Honda Civic (2001 – 2005) Review
Honda Civic (2001 – 2005) At A Glance
Roomy and practical interior, tidy looks, refined petrol engines, rear seats fold flat to add to usefulness, well built and reliable.
Not as sporty as a Focus to drive, the 1.6-litre can be too noisy at motorway speeds, potential faults with electric power steering, seems dull compared to the new Civic.
This 2001 Honda Civic may be a world away from its quirky and adventurous replacement, but it does share some similarities. It's just as well built, reliable and well engineered, making the Honda Civic an ideal used car buy that will give you trouble free ownership for many years.
Okay, so it's not the most bold of designs, but it's neat nontheless and three-door Sport models look very much-like the renowned Type-R hot hatch, but without the high running costs. All the engines in the line-up offer reasonable economy too, from the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre VTEC petrols to the 1.7 CTDi diesel.
But perhaps the best area of the Honda Civic is the clever and well-thought out interior. It feels more like a people carrier with plenty of space and some useful family-friendly features. There's plenty of attention to detail too such as the high-placed gear ever right next to the steering wheel which frees up space. There's also plenty of storage and a big boot.
It's unlikely to get your pulse racing, but the Civic is definitely a car you buy with your head. Cheap to run, durable and reliable, it has plenty to recommend it.
Honda Civic 1.4 and 1.6 5-door 2001 Road Test
Reviews for Honda Civic (2001 – 2005)'s top 3 rivals
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Honda Civic (2001 – 2005) handling and engines
So what's it like to drive? The answer is "very Honda Civic". Anyone familiar with the current Japanese model or its predecessors will feel right at home with no nasty surprises. The 1.6 litre VTEC engine is perky; the 1.4 less so, but with the benefit of being virtually inaudible at idling speed.
The gearchange works snappily; better than the floorshifts on some current model German cars and easily on a par with the good shift quality of the Citroen Xsara Picasso. The variable power steering is less successful, robbing the driver of any road feel through the wheel. Ride quality is good; much better than previous Civics. But, though safe, the handling isn't remotely sporty like that of a Focus or Astra. I'd put it in the same league as a VW Golf Mk IV.
On the motorway, the 1.4i did not disgrace itself and actually felt the smoother of the two with less harmonic resonance feeding through to the cabin via the flat floor. Wind and tyre roar was evident, but not to a severe degree. And the low gearing of 20 mph per 1,000 rpm left plenty of punch to get out of danger when cruising at the legal limit.
Spec for spec, prices are reasonable because even the £11,995 1.4iS comes with ABS and air-conditioning as standard. The £12,495 1.6iS is probably the bargain of the range. The mechanical warrantyis an excellent three years or 90,000 miles, whichever comes first. And Honda hasn't made the mistake of extending service intervals to 20,000 miles, though as an owner I'd have my oil changed every 6,000 miles rather than the specified twelve.
The only aspect I felt was slightly lacking is that, unlike almost every other car in the category, including the Citroen Xsara, the body is not electro-galvanized and the no-rust-through body warranty is restricted to six years rather than the 8-12 years of the competition. Not a big worry, though. Just a minor niggle.
Honda reckons the car will sell in double the numbers of the previous Swindon, Japanese and American Civics combined. I see no reason to doubt this. Nor to doubt the company's assertion that in two years time it will be the biggest car manufacturer in Britain.
As far as the Swindon-built three and five door Civics are concerned, it's been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You'll find tests of them all elsewhere on this website: 1.4 and 1.6 five-doors; 1.4, 1.6 and rip snorting 2.0 Type R three-doors are all covered. But the new (in 2003) Civic CTDi is something of a departure for Honda. It's a first attempt at installing a diesel engine.
Basically the same Isuzu unit as previously used in the Cavalier, Astra and early Vectras, it displaces 1,686cc. It has twin camshafts, sixteen valves, common rail direct injection and a variable nozzle turbocharger. That little lot churns out 99bhp at 4,400rpm and 162 lb ft torque at 1,800rpm. Not exactly class-leading. But not weedy either.
On first acquaintance it turns out to be a fairly gruff and rough little diesel; not smooth and refined like the Civic's petrol engines. It's noisy and nothing much happens below 1,500rpm, after which there's a sudden catapult-like surge as the turbo wakes up and the torque piles on. Obviously you soon learn to manage this state of affairs, but you have to concentrate because if you boot it without having dialled in enough revs beforehand nothing happens for a horrible second or two. In that respect it's highly reminiscent of the old Isuzu 1.7 litre turbodiesel in a Vauxhall Cavalier I once smoked about in for a while.
It's quite noisy on the motorway too. You only get 25.7 mph for each 1,000 rpm, so cruising speeds aren't silent, smooth and bang on peak torque - unless, of course, you cruise at around 50mph. But you get used to turning up the radio and blotting out some of the racket.
A and B road handling is so-so. The electric power steering is too light at speed and not very informative, but the front end will grip if you want it to. It just isn't any fun like the Toyota Corolla turned out to be. It is, however, uncannily easy to reverse-park because, even though you can't see exactly where the car starts and ends, your instincts somehow always get it right.
And all the many virtues of the Civic 5-door body remain. It's very roomy and airy inside with lots of places to put things. It has limo like rear legroom. The cabin is walk through from side to side or front to back with no Ford console in the way like the Focus has. There are five proper lap and diagonal seatbelts to hold everyone in place. And, if you ever feel tired, you can quickly and easily recline the front seats completely to turn the inside of the car into two divan beds.
Honda claims 56.5 mpg on the combined cycle, which would be class leading if it was true. I got 44.4 over 242 miles driving at the same speeds as usual. Since ‘Auto Express' only managed 42.7 mpg, against 45.8 mpg from the faster Focus TDCi, I don't think many quicker drivers will manage the Civic's published figure.
Honda Civic (2001 – 2005) interior
Sit inside the new Civic and the first thing that strikes you is its spaciousness. Then you notice that the gearshift lever sprouts from the dash and that there's no 'console' or central tunnel. As a result you can easily slide across to get out of the passenger door. A boon when parked against the kerb on a busy road.
Or you can nip easily between the front seats to attend to children strapped into the back by the three three-point seatbelts. Terrific for young mums. And the front seats will slide forward far enough to recline the seatbacks to horizontal, so that, with the rear seats, they form a bed. There are also loads of places to store oddments, including bottles, but thankfully no hideous pop-out cupholders. Driver's seat and steering wheel are both height-adjustable.
The car comes with driver, passenger and side airbags and is constructed in such a way that Honda is confident of achieving a four star rating in NCAP crash tests, which is another comforting thought.
Model History
January 2001
Good looking, long wheelbase 5-door 'Swindon' Civic hatchback launched at September 2000 Paris Motor Show and sold in UK from January 2001. 14' 1" long by 5' 7" wide (3-door 13' 7" long) and weighing from 1,200kg.
April 2001
2-door coupe from April 2001. 3-door hatch followed in September 2001 priced £1,000 less model for model than 5-door. Range broadened to include six-speed 2.0 litre chain-cam 200PS 3-door Type R priced at a reasonable £15,995 (a/c a £800 extra on this), which rapidly became a cult car (separate entry).
September 2001
60mpg, 100bhp twin-cam common rail diesel launched, in UK from early 2002. CO2 just 134g/km. Badged 1.7CTDi, the Isuzu engine features high pressure common rail injection and variable vane turbo. Power output is 100bhp at 4,400rpm and torque 220Nm (162 lb ft) at 1,800rpm. This takes the 3-door model to 60mph in just over 11 seconds and on to a top speed of 113mph. Combined fuel consumption is 57.7mpg and CO2 emissions 134g/km which easily qualifiies for the lowest £110pa VED bracket for diesel cars. Prices from £12,995 for 3-dr SE and from £13,495 for 5-dr S. A/c standard on all diesels. On UK sale May 2002.
January 2002
130mph 160PS Type-S 5-door from January 2002 at £14,995. Nice smooth 2.0 chain cam engine revs to 7,000, does 70 in second, has unfashionable 195/65 x 15 Michelin Primacy tyres that give good combination of ride, quietness and handling.
November 2003
Front and rear facelift for 2004 model year, on sale in UK from 1-11-2003, includes "significant ride, handling and steering improvements", bigger boot through adoption of spacesaver emergency wheel, bigger headlights, better acceleration from Type R, Type S gets 'Vehicle Stability Assist' and 16" wheels with 205/55 R16 tyres (optional standard fit 17" wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres) and all models have standard airconditioning. 2004 MY Type R and Type S have indicators in mirrors and chain-cam conventionally rotating engines (others reverse rotating belt-cam). Lesser models now on 60 profile Dunlop SP300 or Michelin Primacy low rolling resistance tyres.
May 2004
Type S uprated from May 2004 as Type S VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) with 205/55 x 16 tyres at £15,513. 0-60 8.4, top speed 130, combined mpg 37.7, CO2 179g/km (optional standard fit 17" wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres). Base 1.4E model comes with CD radio player and original console-free flat floor giving access between the front seats to children strapped in the back.
Last 200bhp chain cam Type Rs identified by rear privacy glass, Recaro seats and Momo steering wheel. Priced £16,950, or £17,950 with a/c.
What to watch out for
Problems with noisy manual gearbox bearings.
One complaint of a strange problem with the headlamp load height adjusters on a 2002 car.
Complaints of fault in 5 year old key/immobiliser causing intermittent starting problem. The problem is likely to be a faulty immobiliser coil (the thing that reads the chip inside the ingnition barrel). Not available separately so have to buy the whole ignition barrel kit. Costs about £350 fitted.
By 2007 reports of various problems with the electric power steering were starting to emerge. These include loose racks, failed racks, stiff steering with no 'feel' and failed steering column top bearings. By 2009, further complaints of steering column bearing/bush failure costing £657 to replace.
Make sure a/c blows cold. A/c problem on circa 2001-2004 Civics. Vanes of aircon condenser prone to dropping allowing coolant leaks. Honda has extended the warranty on the a/c because of this. Later cars not affected.
Check for extensive rusting around chrome finisher above the number plate on the rear hatch.
If frequently carwashed the seal around the stubby aerial gets broken and water will enter the rear of the car.
On 1.4 and 1.6, timing belts can come off before the official life of 72k miles or 6 years, but the engines appear to be non interference so if the belt comes off valves do not hit pistons and it is not a major disaster.
For the Type R, the only correct tyre is Bridgestone 205/45 R17 84w. These are made specially for the car. Note '84w'. '88w' are not suitable.
Problems with a 2002 Civic Type S purchased at 14 months old and 7,500 miles in 2004 have been:-
20,000 replaced nsf shock absorber ( bushes worn out )
32,000 replaced osf shock absorber ( bushes worn out )
36,000 replaced all four alloy rims ( corroded )
36,000 replaced both rear discs ( worn below minimum thickness on the rear)
41,000 replaced nsf anti-roll bar drop link (bushes worn out )
41,000 advisory on MOT -driver's seat securing bolts loose !!
Currently at 54,000 in September 2007: overheating osf wheel - told it's because front discs worn near limit - but might need new calliper, so Stuart Graham Honda (Crewe) are replacing both front discs (£215), and if that's not the problem, a new calliper will need fitting, but they passed vehicle for MOT anyway
Both headlight adjustment motors are constantly on (switch ignition on and listen by each headlight for 'whirring' noise)
Still have noise from front over potholes, which I discovered was loose battery retaining strap, and small amount of movement to bonnet retaining mechanism shock absorbers, drop link and alloys were replaced under warranty extended warranty.
