ooking at something comfortable and seen a few at our local dealer – i’m used to Citroens recently (shoot me…) but we had an early Noughties Civic estate that i miss… I have to haggle with an insurance adjuster next week on my old car and want sommat shiny to focus my negotiating skills…

Needs to have room on the roof for rack (tick) and be comfortable – for about £15k

Real world experience?

I sat in a Civic in a showroom recently. I know they’re supposed to be reliable and built really well, but they seemed quite lightly-built to me. One thing I didn’t like was the way the front passenger seat was set on a high part of the floor pan – there was a shelf in front of the seat which meant it wouldn’t be possible to sit with feet close to the seat. It’s hard to explain!

I have one. 22000 miles from new with out a hitch.

It’s the 1.6 diesel, a tank cost £45 and it will do 550 miles. Fast enough but it’s not a fast car.

Comfy and mine is stuffed with gadgets.

Easy to get two people and two bikes in. We have had 3 people and two bikes which was a bit tight, although that was two 6″4 blokes and two xl 29’ers. Our tandem fits with a bit of swearing.

If you want to sit with your feet close to the seat, you can move the seat forward.

Summary, it’s a nice car.

Oh and some honda dealers have 0% on used
Cars this weekend if that helps.

If not, December is generally a quiet month so you should have a shot at a decent deal.

Got a 2.2 hatchback, not tourer. Find it comfortable, especially on a long run. Had a C-Max previously, and I think you’d notice a much lower seating position after your Picasso and firmer suspension – just depends what you prefer. I carry 2 bikes on a Thule rack behind (I have a tow-bar)with virtually no effect on fuel consumption but on a holiday to Holland I managed to fit 2 small adult bikes in bags behind the front seats with the back seats folded up vertically (“magic seats” I think they’re called)with one set of wheels carried separately. Most of boot then free for luggage.

I sat in a Civic in a showroom recently. I know they’re supposed to be reliable and built really well, but they seemed quite lightly-built to me.

Yes, it’s something the Japanese still haven’t really got the hang of – if you use soft heavy plastics, lots of damping on door hinges and generally make the bits you touch feel solid and heavy, most Europeans will perceive that as better built and thus more reliable, when in reality it has no bearing on how the mechanicals will hold up. The cabins in my two Civics have felt much less solid than a Golf but the cars have been very reliable and the surveys support my experience. Despite the lighter harder plastics there have been almost no rattles and squeaks as the cars have aged.

Perception of quality and actual quality are two different things.