"Absolutely brilliant" - Civic 06 VTI Reviewed

**yfin** · 26-08-2006 03:00 AM

Well this is an absolutely glowing review for the 06 Civic VTI.

Euro owners will recognise the issue in this paragraph below! Sounds like the Civic is using similar DBW parameters to the Euro.

"About the only engine glitch is a jerk which occurs when throttle is re-applied in fifth gear – this especially noticeable when the cruise control is operating and there are hills and valleys to negotiate."

Kudos to autospeed - their new car tests really are excellent.

http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_3020/article.html

ps. Is it just me or does the VTI-L seem like it is not worth the $3500 premium over the base model? The extras appear to be

6-CD stacker (big deal - std still gets CD)
Side airbags (nice to have in seat type - but not curtain airbags)
Climate control (whoopi doo - base still gets DIY control air con)
Alloy wheels (nice to have)
Alarm (important to have)

If I was shopping I would take the base with aftermarket rims I think. But pity an alarm is not standard on the base - but I imagine a dealer fitted alarm is an easy extra at time of sale.

**dyljoy** · 26-08-2006 07:40 AM

Totally agree with u~ I ordered the base one, and plus the aftermarket rim will be nice. and compare to similiar range in the market, VTI is the most valuable car to own and under the Honda excellent history, VTI is the bast choice around 20000AUD in the market. Good to own a VTI. haha

**Jo_e** · 26-08-2006 09:58 AM

=D yay

**heist** · 26-08-2006 10:08 AM

id buy the sport for leather and k20

**Jo_e** · 26-08-2006 10:22 AM

id buy the sport for leather and k20

The sport is so much more expensive than the base model. A Civic Sport is RRP. $29,900 for a manual. The VTI is $20,900 for manual and those prices are without all the dealer fees etc. Although I love the sport civic's alloys I wouldnt pay the price difference for leather, 114kw DOHC engine, alloy wheels etc. With the extra $$$ i would rather buy aftermarket parts and have fun with the base model, but each to their own. all civics are good. =]
Also, I personally think the RRP price is extremely misleading, considering overall a VTI (auto) cost me $26,000 without insurance and wat not.

**yfin** · 26-08-2006 05:51 PM

Autospeed have something to say about the value of the sport so read the article. The Sport really needs the proper K20A to make it great value. When you factor in kerb weight differences of 80kg - I can't imagine the 11kw advantage to the Sport is going to mean a huge advantage in performance.

**sydney_walker** · 27-08-2006 03:47 PM

yeah, I think the base model civic is one of the best value car in the market today.

I've driven the base model a few times
and IMO the power is more than enough for the stock suspension
the sport model is just not good enough to justify the extra 10k

**chylld** · 27-08-2006 06:54 PM

excellent article! about the only thing i can think of that they didn't mention are the occasional quality control issues that have been cropping up... but that's an issue best left until it actually becomes an issue

what bothers me though is how i keep hearing people say that NVH in the civic has been dealt with quite well - either my car was an exception, or i'm being unrealistic in my expectations! to me, the road noise is extremely intrusive, especially compared to an accord euro.

**Scratch2k** · 28-08-2006 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by yfin

ps. Is it just me or does the VTI-L seem like it is not worth the $3500 premium over the base model? The extras appear to be

6-CD stacker (big deal - std still gets CD)
Side airbags (nice to have in seat type - but not curtain airbags)
Climate control (whoopi doo - base still gets DIY control air con)
Alloy wheels (nice to have)
Alarm (important to have)

You forgot 60/40 split rear seats (the VTi has a single folding seat) but I agree, the VTi is the best value for money of all the models.

Reading that makes me even more anxious to get my car now, about another month to wait

**Bob san** · 28-08-2006 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Jo_e

The sport is so much more expensive than the base model. A Civic Sport is RRP. $29,900 for a manual. The VTI is $20,900 for manual and those prices are without all the dealer fees etc. Although I love the sport civic's alloys I wouldnt pay the price difference for leather, 114kw DOHC engine, alloy wheels etc. With the extra $$$ i would rather buy aftermarket parts and have fun with the base model, but each to their own. all civics are good. =]
Also, I personally think the RRP price is extremely misleading, considering overall a VTI (auto) cost me $26,000 without insurance and wat not.

well said.

oh btw they forgot to mention only the sport can come in purple

**Civic^^** · 29-08-2006 10:16 AM

nice find~
ive been playing to buy the new civic sport but i couldnt decide if it was worth the price. the reason i thought about getting the sport was because it had the DOHC engine but after reading some of the replies to this thread i think i will just stick to the VTI as YFIN said "80kg - I can't imagine the 11kw advantage to the Sport is going to mean a huge advantage in performance."

i was just wondering is there really much differnce performance wise between the SOHC and the DOHC engine in the civic? because i was reading a artice in a mag and they were comparing the specs of the sport and VTI and there was quite a big difference in the 0 -100km/h and 1/4 miles between the two.
Also would it be better to get the VTI rather then the VTI-L considering the price?
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**Scratch2k** · 29-08-2006 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Civic^^

and also would it be better to get the VTI rather then the VTI-L considering the price?
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That seems to be the general consensus, but it call comes down to if you think that the few added extras you get with the VTI-L are worth $3-4k extra (most people don't).