Used 2016 Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT) Consumer Reviews
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$11,995 - $22,990
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Great car for your money
Bart, New York, NY, 12/28/2015
Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
31 of 36 people found this review helpful
I have had the new Civic EX-L for about a couple of weeks now. From a guy who has owned luxury cars in the past, I was really surprised at how much I like this car. Everyone I have shown it to cannot believe that the car is a Civic and I have received a lot of complements about the car. Exterior and Styling This Civic is wider and looks sportier than all of the Civics in the past. You can't really even call the this a compact car anymore. The spacious cabin gives ample space for 4 grown adults. Interior The EX-L comes with the leather wrapped steering wheel and seats and while you can't compare the leather seats to a Lexus, the Civic leather seating is still quite comfortable. The infotainment center is unlike any other car I have been in. It's basically an Ipad or Android tablet. Pretty much everything is controlled through touch screen gestures except for a few things such as temperature control. Some people of complained about the lack of physical knobs and buttons for controlling audio and other settings. My experience is that if you are familiar with an IPad, you shouldn't have any problems with this car. Also, most of the time, as the driver, when I need to change audio volume for changing radio stations I would use the steering wheel audio controls which work great. The center cup holder console is massive and can hold anything from large bottles of liquids or for storage of coins and miscellaneous items. Tech Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are awesome. The navigation system of your phone will beat any built in navigation system. Integration with music apps such as Spotify was seamless. The Civic has a built-in camera on the right side mirror which is activated when you turn on the right turn signal allowing the driver to see a view of the right hand side in the infotainment center. Some people may find this distracting but I find it immensely helpful when changing lanes. Performance This 1.5 turbo is peppy. I believe 0-60 on this car is about 6.8 to 7.0 seconds which I believe is the fastest for any car in its class. I can't wait to see what happens when the Si or Type R version will be when it comes out. The turbo kicks in fairly quickly if you want it to. There's even a gauge for it that is shown in the instrument console. The handling is responsive and the brakes are solid. The MPG on the sticker says 30 City, 40 Highway. There's no way you will get that unless you drive like a grandmother with the ECO mode always enabled. It's more likely you get around 30 MPG for highway. What I didn't like CVT Engine: Coming from a V6 luxury car, this CVT engine sounds very rough. While it's not a problem when the car is moving, it does get quite loud with this droning sound when the car gets going from stop. It took a while for me to get used to the sound of the engine and it's no longer an issue for me now but I can see some people might cross this car off their list just because of this CVT engine. I'm thinking the Si and Type R versions will not get a CVT and come with a highly coveted manual transmission option. Rear Camera: The resolution for rear view camera is not good. The images can be fuzzy especially at night or when it's raining. It's also placed in a position where it's very noticeable and not protected from the elements. That's not good design. Side Camera: The side camera on the right has better resolution than the rear camera but it's also pretty big. You'll notice it right away. With today's technology you would have thought they would have been able to make the cameras smaller Headlight: I didn't go for the Touring version because I wasn't interested in the features it offered such as the improved audio or heated seats in the back. But one thing I do regret not getting are the better head lights. The yellow standard headlights of the Civic just make it look cheap. For EX-L they really should have given it Xenon. Car Play Freezes: From time to time, Car Play won't work correctly. It's most likely a problem with the phone. I would have to reset my phone in order for Car Play to connect correctly. Otherwise, I would get no audio or buzzing noises coming from the speakers Honda Voice Recognition: Honda's built in voice recognition software is horrendous. The voice recognition is used to make phone calls and I have yet to get that to work correctly once. I always just use Siri option to make the calls. Siri seems to do a much better job of picking up my words. Overall, for what I paid for the car (which was below invoice), I feel that I got a lot of car for my money. Time will tell how reliable this new Civic platform will be.
Super Civic
Tom Currier, La Canada Flintridge, CA, 08/01/2016
Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
We've owned/driven Honda vehicles for the last 35 years. The 2016 Civic is amazing. Not that I have ever driving a sports car, but this Civic has fantastic acceleration and handling. It feels like I am driving a sports car. It has all the electronic bells and whistles (most of which I'm still figuring out how to use). It has a very smooth ride and for my first two tanks of gas, I got about 37 miles to the gallon.
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First Honda we have been disappointed in...
mkhn, Salt Lake City, UT, 05/29/2016
Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
We purchased this car thinking we would drive it for a year, then pass it on to our child that is turning 16. We took it on our first weekend getaway and couldn't get out of it fast enough. The seats are very uncomfortable for long drives. The road noise is pretty significant. The climate 90% of the climate controls are behind a touch screen and when that touch screen locks up, which it does constantly, you can't access your climate controls. The only option is to push the auto button and let the car decide based on the temperature you select. But, you have no controls on whether it is blowing at your feet, in your face, how hard/soft it is blowing and whether the A/C is off or on. We actually had to pull off to the side of the freeway and restart the car to get the touch screen computer screen to reboot. The other thing we notice constantly is that people are always trying to cut in our lane because they have trouble seeing the car because it sits sow low. The bluetooth isn't as great as my last car and it is hard for people to understand you when they are on the listening end. The biggest surprise when we got home... and something every car we have owned for the last 10 years has had... there is no remote control garage door opening. Something so simple and so inconvenient... seriously Honda? We drive a lot and the only thing that we love about this car is the gas mileage and the pickup it has because of the turbo, and that is honestly the only two things that have kept it in our driveway. Otherwise, we would have traded or sold it. I can't speak to reliability or longevity yet. But, I can tell you I am 100% discouraged by the crappy touch screen that constantly locks up. It has been doing this from the day we purchased it and we have only owned it for a little more than a month. My guess is that it will probably get traded in next year if we don't start feeling differently.
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Don't Buy / Sell It, Customer Service is terrible
Mark Stewart, Columbus, OH, 04/10/2016
updated 04/13/2021
Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
34 of 44 people found this review helpful
I bought the 2016 Civic Sedan EX-L before New Years and I have had nothing but headaches since. I have had multiple issues and made several calls to Honda about these issues. First issue, my radio display screen stopped working and showed a warning similar to an Internet browser Wait or Close Program. I'm driving a new car which never should it close program for obvious safety reasons especially if you bought with Honda Sensing. Second problem I had was LaneWatch camera stopped working. When I turn on turn signal the radio would remain on the audio display. Third, an area button on my radio display space stopped responding to touch, which was not confirmed despite having a video of this. The Honda dealer could only verify my camera was not working and but could not address my other concerns which is ridiculous considering I have a video of my radio not working. Less than a month after buying my car several major service light turned on. These include power steering, braking system, parking brake system, up-hill assist, traction control error and tire pressure. My radio display audio button stopped working but was working so they could not verify an issue. The a different dealership was able to observe my radio display unit not work and decided to replace the information display unit. My camera has stopped working again but started before I could get it back in the shop. My major question is why my camera stopped working but the service department could not verify an issue. I attempted to put on my parking brake but the brake did not turn on the light blinked but did not engage. The service department could not replicate it was several days later and the car did not do that once I restarted the car. Except I have a brand new Honda Civic that has already taken a huge resale value hit because who wants a car with this many issue. The car has less than 1,500 miles on it and it has been anything but a turn-key experience. Don't trust the Honda Customer Care Hotline if they say no one has reported these issues because I have. I have made several calls to Honda Care Center and have received terrible service and some rude responses from the employees there granted I was rude and frustrated because it is a new car. I requested a new case manager be assigned but have since been contact by the same individual multiple times. They claim that they are unable to contact me through email and that I can't receive any communication other than telephone calls. I want to record the conversations with Honda Customer Care but was told if I state the call maybe recorded their policy is to not continue the call. Honda has given me no choice but to contact the NHTSA to report the problem with the eps unit, and parking brake problem. I will be contacting the necessary agencies to determine what I can do under state law.
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Fantastic Value
Reed, Louisville, CO, 12/07/2015
Honda Civic EX-L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
19 of 24 people found this review helpful
This is my 4th Honda! 2008 Honda Civic great car! 2015 CRV NOT a great car... Now this... I read some reviews of this car where people were comparing it to an Audi and I just did not believe it... So I went and test drove it and WOW. Ok this is not an Audi but its a massive step forward from what the Civic has been in the past. It feels very up scale when you sit in it as quality of the interior and seeing it in a parking lot reminds you of a german luxury car look. Also as far as I could tell not one part of the interior of the car had parts from any other Honda its ALL new designs! I think maybe the cabin lights are the same as the old Civic... Drive: (9/10 for a small lowish cost car) The steering is very agile and quick to respond. I love the new steering wheel its a lot thicker then any Honda I have been in. Cornering is above average you don't have a lot of feedback as to what the wheels are doing... But I don't mind this is not a race car. Suspension is vastly better then what I had in my old Civic and I like it more then my CRV. Its more sporty feeling and controlled yet soaks up bumps well enough. Noise in the cabin is much less then I expected for the price of this car by far more quiet then my old Civic and I think its even more quiet then the CRV (I did not measure just how I feel...) Performance (9/10 for a small lowish cost car) I think I saw on car and driver they say this will do 0-60 in 6.8 and if you compare that to the BMW 320 its 6.6 0-60. So for the cost of this car I think it has plenty of power. Way more fun to drive compared to the 2008 version. Now you do have to floor it to get the performance because the throttle response is tuned to more of an economy setting but that is ok. So far I am getting over 30 MPG in city driving loving that and if I need the power its there. One thing with the turbo you have a bit of a dead spot in the power band in stop and go traffic but its really not that big of a deal for me just wanted to note it. Also of all the CVT haters out there I am loving this transmission! Its so smooth and if you research it they are proven to be better overall for most people to get maximum performance at all times since it has almost infinite gears vs. a 6 speed and you get better mileage! One thing... Honda seems to have added fake shift points to this CVT BOO!!!! just let it work how its intended you don't need to fake them PLZ HONDA (Ignore the haters)!!!! Confort and space (8.9 for a small lowish cost car) I love the new seats they put in these cars and the leather feels great! Its a great balance between sporty and comfort. I think for long trips the front seats have enough room for most any one. The back seats have a lot more then the old Civic but they are still a bit small but most people would fit no problem maybe on an all day driving trip the back might be a bit small and if you were really tall the roof does come down a bit back there. I am 5.10 and did not have any issue... 6 foot would. Cargo area / trunk is improved over the old civic enough for most wanting a small car I think. I don't like how the back opens seems like its not as wide of an opening as the old civic had. I also don't like that the passthrough when the seats are down does not go completely flat. A note... I have seen some cars come with cargo compartments under the trunk floor I think that would be a nice add on... Seems like a low cost thing why not? Entertainment and other (8.0) One of the things that convinced me to buy this car was the Apple Car play built in. So far it has worked great! I love using it to navigate and getting my messages and music info right in the dashboard. (Love the digital gages(MPH and RPM)! Why is this not in all Honda's!) So for the Honda stuff I do like it better then whats in my 2015 CRV (Its about 4x as fast and a bit cleaner interface). What is odd when comparing it to the CRV is that when you do the lane watch (camera to watch the traffic in the right side of the car... Love this feature!) the CRV is so slow to activate the camera guessing the CPU in that is less powerful then whats in the Civic. So that being said with the Honda stuff its just ok nothing too fancy it gets the job done. One other thing I like is the volume control the steering wheel is touch sensitive so you can slide your thumb on the steering wheel to adjust the volume cool stuff. I do thing the sir / voice button on the steering wheel could be bigger... I use it a lot its hard to distinguish compared to the other buttons. One last down side is that I wish I had gotten the touring because the speakers in this version are not that great. If you don't like bass then these sound very good they have high highs and great mids but not much bass. I wish I could have an option for an upgraded sound system in the EX L version oh well... So over all I love this car I am very happy with my decision to get this. I will update as I get more miles put on the car...
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