Honda Civic Boot Space/ Passenger Space

gibby9

I currently drive an Astra. Researching possible new car to us with the priority being expanding on boot space with having a young family.

My wife sometimes sits in the back with kids so also need comfortable space for rear passengers.

I quite fancy something Insignia or Mazda 6 size but my wife not keen for when she's driving due to the longer wheelbase. She prefers something SUV shaped which has a slightly larger boot and more space from extra height rather than length. Neither of us particularly like people carrier shaped cars and we dont require 7 seats.

From internet research only, the Civic looks like a good size boot for a compact hatchback. Though its a similar size car to Astra/ Focus etc so I'm not sure where the extra space has been found as its a much larger boot.

Does anyone know if space is compromised in the rear seats or is it just down to a better design?

Inksleeves

Had a 2006 1.8 civic for 5 years.

The interior space is excellent, not only is there plenty of rear legroom but the rear seats both fold flat and up to give really versatile load carrying.( you have to see what I mean.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EzggW2wxFE

I'm getting 45mpg from the 1.8, it can be driven economically as well has heavy footed performance.

yaz2010

I have a 2007 1.8 Manual for last 5 years. Just finished 131K. Good car for interior and boot space considering at the end of the day it is only a hatch. It gives me about 46-50 mpg.

wba31

Got a 2008 2.2 diesel and i get 45mpg around town (i can be heavy with the right foot) and 55mpg on motorway at 75mph on the clock

Boot is huge, and due to not having a spare has a huge "secret" compartment underneath that is really useful when going away.

The back seats easily sit 3 adults, plenty of head room, but just need to watch your head when getting in and out.

When we bought this i wanted an Accord estate (new shape) but wife wanted civic. When we compared the 2 there would have been no room behind my seat (I'm 6"2) for any adult passengers in the Accord, and with the Civic boot being so big it was a no brainer to get the Civic.

We compared against all the regular hatchbacks (Golf, Focus, Leon, Mazda3 etc etc) and nothing came close in boot size and passenger space to the Civic, unless you went up a car size to Octavia and Insignia etc...

gibby9

Thanks all. The Civic is looking to be a good choice. I'll need to see one to get a proper idea of boot space but from video reviews it does look surprisingly large for a car that size.

I presume the hidden space in the boot is in the absence of a spare wheel, though that seems to be the way of most cars these days.

Reading and watching reviews the main complaints seem to be an obstruction of view through the rear window and lack of headroom in the back seats. Are these issues on regular use or do you just get used to the view out the back?

C_Mababejive

I also give my vote to the civic. I too have the popular 1.8 petrol.

As soon as i sat in it to test drive it i knew i would buy it as it fitted me perfectly.

Its a six geared motor with quite close ratios so you quickly slip into a drive style of moving off in 1st,then 2nd,then 4th,then 6th if your still rolling and it works very well.

Fuel economy is very good. My display which obviously isnt 100 accurate has ranged from 43 to as high as 52 but normally hangs around 47/48. Im a very relaxed driver.


Boot space,as others have said,,theres plenty of it.

Also you can fold all seats down for a big hatchback space.

Just want to shift something sizeable but dont want to fold seats back? Just open the rear side door and flip up one of the "magic" seats and you suddenly have a big space for storage.

Rear view..well this is much commented on but you get used to it.

I have a couple of circular globe stick on mirrors on my standard mirrors.

The standard mirrors are big enough anyway.

The cars design is such that when manouevering,going forward into a tight space or reversing..just when you think you have no more clearance and you stop,,well you can get out,check and find you have almost a foot of safety margin left.

So the view from the drivers seat has a big built in margin of error.

Add to this honda legendary reliability and no timing belt and its a winner of a car.

bod1467

Hondas in general tend to be good for luggage carrying space.

My wife has a Jazz (2007). When we (4 of us) went for a holiday we got all our cases in the back of the Jazz (when going to the airport). When we picked up the hire car at the other end (Renault Laguna estate) we couldn't fit all the luggage in the back ... one of the cases had to go on the back seat with the kids.

gzoom

We sold our 2.2 diesel Civic earlier in the year. As a family car, and as a way to get from A to B cannot fault it. We had ours from new, out 90k on it over 7 years, apart from a fuse issue that was sorted by a re-call, no other problems.

Boot is huge, mainly because Honda put the fuel tank under the front seats rather than under the boot.

If your buying a diesel with close to 100k, check for signs of a slipping clutch. It's the only 'known' problem, though you can argue replacing a clutch at 100k is just normal wear/tear, not a cheap job though close to £1k

gibby9

gzoom wrote: »

If your buying a diesel with close to 100k, check for signs of a slipping clutch. It's the only 'known' problem, though you can argue replacing a clutch at 100k is just normal wear/tear, not a cheap job though close to £1k

I only drive around 8,000 miles a year so will be looking for petrol car. Probably the 1.8 around 2 to 3 years old so hopefully no major issues for a while.

tykesi

I'd seriously consider the 1.4, I've got one and while it won't set the world alight with it's performance (neither will the 1.8 really) it's a great car for such a low mileage. There are the odd times I would prefer a bit more oomph but these are few and far between once you get used to the performance. It will happily sit at 85 on the motorway and return 40ish MPG (actual, not what the computer tells you).

For me the 1.4 was cheaper to insure by quite a bit, cheaper tax although the servicing costs I'd imagine will be fairly similar. Comes in the same trim levels as the 1.8 as well so no cosmetic differences. Great cars!

GwylimT

They're fab cars, the only downsides for me is rear visibilty, but it is something you get used to, the slope on the back means passengers need to take care getting in and out. But the positives are far greater.