2009 Honda Civic Sedan User Reviews

Pros

Well built, tight, high resale value

Cons

Too few to mention

Purchased As New

My 2009 EX is rock solid. It handles very well. I like the small diameter steering wheel and well laid out dash. It has a solid ride and the seats are comfortable enough. It?s not as comfortable as my other Honda Accord EXL but still good. The road noise is not so bad as some others have mentioned. It has plenty of power and good gas mileage ? my worst is 27mpg so far. I live in a desert climate but the AC cools the interior down quickly and is not a drain on the engine considering the small engine. Everything is built well. This is a great car!...read morehide

Pros

Best Immediate Value and Long Term Investment

Cons

Strange interior touches, difficult to judge where front bumper is when parking

Purchased As New

In May I replaced my redoubtable dark blue 1993 Civic DX sedan with a 2009 blue Civic DX-VP sedan. My old vehicle had 203,000 miles on it and earned my brand loyalty with its agility, reliability, durability, ride and mileage.

The first 2009 Civic DX-VP I bought was royal blue and within 100 miles it was totaled when I was run off the road by a semi-truck when merging in a construction zone. The car proved tremendously safe as it smashed through 4 barrels full of sand and rolled over sliding a hundred feet on its roof. I emerged unscathed.

I was the only person in the vehicle at the time but the rest of the passenger compartment was not compromised and any other passengers would have escaped injury. I can vouch for the outstanding safety of this vehicle.

I now own a 2009 Atomic(light) Blue Civic DX-VP. The operating theory was my old dark blue car was vengeful that I had handed her over to cretins who covered her in strange stickers and various modifications of dubious value and replacing her with another dark blue Civic was too much!

The Civic DX-VP is a superb value. It only cost a few thousand more than my first Civic did in 1993- and the 1993 DX was a real stripper lacking air, radio, hubcaps, passenger side mirror etc.

Not only did I get a great deal on the car but I can rest assured that it will hold its retail value extremely well. A similiarly optioned focus would have cost slightly more, lacked ABS, was smaller, got worse mileage and was the inferior product.

Even if everything was equal, which they are not, the difference in depreciation between these two vehicles is tremendous. Although this allows someone else to get a great deal on a used focus it is quite detrimental to the original owner.Unless you plan on keeping your car forever (which I do) the resale value should be an extremely important consideration.

The Civic's obvious was solidity is impressive. It feels like it is carved out of one piece. Events later proved its safety but the vault like quality is evident when you first get in. The car has ample space for 4 passengers. In the rare event that you need to seat 5 the foot-well for the rear seats is totally flat and lacks the annoying hump that was present in the 5th generation version.

For front passengers the Civic is surprisingly roomy with sufficient elbow room for a couple of 200+ lb. adults. Front headroom is also impressive and is increased further by the lack of a sunroof. The driver seat can be elevated manually and lowered. The rear seat room is ample for 2 adults.

The DX-VP does have a fewer options, a different center console and interior materials than the other models. But all of the mechanical components are the same. I found the stereo quite acceptable for a base factory stereo and it does come with an iPod adapter. Surely it is no Acura TL sound system but aside from being a bit bass heavy I found it fine for automotive purposes.

The engine is a technological marvel that gets 1.5 liter mileage on the highway and 2.0 liter performance in town from a 1.8 liter package.It revs freely up to is 6800rpm redline. Car and Driver tested the heavier LX in a "15k Comparo" and wrung out a 0-60 times of 7.7 seconds and a best in test rolling 5-60mph of 8.6 seconds.

The beauty of the Civic is not just dynamo numbers or out of the box 0-60mph times. Longevity, quality, and value in a fun to drive package is what it offers. Large enough to serve as a vehicle for road trips, a top notch vehicle for urban driving/commuting and a perfect primary driver. It is a superbly engineered package.

The Civic's ultimate selling point is reliability, durability and longevity. Every car will look good on the showroom floor or even at 25k miles. But with the Civic you know that it will be free from groans, rattles and mechanical issues for a good decade.

To recap it is the best car in its class, the best value and its advantage continues to grow over the long haul....read morehide

Pros

comfort, value, looks, spacious interior, fuel economy, reliability

Cons

seats uncomfortable

Purchased As New

Having owned 2 BMWs, and an Audi A4, I just wanted a good, reliable car with good mileage (a turbo GTI sold last year was getting 16MPG on premium at nearly $5/gallon -- had to trade that in). Civic with leather was a surprising choice -- I thought of Civics as cheapo economy cars -- but after a year I'm astonished at the value in a car that came in at about $23k to own -- super high quality interior, elegant and well-made; no rattles; interior as roomy as a friend's midsize Lexus; great sporty comfortable ride with surprising handling and fun factor (I had a '97 Accord so I can tell you Honda can design in dull when they want to -- with this, they designed in fun); the exterior design is really elegant, i love looking at the car; quality and workmanship superb -- doors close with a solid sound, frame is tight -- GTI (though i loved it) frame groaned when going up a sharp incline in parking garage -- no such body groans with Civic -- front seat position huge and welcoming, great visibility out all windows, quiet interior, outlandish mileage. My dad has a Porsche and marveled at quality of the Civic interior -- all in all, I cant understand how so much value is provided at such a low price. Top it off, the car is manufactured in the US, so jobs stay here and it goes to show how superb American workmanship can be when the product is good. All in all, an amazing deal....read morehide

Pros

Nice sporty car, good pick up

Cons

A little tight getting in and out, remote key can be a problem

Purchased As New

I purchased this car to replace my 99 Accord EX. The comfort level is not as good as the Accord, but since it's a second car I couldn't justify the drastic price difference. It took some time to adjust. The remote key is a pain.The alarm goes off or the trunk opens when it hits something in my pocketbook. My Accord key was separate from the remote. I think this was a better design.
I have owned two Hondas prior to this and both were sold in great condition at 10 years old. Never had a major problem.My husband has a 2000 Odyssey and loves it. Great reliable cars!!!...read morehide

Pros

Good gas mileage, handling, value

Cons

Uncomfortable leg position!!!

Purchased As New

I sold my 98 Civic LX and bought a 09 Civic EX-L. In general it's a huge upgrade and I love the new styling.

One major problem though - having gone on my first trip, I now realize there isn't a comfortable position for my right leg. The only place to rest my right knee is against the very hard surface of the hand brake handle. Honda engineers clearly didn't take into account drivers comfort in designing the driver's seat area. I'm going to have to use some pipe insulation to pad the handle so points off!

I like the outside temp on the dashboard but I think most folks would rather have a built in compass.

One other gripe - the fuel cap is attached to the fuel door and there's no gas cap holder/bracket to keep it from dangling and scratching the paint below the fuel door while you fill up at the station...stupid!!...read morehide

Pros

excellent fuel economy. nice looks

Cons

agree: mediocre stereo system

Purchased As New

very happy I purchased this over the Toyota Corolla, having driven an automatic for years, fun to get back into the manual transmission.

Pros

Great fuel economy, comfortable seating, appearance,

Cons

Back window sloped a bit high

Purchased As Used

I love my car! It's a 2004 model that was a demo car at an auto dealer in its previous life. It came with about 2500 miles on it, so it was basically new. We get great gas mileage and with my husband commuting by bike, we only need one car. We fit two car seats in the back just fine. The trunk is a good size, so we can cram a large stroller and groceries in there without much of an issue. This car is a workhorse. We've been driving it for five years now and have never had any issues. It's comfortable to drive and we anticipate buying another Honda Civic when it's time to upgrade, although we may go Hybrid....read morehide

Pros

Great Commuting Car

Cons

Mediocre Stereo

Purchased As New

I've just hit my first 1500 miles and thought I'd jot down some thoughts to help others make the decision on where to spend a ton of money (anything in the $15k range, too me, is a ton of money). A big decision. I spent approx 3 months researching and test driving a myriad of vehicles: from compacts to small pickups to small SUV's. At the end of the day I decided on a Honda Civic. My biggest obstacle was "me" defining my needs. After 20 years of driving pick-up trucks it was tough to move to a small sedan. My priorities ended up being: 1) car price, 2) gas mileage (gasoline will continue to climb in price), 3) reliability, 4) serviceability. So, I negotiated a very good price with the dealer, not hard to do these days (inventory is obviously high) - wait until the last days of the month and you'll do best (publicity owned companies need to show sales in the current month and if the dealer can turn a few more vehicles on the 29th or 30th of the month they will). My average mileage after 1500 miles is 37 mpg (I drive approx 80% highway and tend to drive using "gas saving techniques" as much as possible), the dealership is very customer oriented and close to my home and, my wife, who owns a 2002 Civic, has had great reliability with her car.
The car is very nice (context here - I'm a 5'9" male at 190lbs): sliding into the drivers seat is a tad tight, I find myself rubbing against the seat side each time (not a big deal). The seat is quite comfortable and supporting. The instrument panel is extremely well engineered: everything is easily viewable, I particularly like the elevated position of the odometer. The few times I've needed power to merge onto the highway there was no problem, I was surprised with the kick the car offers. The automatic transmission is fairly "perfect" (much better than the Toyota Matrix auto trans) with gear ratios that work very well for the engine hp and car weight. The car is obviously engineered for economy and efficiency: it is very stable and solid on the highway (aerodynamic design and low center of gravity helps here) but, the car is lightweight, which you also can feel (hard to describe). Steering and braking are superb, but with a wider turning radius than expected. The stereo controls are fine but the speakers are not (Honda could have and should have provided for better speakers all around). Road noise is an issue with all the compact cars, no exception with the Civic (it is what it is, but not horrible, actually quieter than most of the other cars I test drove). The rear seat is comfortable with plenty of room: the folding down seat feature is great (I've already used it a couple of times to move large items). Overall, a great car that exactly fits my needs. This is not a BMW (or other high-end car), it isn't built with that level of quality or structure/sturdiness. It is a low priced production vehicle that has plenty of room and comfort for four adults, gets great gas mileage (if you drive it with conservation in mind), is extremely nimble and responsive, and hopefully, will prove reliable for many years....read morehide

Pros

It's a Honda...I think that says it all

Cons

OK so it could use a few more accessories, but that's a minor thing

Purchased As New

It's a Honda. Does it get any better than this? It's a great car. It's reliable, it's quiet, it's a smooth ride, & it just about turns on a dime.

Yes, it should include some basic floor mats (but I bought basic set for $5 from a nationwide auto parts store). It could use a center console arm rest. I'm also getting a leather steering wheel cover to help protect the steering wheel....read morehide

Pros

Smooth ride, quiet, good gas mileage. Great basic transportation

Cons

Are there really any? It's a Honda. Could use a few more accessories.

Purchased As New

Other than needing a few more accessories in the DX-VP model like a arm rest & some floor mats, this is a great car. It's roomy & comfortable, it's reasonably priced, preforms well, good gas mileage, & reliable. What else do you need in car?

This is my 2nd Honda & I hope it last me at least 10+ years until they come out with a car that has another energy source....read morehide