Confused So Much...! Honda Civic Fds Or Mitsu Lancer Ex

kishore · March 20, 2014

Dear Friends

This is My First Autolanka Thread

I've gone through entire topics in car buying and couldn't find one or two would cater my need.
the recent Honda Or Mitsu also contains lot of irrelevant details(like 2C D-Engines).

I'am going to buy a registered car, Budget is 3.5M can push up to 4.0

have few requirements

1.As I'am youngster i need a definite sporty look

2.Fuel consumption could be reasonable (expendable)

3.Drive thrill -- not going to compromise in this (But please no MAZDA 3 i need to sell the vehicle when i buy my dream car Lancer Evo ......Yay )

4.Interior -Most important requirement (should be solid,high quality materials)

and done lot of research finally short listed both

Honda Civic FD s(any 1,2,3,4) and Mitsu Lancer

Honda has nice look, wide variety of engines (1.8-1.6) , of-course stunning interior(I like its Multifunction Telescopic Steering Wheel)

Lancer has very sexy appeal if i consider Honda, Sporty, can compete with all honda engines but interior sucks

I'am in desperate condition to choose my car , point me to the right direction,further it would be great if any one provide current price tags of each models

Any helps regarding to this will be much appreciated

Edited March 20, 2014 by kishore

The Don · March 20, 2014

On 3/20/2014 at 9:38 AM, kishore said:
Dear Friends
This is My First Autolanka Thread

I've gone through entire topics in car buying and couldn't find one or two would cater my need.

the recent Honda Or Mitsu also contains lot of irrelevant details(like 2C D-Engines).

I'am going to buy a registered car, Budget is 3.5M can push up to 4.0

have few requirements

1.As I'am youngster i need a definite sporty look

2.Fuel consumption could be reasonable (expendable)

3.Drive thrill -- not going to compromise in this (But please no MAZDA 3 i need to sell the vehicle when i buy my dream car Lancer Evo ......Yay )

4.Interior -Most important requirement (should be solid,high quality materials)

and done lot of research finally short listed both

Honda Civic FD s(any 1,2,3,4) and Mitsu Lancer

Honda has nice look, wide variety of engines (1.8-1.6) , of-course stunning interior(I like its Multifunction Telescopic Steering Wheel)

Lancer has very sexy appeal if i consider Honda, Sporty, can compete with all honda engines but interior sucks

I'am in desperate condition to choose my car , point me to the right direction

Any helps regarding to this will be much appreciated

Kishore, you have to realise that buying a car is a very personal experience. Unless you are buying one for a corporation, it is mostly a subjective rather than an objective decision.

So sadly we can't say much beyond assuring you that all three you mention The Lancer Ex, The Honda Civic (particularly the 1.8 manual) and the Mazda 3/ Axela are all good drives, reliable, and sport similar fuel efficiency figures.

Its easier to find body parts for the Z3/Axela and the Civic as they are both sold in the Japanese market in the exact same form, but the Lancer in the Japanese market is sold as the Galant Fortis, which is not widely imported to SL due to the large capacity engine, so parts on the used car part shops are not as plentiful.

Good luck with your choice!

Hoonigan · March 20, 2014

Since you're so hot for interior, the first car that sprang to mind is the Suzuki Swift. After hopping from one dealership to the other to test drive a car for a friend of mine, I felt that the Swift had a distinctive feel of quality compared to Mazda, Nissan and even the option packed Kias. What's more, the Swift Sport is quite a riot I hear.

But if you're not into hatches, that's a different story. And it seems like you're leaning towards the FD anyway and that's not a bad car at all.

The Don · March 20, 2014

Read this thread as well

http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/15846-honda-or-mitsu/

kishore · March 20, 2014

Quote
Kishore, you have to realise that buying a car is a very personal experience. Unless you are buying one for a corporation, it is mostly a subjective rather than an objective decision.
So sadly we can't say much beyond assuring you that all three you mention The Lancer Ex, The Honda Civic (particularly the 1.8 manual) and the Mazda 3/ Axela are all good drives, reliable, and sport similar fuel efficiency figures.

Its easier to find body parts for the Z3/Axela and the Civic as they are both sold in the Japanese market in the exact same form, but the Lancer in the Japanese market is sold as the Galant Fortis, which is not widely imported to SL due to the large capacity engine, so parts on the used car part shops are not as plentiful.

Exactly The Don, well said

I'am a die hard fan of Mitsu Especially Lancer, but recently i drove one of my relation's Civic FD 1 and i'am totally washed out

by its handling, acceleration(might because of 1.8),Interior and ride comfort .

But I heard FD3 and FD 4 slightly under-powered isn't it..?

Quote
Read this thread as well
http://forum.autolan...honda-or-mitsu/

this is the thread I was mentioned above, lot of irrelevant details (gone too far from topic)

Thank-you for your valuable suggestions

Quote
But if you're not into hatches, that's a different story.

You got me my friend Seriously Not in to hatches..........Not at all

Edited March 20, 2014 by kishore

Supra_Natural · March 21, 2014

The FD civic is a nice car overall, definitely a high point for Honda and much more interesting than the new model which has gone down the boring route.

FD1 is pretty solid but fuel economy is not good; 6 -7KM/l in the city is what you can expect from the Automatic (pretty much all of them are autos)

FD3 Hybrid is an answer to a question no one asked, its only marginally more economical than the non-hybrids (averages 11 in the city) and is slower and less fun to drive. Only benefit that comes to mind is that most FD3s are high spec with lots more toys than the brand new imports. Also, they have eight airbags while the others often have only two.

The FD4 Automatics are certainly not underpowered but they are slower than the 1.8 while returning similar fuel economy. The manual on the other hand is very nice; can get 10 or so per litre in town and is plenty quick as well. They are very rare, but turn up for sale once in a while.

The FD2 is out of your budget and really is a completely different category of car.

ramishkad · March 21, 2014

I cannot fully answer your question as I have never driven a FD2/FD4/Lancer/Mazda3. But my current car is a Civic Hybrid (FD3). So I'll post here my experience with it so it may be easier for you to make a decision.

Power :

I personally find it to be a good drive and I have no plans to sell it anytime soon. But there are certain things you need to know about it.

The FD3 only has a 1330CC gasoline engine which outputs something like 90hp. It also has an electric motor which adds 22hp. So the car has about 112hp total. This is about 20-30hp less than what a FD1/FD4 would give if I'm not mistaken. Although it's not as powerful as a non Hybrid Civic, I do not feel the car is under powered at all. Under normal conditions, it would do 0-100 in 9.x something seconds. The only time it would feel under powered is when run purely on Gasoline engine without the assist of the electric motor (which can happen if the hybrid battery is weak).

Which brings me to the point FD3 are known for hybrid battery issues. So if you are getting a reconditioned or registered one, absolutely check the status of the Hybrid battery (you can get this done at Stafford for Rs 4300). Do not buy one if the high voltage battery usable capacity is at least 60%. With a weak battery, the electric motor would not assist much. And without the electric motor, the car would feel under powered.

The battery on 2006-2011 Civic Hybrids is a Ni-MH. It would deteriorate if not used for 90 days straight (hence you need to check the status of it if buying a reconditioned vehicle). 2012 and later models are equipped with a Lithium battery. They also come equipped with a 1500cc engine. But a 2012+ model would be out of your budget. You should be able to get a decent 2011 model for 3.5-4.0m.

Handling :

Nothing to complain here. Excellent handling and driving experience. I'd even say handling is on par with FD1. Basically I love driving it over the other vehicles i have driven in the last 10 years.

Fuel consumption :

City ( extreme stop and go traffic) : 7-11 kmpl

City ( slow moving traffic ) : 10-13kmpl

City ( free flowing traffic ) : 13-17kmpl

Long distance : 17-20kmpl

Highway : 20-24kmpl

Grades

This car has different models MX, MXB, MXST, MX Navi, etc.

MXST is the highest grade and it comes with a pretty kick ass list of options.

Basically the reason why I went for a FD3 over a FD1 is that I simply would not be able to afford FD1 fuel consumption. I drive around 400-450 km per week in Colombo city traffic and Kandy-Colombo trips. With FD3 I get around 15-17 fuel consumption on average while this would be around 10 with a FD1.

If your regular routes are Colombo city driving , I'd day you go for FD1 over FD3 as it wont be much of a difference. If it involves long distance travel, FD3 would save some money on fuel.

Please note that is above is based on my experience with owning and using the car for 5 months since 2013. As someone said earlier, this is all subjective and personal opinion.

Edited March 21, 2014 by ramishkad