Ravishing Cars |

While Honda has been adventurous with the Civic’s futuristic dashboard design, VW has taken the tried and tested route with the Jetta’s cabin. Everything inside has an air of quality about it. The dashboard has a no-nonsense look to ti and all controls fall to hand and are intuitive to use. But the design is plain boring and feels more so if you have just been inside the Honda. The trendline version comes in grey interiors which add to the sombre tone of the cabin. But where the Jetta trounces the Civic is in sheer build quality. The Honda just can’t match the solid thunk of the Jetta, when its doors close. The driving position is great, range of adjustments on the driver’s seat as well as fully adjustable steering. The clutch feels light but the steering calls for more effort than the Civic, something you notice especially while parking.

The Honda Civic is available in three variants E,V and hybrid. Prices start from Rs 11.54 lakh for the base variant and go up to Rs 22.23 lakh for the hybrid variant. The E variant gets the standard power steering, power windows, central locking, defogger and CD player. The V adds on leather upholstery, alloys, mirror indicators, fog lamps, 6 CD changer and remote control in rear armrest. Although most features are there, parking sensors and greater number of airbags would have been welcome additions. Shift action is good, but gear lever design could be better. Lots of storage space for odds and ends. Cabin gets a number of lamps, both at the front and in the rear. The Civic has plenty of substance to match its style. It is one of the most sought after cars across segments. Engine is silky smooth and is reliable too. Low ground clearance means Civic tends to scrape speed breakers.

The new Accord is a hot seller and has a surplus of space and comfort. But it’s too big for driving around in crowded cities. The sticker price difference between the two is around Rs 5 lakh but the total savings on maintenance and running costs works out to over Rs 1 lakh over a three year period. now lets take a closer look at the loan amount. You will end up paying around Rs 48,729 for the Accord, while the Civic will set you back by around Rs 32,432 on a monthly basis. That’s almost Rs 6 lakh saved over a three year term. Add Rs 1 lakh of running and maintenance cost to this and you have enough money to buy a premium hatchback. Invest this amount and the Rs 7 lakh will grow to around Rs 9 lakh, if your mutual fund soars. That’s enough money for that Europe trip you have been planning for your family for the last couple of years now. Plus you have a swanky Civic parked in your driveway.