Honda, sell me a damn Civic Hatch!

[hfpdohc]

get a blue.....no no black.......

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[zamdrang]

This is exactly what I just went through looking for a Sport 6mt in Lunar Silver. I looked for a couple of months and talked to so many dealers I lost track. Each gave me the same speech... "no one wants a manual anymore" but... and this is the irony... "they sell as fast as they come in". Talk about talking out of both sides of their mouth..... i'd ask which is it? It became clear pretty quick they are all at the mercy of Honda and they just wanted to sell me a CVT.

The lack of supply for this model is a joke. I noticed most of the review magazines and sites were given 6MTs to review, surely Honda makes this choice deliberately, which drums up excitement. Then Honda makes the decision to produce so few you cant find one? The whole experience left me shaking my head. I did finally found one in PA used with 400 miles on it. Im in CA and had it shipped. Yes I paid a chunk of change to do so, but I was not going to compromise on the tranny or the color.

6MTs are out there, just be prepared to travel and/or jump the moment you find one. Now that I have it I love it, (other than the front seat feels oddly off center from the wheel and the numb electric steering which has almost zero road feel) Glad I didn't compromise. Just be patient and dont fold, youll find one. I still say the lack of supply by Honda is absurd and the entire experience had me looking at other brands.

 

[jks]

I'm baffled by the corporate hatred of manuals also. And yes, the demand is much greater than Honda says. First, they sabotage the FE of their manuals by fitting a too low gear ratio top gear. Then they lie about the FE of the manuals in their literature. They claim their CVTs get better gas mileage which just isn't so. Then, if they offer a manual at all, it's only on one trim level and the stripper trim at that. Then they don't make enough of that trim level to satisfy the market. Then when you try to buy the manual, the salesmen look at you like you have two heads and say they can't get them because there's no demand.

Auto's are a high-profit option when the choice is avail, so that may be part of the reason. When young, inexperienced drivers (honda civic drivers) get hold of a manual they often mis-shift and destroy the engine which Honda often ends up paying for. That could be part of the reason.

 

[zroger73]

Auto's are a high-profit option when the choice is avail, so that may be part of the reason. When young, inexperienced drivers (honda civic drivers) get hold of a manual they often mis-shift and destroy the engine which Honda often ends up paying for. That could be part of the reason.

Manual transmissions are much simpler and less costly to design and manufacture than automatic transmissions. There are no internal clutches, bands, pistons, servos, accumulators, pumps, check valves, torque converters, sensors, solenoids, or controllers. It costs a lot more to design and manufacture an automatic transmission. There is also an argument for the improved safety of automatic transmissions (i.e., an automatic in "park" is more secure than a manual in 1st or reverse and the driver is able to keep both hands on the wheel more often and with less distraction). Automatics can take full advantage of driving aids and convenience features (i.e., Honda Sensing and remote start). Honda aren't stupid. The market for manuals has been shrinking for years and they are simply responding. The fact remains that the vast majority of drivers prefer automatics. Manual transmissions are deliberately purchased by a increasingly smaller segment of the population. Personally, I like having a choice. I enjoy driving my manual Si for fun, but I enjoy driving my automatic Ridgeline for comfort. Honda have determined that they aren't missing out on that many sales of manuals; otherwise, they'd make more of them - they are a for-profit company.

For many years now, ECUs have set a silent code for engine overspeed (indicative of a driver mis-shift in a manual transmission). Hondas (and other brands) also have a "black box" function that records engine data and "assists the technician in performing a diagnosis". This function is completely separate from the Event Data Recorders used to record crash data. Warranty claims can and have been denied for customers with failures due to mis-shifts.

 

[repeet]

When I first noticed the new Civics, I figured that I would buy the LX 6MT. After researching, I realized that the one I wanted was a Sport 6MT. Problem is that there are almost no Sport 6MTs for sale. So I started looking at the Si. All Sis are 6MT. I think that I really would have been very happy with a Sport Hatch 6MT. To bad that there are 100 Sis for sale for every Sport 6MT. So I ended up with an Si. Worse things have happened.

 

[Shankmeyster]

It's ironic considering how many manuals every other country seems to be getting and the fact that the Si and Type R only come in manual and are selling like gangbusters. But yeah, no one wants manual in this country /sarcasm.

 

[zroger73]

It's ironic considering how many manuals every other country seems to be getting and the fact that the Si and Type R only come in manual and are selling like gangbusters. But yeah, no one wants manual in this country /sarcasm.

The demand for manual transmissions has historically been stronger in other countries, although that demand is waning as well.

It may seem that the Si and Type R are selling like gangbusters, but that's only because supply is lower than demand and we're standing in the same (small) room with other fans of these vehicles. In reality, total annuals sales of both of these vehicles combined is less than the number of Ridgelines that Honda sells. Even though it's a high-profit, $30-$45K product, Honda would hardly notice if it completely disappeared - it only exists as a production filler and to keep a small number of Honda buyers from having to leave the Honda brand in search of a pickup.

If The Si and even Type R (gasp!) were available with an automatic transmission, they'd sell even more. Still, total sales would be a tiny fraction of the scores of Civics, Accord, and CR-Vs that make Honda money.

 

[myke]

When ever I see a cool car in a parking lot I walk by it and peek inside... if I see an automatic shifter I get bummed out...

 

[fjrman]

I've been driving Honda manuals for many years. Never had a Honda automatic until this Civic.

I have to admit I'm glad I got the CVT instead of a manual. I would have bought a manual if available but I couldn't find one in my limited search.

I'd expect the vast majority of folks want a car which is easy to drive with minimal effort from them. While a manual is easy to drive, an automatic is a lot easier particularly in town when you're playing with a phone.

Very few drivers have any interest in testing the rev limiters of their engines. They just want to move about comfortably with minimum hassles from their car.

 

[neteng101]

I'm baffled by the corporate hatred of manuals also.

Its elementary - EPA numbers for the CVT is better for their fleet CAFE numbers, and having to produce multiple different models with both tranny options is more costly. Also the dealers just don't have to have a car that has a much smaller buyer population sitting on their lots - they don't know when that guy is going to come knocking for it, they'd rather have something they can sell to the average buyer that walks in.

I'm convinced AHMC is absolutely obsessed over their CAFE numbers and going eco/green. Although they also purposely gear their MTs wrongly so they're not tall enough for highway cruising in 6th and thus don't get better EPA MPG numbers... its like sabotage!

 

[fjrman]

A few dealers should get the word out that they focus their efforts on marketing manual Hondas. They are the go-to dealers catering to manual customers.

They can price them aggressively letting everyone know they are a pipeline for manuals.

Honda will get them product if they know they'll move them aggressively.

I got my motorcycle from a dealer who specialized in the model I wanted. He sold over a hundred per year when most dealers sold one or two per year. Word of mouth about this dealer brought him buyers from all over the southeast. He priced aggressively and he sold lots of bikes.

A good strategy for a small bike dealer in the rural South.

 

[jks]

A DCT, done right, would be OK with me. It's bad enough that Honda isn't meeting the demand of their existing and potential 6MT customers, the CVT is the worst possible alternative. This is where Hyundai is going to eat Honda's lunch if they're not careful. Hyundai offers 6MTs or 6 or 7-speed DCTs. Win win. I have an order in for an LX 6MT. If Honda screws up, that new Elantra GT is going to get a really hard look.

 

[TypeSiR]

Problem solved. I no longer hunt for that elusive Sport HB 6MT, albeit as a second car.

In a year or so the market will be saturated with EVs. Maybe Honda is wise to limit production on the 6MT HB. I long for the day when Honda makes an exciting EV that we all can afford.

 

[Froz3nTundra]

I keep offering people my Sport Hatch at $5k ADM but no takers, not sure what's up /troll

 

[dannyo67]

I have a 6MT Sport and this sounds dumb, but the leather steering wheel is the best additional feature.

As for gas mileage, I drove from Burlington to Rhode Island on around half a tank the other day, what more do you want?

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