh. The interior is weird as hell. The SI actually looks boring in these shots compared to the Cobalt SS/SC. The front end is the only barely appealing part of the car, imo.

If it wasn't for that interior... I'd be all over buying the Si. Too bad, I guess.

Other than the 2 spoke wheel, I actually like the interior.

What a dorky spoiler. Seriously, Honda. Did Mr. Opportunity draw that out?

The shape is like those cars we were promised in Back To The Future II. 

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You mean 5.0L. Mustangs with lots of bulbous, grey cladding? :D This was the only pic I could find, and it isn't a good one, but I distinctly remember that car being covered in lots of primer-gray cladding. Or maybe it was an old BMW 3-Series... I haven't seen it for a while:




Anyway, back to the Civic: Here's what Edmunds had to say about the interior:

The interior is where our over-the-top enthusiasm for the Si wanes a little.

...Honda chose to divide up the gauges, leaving the traditional analog tachometer in the traditional location, viewed through the steering wheel, and placing a digital speedometer and digital gas and temperature gauges up at the base of the windshield. Honda calls it a two-tier instrument panel and says the design places the speedometer up high in the driver's field of vision.

We think it looks kind of silly, but our problem with it isn't purely aesthetic. In our preferred seating position, which is different for everyone, the rim of the steering wheel completely blocked the upper-tier gauges from view. Uh, hello?

Hello, indeed! I can't believe they'd do something so stupid! My car has digital gauges too, but at least Ford had the sense to put the speedometer in big freakin' letters right in the middle of the screen! Unless you can gauge your speed by checking the tach, I think quite a few people will be straining to see the speedo in their new Civic Si.

Edited September 1, 200519 yr by Petra

You mean 5.0L. Mustangs with lots of bulbous, grey cladding? :D This was the only pic I could find, and it isn't a good one, but I distinctly remember that car being covered in lots of primer-gray cladding. Or maybe it was an old BMW 3-Series... I haven't seen it for a while:


Anyway, back to the Civic: Here's what Edmunds had to say about the interior:
Hello, indeed! I can't believe they'd do something so stupid! My car has digital gauges too, but at least Ford had the sense to put the speedometer in big freakin' letters right in the middle of the screen! Unless you can gauge your speed by checking the tach, I think quite a few people will be straining to see the speedo in their new Civic Si.

[post="7443"][/post]

at 2300rpms in overdrive my car is going about 55mph. at 6000rpm in 1st gear my car is going about 35 :P

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...cleId=107050#19

"Suddenly, the Acura RSX Type-S is horribly overpriced."

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2166538&page=1

Edited September 1, 200519 yr by toyoguy

Excuse me, but what the hell is up with that interior? It isn't symmetrical or attractively divided in any way, shape, or form. NONE of the HVAC vents match up. No, never to this. When I first saw exterior pictures (coupe) I didn't think that it would be that bad. But the interior, ugh.

I love it... but then of course, I like the ION, too. This, however, will probably be good to drive.

I think I changed my mind on this car. At first I thought the Si was going to be a must-have performance bargain. Now I think it's messed up. When Honda tries too hard to be different, they usually botch it.

Here are some more pics:

Something just isn't right with the exterior. The lack of surface excitement is almost to the point of austerity. It tries so hard to be different, but comes across as cheap, bland, and plasticky looking. The taillamp design featured on the sedan is simply awful, and something about the ill-proportioned greenhouse/hood design isn't sitting right with me.

I truly thought I'd like this but it gets a huge thumbs down from me at this point.

Its just allright.. regardless I'm sure its a quality piece, will get very good fuel economy and will sell tonnes. The dash is too weird for my liking. Most economy car dashes are too plain "le ts try to look like what midsize cars looked like 5 years ago" for my liking except the Mazda3. The civic is just huh?

Edited September 1, 200519 yr by frogger

Its just allright.. regardless I'm sure its a quality piece, will get very good fuel economy and will sell tonnes.  The dash is too weird for my liking.  Most economy car dashes are too plain "le ts try to look like what midsize cars looked like 5 years ago" for my liking except the Mazda3. The civic is just huh?

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if the hood was a bit longer its porportions would be very nice.

The ass on that sedan is horribly flat.

It looks better already. :P

Saturn Ion Quad-Coupe, meet Honda Civic. Honda Civic, meet Ion Quad-Coupe... Seriously, I get this serious Saturn Ion Coupe vibe from the front of the new Civic. Its officially the worst-looking compact on the road.

How can you possibly make an ION worse? Honda? Seriously, again, what a freakin' horrible spoiler. And a front quarter window? How about designing the car correctly in the first place. Idiots.

What a bloated piece of crap. If I were a Civic enthusiast I'd have lost it by now.

What's with the chunk of plastic they slapped on the side of the sedan?

The Civic is terribly proportioned. As TRC said, the hood is too short which makes it look really weird.

Look at this pic for example. The decklid looks nearly as long as the hood.

I wouldn't say its terribly proportioned... just differently. Eventually many cars will share it, and we'll get used to it, in the same way cars of the 80's had vertical greenhouses, small wheels, and long trunklids. I'm sure there's reasoning behind it... long hood, short decklid cars with beltlines that lower to the rear wheels usually suggest brute force and muscle, constant acceleration, like it's shooting forward...



... while short hood, long decklid cars with beltlines that lower to the front wheels suggest hunkered down, mid-engined nippiness...



Many find the G6's proportions awkward because its different... perhaps the bodywork doesn't match the proportions.

It may look strange, but the future isn't supposed to necessarily look familar.... in an era of $3+/gal gas in the US, this may be the right car at the right time...

Wow...I just noticed those nasty rims on that particular Civic in Viper's post. It's probably the hybrid but why the disgusting rims? My final judgements. The exterior of the coupe looks fine, it's not bad. The exterior of the sedan is horrible. The interior is disgusting across the board.

Well, the proportions don't bother me much and I like the spoiler. Overall, the exterior looks good on the coupe. Bimmer... I believe they are picking up were Pontiac left off with cladding! Now watch it get praised for it because it... what? ..hold on... uh... gives more protection from door dings than smaller strips? Sure, sounds good. I bet it looks good, too. :rolleyes:

I'd say look forward to seeing more similar strips. The new Passat has it in chrome, as does the Sixteen concept. Door molding is moving lower and lower, probably so that it doesn't bisect the car into two.

Wow...I just noticed those nasty rims on that particular Civic in Viper's post.  It's probably the hybrid but why the disgusting rims?

Allegedly those rims are more aerodynamic, helping reduce drag along the side of the car as the air goes over the rims. AKA, we designed a crappy rim, but want to use it and justify it in a way that will get us even more praise for "attention to detail."

Allegedly those rims are more aerodynamic, helping reduce drag along the side of the car as the air goes over the rims. AKA, we designed a crappy rim, but want to use it and justify it in a way that will get us even more praise for "attention to detail."

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They look like the Insight's.

Honda sure has a talent for designing a goud up car that has not ONE unique or distinctive feature. They should all this thing frankenstein since it's just a randomly assembled collection of parts off of a Seabring, Accord, Solara, Audi A4 & SAturn Ion.