What's Wrong With This Picture: The Incredible Melting Interior Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

The interior on the right belongs to the 2011 Honda Civic. The interior on the left belongs to the new 2012 Civic. Apparently they just left the older one out in the sun for a while, causing it to melt and sag.



Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Mike Obradovich Mike Obradovich on Feb 24, 2011

    I am so utterly disappointed in Honda's attempt at a "new" Civic, I almost can't stand it. I was excited when I heard they were going back to the drawing board after feeling the heat of the new competition, but at the same time, apprehensive. To me, that move was a two-fold. On the one hand, I was happy to see they recognized their shortcomings and went back to square one to rectify it. On the other, what kinda of mediocre garbage HAD they planned on giving us in the first place? The new Civic looks like the current Corolla and Civic got frisky. Literally. That's the only difference I can see in the body. The interior is also a profound step in the wrong direction. It doesn't flow from a design standpoint. At all. I've owned a 2006 Civic Si and a 2010 Civic EX-L sedan with navi. The Si, in four years, had it's transmission replaced three times (I fought them for two years before they'd fess up to the wholly underpublicized 3rd gear issue), and it never was really fixed, the SRS airbags malfunctioned twice in the passenger seat, the power steering died twice as a part stopped sending signals to the car, the door panels couldn't stay connected, it had starting issues, the alcantara fabric was wearing after 2,000 miles, the subwoofer cracked like four times, and it had a ridiculously bad rev hang. That said, it was probably one of the most fun to drive cars I've ever owned. It had a sleek coupe exterior, the Fiji Blue color was gorgeous, the seats comfortable and gripping, was fuel efficient, and, when working, the transmission was a pleasure. It got to be too much of a problem and Honda wasn't willing to help me at all. The transmission was what bit it for me and the build quality. I thought, at first, maybe I was just unlucky. Then I bought my 2010 EX-L last May. In 14,000 miles, the cable reel in the steering column broke (and it just broke in the last 100 again), the heated seat heaters stopped working on both seats, the clip that holds the leather to the underside of the seats broke off, and the blower motor died...twice in the middle of subzero Minnesota winter. It has also, from the first frost-ridden night, exhibited major starting problems. It's a damn shame, because truthfully, as of the last gen compact segment, the Civic was easily the most well-rounded (the Mazda3 is still the best, if you ask me, fuel economy aside). It was arguable one of the more attractive compact cars, fun to drive, decently fuel efficient, and had decent materials. But I can't explain or justify all of these problems. I've owned three heavily used American cars from the 90s in my life, and combined, they had less problems than my Civic Si did. I can effectively say that while I want to love Honda, I probably won't ever buy one again. Which is truly a shame, because the Si was a great little car. And I don't care what anyone says, that two-tiered speedometer, love it or hate it aesthetically speaking, is fantastic. I hated it for the first five minutes but now I can't imagine being without it.

  • Ion Ion on Feb 24, 2011

    Heres whats wrong 1 the gas pedal is no longer hinged to the floor 2 they expanded the upper split dash 3 the waythe heated seat control is on the center console is a waste of space 4 they ruined the e-brake integration 5 what happened to fit and finish?

  • 28-Cars-Later One of the biggest reasons not to purchase an EV that I hear is...that they just all around suck for almost every use case imaginable.
  • Theflyersfan A cheaper EV is likely to have a smaller battery (think Mazda MX-30 and Mitsubishi iMEV), so that makes it less useful for some buyers. Personally, my charging can only take place at work or at a four-charger station at the end of my street in a public lot, so that's a crapshoot. If a cheaper EV was able to capture what it seems like a lot of buyers want - sub-40K, 300+ mile range, up to 80% charging in 20-30 minutes (tops) - then they can possibly be added to some lists. But then the issues of depreciation and resale value come into play if someone wants to keep the car for a while. But since this question is asking person by person, if I had room for a second car to be garaged (off of the street), I would consider an EV for a second car and keep my current one as a weekend toy. But I can't do a 50K+ EV as a primary car with my uncertain charging infrastructure by me, road trips, and as a second car, the higher insurance rates and county taxes. Not yet at least. A plug in hybrid however is perfect.
  • 28-Cars-Later Neither, but Honda lost the plot a while back in my view so Rav it would be.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Nope. Still not interested.
  • 28-Cars-Later I know someone who would snap this up for the right money, but Ontario and likely the ask would prohibit it.
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