1.4 i-Vtec ES 5Dr.

Best small car by miles

I am a driving instructor and use this car for lessons, all the customers love it. The car gets plenty of use as I do around 24,000 per year.
I don't find the steering to be lacking in feel as some report and the handling is actually very sure footed.
Massive door mirrors aid visibility, with few rearward blind-spots.
Interior is well put together, after 45,000 miles there are few rattles and the interior does not look worn. passenger and luggage space is amazing for a small car, I have taught guys 6ft 4in tall and they have had no problem getting a comfortable position, likewise a couple of 4ft 10 ladies have also found it easy to get a good seating position.
car is nimble and pretty quick, given it's small engine and weight, noise is not overly intrusive, though it is not the quietest small car.
Over 45000 miles of mostly town and stop start driving with learners, the car has averaged 39mpg, I would expect that to relate to around 45mpg for a car in private ownership that does not spend half it's life doing three point turns !
It has not been entirely without problems.
1. Gearbox bearings needed to be replaced under warranty at around 35,000 miles.
2. Battery failed after 15 months and was replaced under warranty.
3. Variable servicing system has problems. My car asks for an oil change service around every 4500 miles. As I have the Honda service plan, this costs me nothing, but when that plan runs out this will be an issue. Honda are aware of the problems and have taken samples of oil to see if it is degrading and work out a fix. BUT it has been 12 months since this was reported as a warranty fault and they still have not provided an answer. it seems that lots of stop starting messes up the variable servicing calculations, even though the car is in constant use for 7 hours a day and never gets cold!
I would still replace it with another however, it is such a nice car to drive compared to other small cars.

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