Test drove a couple last week
Test drove a couple last week. The Boss loved them, especially the height. I thought the ride a bit harsh, but that's in line with the entry truck CRV meme. The handling appeared to be good, consistant with the firm ride, but the salesgal was in the back seat. I doubt they have the famous double wishbone front suspension. This is no Formula I car. The gas tank is under the front seats like the Fit for good weight distribution.
True to Honda form for at least a generation, we said we wanted a light (desert) color, but not white or silver (which you can't find in a parking lot). Nada. We had hopes for the misty green, but that turned out to Army olive drab, looking like a duece and a half. The flat Milano red was ok, but came with a black interior and looks like a fire engine. We settled on the Orchid white, mostly because the pearlesence looked cool and the grey interior. Haven't seen the blue yet, but it's guaranteed to be dark.
For $2500 more, the EX has great great value over the LX. Lots of goodies and toys for the money. Moonroof, etc.
My first experience with a CVT was fine. Modern 4-5 speed automatics shift so smoothly, you can hardly tell the diff. The paddle shifters are more toys to play with. I hope Honda got the bugs out as I recall a guy in a trans shop rebuilding one of the first Civic HF CVT's from the 90's twice in two years.
Thx for the tip on the Vezel CVT software. I will look this up. It would be very unlike Honda engineers to ignore a known problem. It would be interesting to find out how many computer chips/dsp's this thing has considering such things as brake distribution, stability control and ABS. Not to mention load sensitive airbags.
My local dealers are selling for msrp only, some with expensive addons. Not surprising considering the dealer invoice is only about $500 less according to TrueCar. This gives me about five dealers withinin $50 of each other. I'm tempted to trade in an old Dodge junker as a price differentiator.
All in all, another fine Honda auto. The SOHC iVTEC Civic engine is the R18A1, which is pretty much bulletproof. Now if they could just hire Martha Stewart as a paint consultant.