1.5t vs 2.0 engine

jred721

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Lol finally a 2.0 vs 1.5 thread that hasn't completely derailed yet. I honestly never understood what's to compare between 1.5 and 2.0 engines. If you don't care all that much about the power but still want a reliable and not boring ride and an LX/EX has enough options for you 2.0 is a no brainer. If you need the bump in power and the more optioned out ride, then 1.5 is the way to go. Simple as that. I bought my 2.0 with the sole intention of it being a fun little commuter car that wouldn't be boring as hell to drive, checks all the boxes for me.
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lilfeat

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I prefer the more predictable power delivery. Maybe it's because I grew up on naturally aspirated engines but the turbo lag on the 1.5 drove me nuts. I cut off way more people than I liked because the power was so slow to kick in and then when it did, it rocketed ahead and nearly rear-ended the person in front of me. I'm exaggerating of course, I don't drive aggressively but my point is that I didn't get the power I wanted when I wanted it.
I’ve owned turbos three times, a 92 Saab Turbo, a 2007 RDX and currently a Civic Sport Touring Hatch with CVT. That sets the limits on my experience. I opted for that Civic because I preferred the comfort/convenience package available with that trim, and had little interest in street racing, etc. I drive swiftly but safely. The MT was not available in the lower 48 in 2017 for that trim.
I must say that even with the limits of a CVT, when making a quick lane change that requires acceleration, the drivetrain is responsive and downright quick. There is no noticeable turbo lag at all when compared to the RDX, and the Saab was bordering on dangerous waiting on the turbo boost. If you run it in Sport transmission mode it’s downright aggressive. Perhaps you experience is due to manual trans and rev management. Obviously I cannot say, since that was your experience. I know there is a huge community of users here who flash the ecu, and for them the CVT may not be an option since they wish to drive at the limits. For me, I would have picked something besides a front drive car if I were looking for a sports car. My requirements were a car I could pay cash for, that had good economy and solid reliability, some utility and decent tech features.
I say to the OP that he should drive both cars with the trans of choice, if the dealer won’t let you get on it a bit, then go elsewhere. Tell them you want to drive it at highway speeds, the entrance ramp is a good place to check acceleration.

As for the reliability issues with the 1.5, I have my fingers crossed, they extended the warranty for my car. So far with about 20K it’s been flawless and much more fun that I expected. No plans to dump it, it serves us as an ideal commuter/second car for us.
 
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BLKonBLK'16

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This seemed to take a dump with the debate over mpg. in my 2.0 6 speed on a 400 mile freeway cruise from sacramento to la, i got 46 mpg. i lost 1 mpg on a 113 mpg run for about 5 min. lost another 1mpg flying up the grapevine. set cruise to 75 in the 70 zones.
when i hear about crappy milage they seem to be comming from 1.5 owners, so go figure. one fact seems to be common is that 2.0 owners seem to like their 2.0's including me.
i would say to the op like everyone said before get the 2.0 if you don't need the little extra hp.
 

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This seemed to take a dump with the debate over mpg. in my 2.0 6 speed on a 400 mile freeway cruise from sacramento to la, i got 46 mpg. i lost 1 mpg on a 113 mpg run for about 5 min. lost another 1mpg flying up the grapevine. set cruise to 75 in the 70 zones.
when i hear about crappy milage they seem to be comming from 1.5 owners, so go figure. one fact seems to be common is that 2.0 owners seem to like their 2.0's including me.
i would say to the op like everyone said before get the 2.0 if you don't need the little extra hp.
I am actually trying to put this to the test. We make trips to Houston pretty often and it’s to the same spot and back with a round trip total of 210 miles. We went yesterday in the 1.5t cvt hatchback. I filled it up and reset the trip meter and drove normal with no heavy accelerations but kept it steady. Mostly 75 mph with cruise most of the way. Well it showed 39.8 mpg average. I did the math myself to compare to the reading and I came up with 39.5 so the reading is pretty accurate. Next time will be in my 2.0na 6speed sedan. I will drive it the same and see what I get this time around. I really think it will be the same though because that’s usually what I average when I drive long distances in it. But we will see
 

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When I got my Si, I was tempted to go for the Type R when I seen one on the lot. However, I’m not 100% sold on the rear spoiler and the interest rates for leasing are absolutely insane (6%) with no incentives at all. Plus it starts at $43k here so the payments were nuts. I got a couple thousand off and I got 0.99% with my Si, so those were all factors too. I’m loving it either way and it has just the right amount of power for my purposes.
I was also tempted by the CTR, but to me the next step upgrade after what I have would be the Accord Touring and that's what I would get if I wanted more. I have nothing against Civic Type R, including its looks, but I'm not a racer and its spartan vs. comfortable character is just not for me. I see the Accord Touring as a just a bit expanded Civic (de Luxe.) It doesn't feel too heavy and the price is roughly the same as Type R.

Btw. to those complaining on uncomfortable seats on their civic (not me): you bought the wrong car. Get the Accord Touring: a car for grownups.

 


mvela

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Yeah you are right, the rpm’s are around 2900 at 75 mph in the 2.0 in sixth gear and the 1.5t cvt is around 2200 I think. So there is a difference. But I still think the mileage is really close, if not the same. But maybe somebody else can chime in on what the 2.0 cvt gets on long trips. This is not to say one is better than the other. This is just for general knowledge for anybody thinking about buying a civic and mileage is a deciding factor.
 

BriteBlue

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I was also tempted by the CTR, but to me the next step upgrade after what I have would be the Accord Touring and that's what I would get if I wanted more. I have nothing against Civic Type R, including its looks, but I'm not a racer and its spartan vs. comfortable character is just not for me. I see the Accord Touring as a just a bit expanded Civic (de Luxe.) It doesn't feel too heavy and the price is roughly the same as Type R.

Btw. to those complaining on uncomfortable seats on their civic (not me): you bought the wrong car. Get the Accord Touring: a car for grownups.

I almost bought an Accord Touring because of the power front seats. Unfortunately the passenger side did not have a height or seat cushion tilt function. It was only forward/rearward power, and the manual seat has that adjustment. IOW nothing to be gained from the power passenger seat. The seat back reclining was power but that was not important for us. So I took a pass on the car which was the last of the V6 models. Kind of a bummer that the top of line model has basically a 2-way power seat. That's the same reason I didn't get a Civic Touring.
 

Gruber

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I almost bought an Accord Touring because of the power front seats. Unfortunately the passenger side did not have a height or seat cushion tilt function. It was only forward/rearward power, and the manual seat has that adjustment. IOW nothing to be gained from the power passenger seat. The seat back reclining was power but that was not important for us. So I took a pass on the car which was the last of the V6 models. Kind of a bummer that the top of line model has basically a 2-way power seat. That's the same reason I didn't get a Civic Touring.

The Accord Touring has "12 way power adjustment, including four way power lumbar support", which means 6 power adjustments , including 2 lumbar adjustments (in-out and up-down) and of course the seat height is adjustable, like in the civic. There is also 2-position memory. The passenger seat has only 4-way (2 way) like in the civic. Who cares about the passenger? And there is the ventilation (cooling). But the main thing is that the seats are a bit bigger and more comfortable.
 

BriteBlue

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The Accord Touring has "12 way power adjustment, including four way power lumbar support", which means 6 power adjustments , including 2 lumbar adjustments (in-out and up-down) and of course the seat height is adjustable, like in the civic. There is also 2-position memory. The passenger seat has only 4-way (2 way) like in the civic. Who cares about the passenger? And there is the ventilation (cooling). But the main thing is that the seats are a bit bigger and more comfortable.
My wife cares about the passenger.
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