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Oddball civic will turn heads(Nottingham Evening Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary in the used car market, you won't go far wrong searching out a Honda Civic Coupe. Offered in its final guise here for just three years, 2001-2003 to be precise, the oddball little two-door comes from a time when car industry bosses were convinced what we all really wanted was, well, small coupes. Ignoring the massive and thriving warm/hot hatch market entirely, they reasoned that small coupes could be the next big niche here, as they were in the United States. They were wrong. Honda weren't the only ones to try their hand at this kind of palaver, Toyota and others have 'form' in this regard, but Soichiro-san's company stuck at it longest - and it's the final Civic Coupe under the spotlight. So, though the Civic Coupe was a car that never really set the world alight, does that make it a bad car? More importantly, does that make it a bad used buy? Here we'll have a stab at finding out. If you're looking at this car the first thing to appreciate is that choice is going to be limited, for all sorts of reasons. First, they didn't sell millions here, which means supply is like to be constrained. Second, of the cars that were registered there were only, essentially, two variants, and even these shared the same 1.7-litre four cylinder petrol engine. Fortunately, it's an entirely agreeable 1.7-litre petrol motor producing a reasonable 123bhp. This sweet-sounding, refined and reliable lump suits the Civic Coupe's smooth, refined personality well. You'll get it with five-speed manual or four-speed auto 'box - and that's it. Outside, the Coupe does look like a Civic, just one that us Europeans might not be familiar with. Two-door cars like this are popular in America, which is where the major Japanese firms have traditionally done well. It's not a radical design, but no Civic ever was (previous to the current Civic hatch, obviously). In reality, with this coupe you get the best of both worlds: smooth looks and near-hatchback practicality. Peruse the interior and, in true Honda style, you'll be greeted by a trademark (for the time) view that is on the dark, sombre side. Hard plastics abound, but build quality is sky high relative to most European mainstream cars of the same era. Everything works as expected but, like the exterior, there's little evidence of what we might call 'flair'. That said, chances are that everything which currently works will continue in the same vein for years to come and nothing will drop off (the car) because when all's said and done... it's a Honda. If this frankly rather unpromising preamble leads you to fear that the Coupe will be as dull as dishwater on the road, then think again! Don't let the unadventurous looks fool you, this is a car you can have fun in. It might not have a Type R badge on its rump, but it's a willing companion on a B-road thrash. Alas, 123bhp will not get you very far into 'adrenaline rush' territory, but it'll be fun all the same. Light controls, a pleasingly taut ride and high levels of refinement when you're not revving the engine hard make this Honda a rounded car for motorways and town driving. Ease of use is often a concept attributed to Honda's cars, and this Civic Coupe is no different. Quiet, refined and easy to drive, the Coupe should go on and on... and on and outlast many of its European rivals. Obviously it's wise to keep to the service schedule because no engine, not even a Honda, will thank you for running on dirty oil and irregular maintenance. When it comes to sizing up a potential used Civic Coupe, the first thing to do is find one. Really, they're not that plentiful. When you've located one, make sure the Coupe's exterior is in good nick. This is not an old car, so view any damage as suspicious, especially heavily kerbed wheels and a heavily stone-chipped bonnet. Rust shouldn't even begin to be an issue, if it's there in anything like noticeable quantities, walk away. Actually, run away - and don't look back because the car's clearly been through the motoring mill. Inside, everything should work, there shouldn't be any rattles on the test drive and the Honda's upholstery should be immaculate. And don't forget to check the service history, plus make sure the engine's oil is fresh and clean. Assuming all these boxes are ticked, and you actually like the experience once you get behind the wheel, the Civic should deliver years of valiant service with very little in the way of trouble. Will it get you envious glances? Probably not. But it will turn heads because, as I hope I've made clear, this really is an unusual Civic. Copyright 2007 Northcliffe Newspapers Limited |