2016 Civic Coupe Reviews [Compilation]

RobbJK88

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Threads
22
Messages
1,099
Reaction score
669
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda Civic EX Coupe
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
I see a constant trend among the articles in that "why get the 2 door when the 4 is more useable with back doors". And also "why does honda still bother with a coupe variant due to lack of competition"

In the videos posted of the press event Honda mentioned why the coupe was so important. Yes, the sedan has more utility, but the coupe has always been the basis of the civic's style. And people looking for something affordable, sporty driving and more sporty looking than a sedan will go to coupes. It's the whole form over function argument. I'm a single guy, no kids, and don't really care to haul friends around all the time, so for me choosing the (arguably) more stylish and sportier coupe is a no brainer for me. It's a different demographic they're appealing to. If you need utility you get the sedan, if you want aesthetic you get the coupe. It's not really a good reason to bash the coupe just because it lacks the utility of the sedan, it's not meant to appeal to families and sedan buyers.

Secondly the "why a coupe still" argument due to obvious lack of competition. Honda mentioned this in interviews as well. Coupes started dying off when the economy took its dive. Peoples minds shifted from fun style just because to a more bang for the buck sense of thinking. Less disposable income and more of a need for utility/multitasking etc took over and affordable coupes like the cobalt coupe and others died off. Historically, other automakers tend to flub their coupe counterparts by not making them quite special enough to justify less utility over their almost identical sedan brothers. (i.e. the elantra coupe) If a car maker isn't willing to spice up the suspension and change up the styling a bit (more than just removing rear doors) then yea, it's gonna fail. A coupes lack of utility has to be made up in it's sportier style and driving dynamic, which honda has historically always done for the civic coupe by making it more than just a sedan with less doors.

Besides all that, the coupe civic sells quite well. Better than other coupes in the same market by a pretty wide margin, why would honda want to potentially get rid of such a big money maker and push those customers to competition that does still offer a coupe/3 door hatch variant? And now that the economy is making a slight upswing we could very well see a resaturation of small sporty affordable coupes form various automakers assuming the upswing continues for a few more years at least.
 

MyFirstHonda

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Threads
19
Messages
291
Reaction score
155
Location
Eastern NC
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Type R
Country flag
Well said RobbJK88. The coupe looks amazing and I'd love to own one. However, the sedan works to my advantage as a family guy and mentor. Honda is able to reap the benefits of buyers like us who enjoy vehicles for different purposes.
 

atomicfuel

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Threads
0
Messages
31
Reaction score
15
Location
Seattle, WA
Vehicle(s)
'16 Civic Coupe (soon!) ☆
In the videos posted of the press event Honda mentioned why the coupe was so important. Yes, the sedan has more utility, but the coupe has always been the basis of the civic's style. And people looking for something affordable, sporty driving and more sporty looking than a sedan will go to coupes. It's the whole form over function argument. I'm a single guy, no kids, and don't really care to haul friends around all the time, so for me choosing the (arguably) more stylish and sportier coupe is a no brainer for me. It's a different demographic they're appealing to. If you need utility you get the sedan, if you want aesthetic you get the coupe. It's not really a good reason to bash the coupe just because it lacks the utility of the sedan, it's not meant to appeal to families and sedan buyers.
Agreed completely with this. I'm also single, childfree (I don't want kids), hardly carpool to begin with, and my family lives thousands of miles away. It also seems to be an unpopular opinion (from what I've seen around here, haha) in that I prefer the look of the coupe over the sedan—I love how the rear looks. It ticks all of my boxes of what I want in a next car and I'm happy they're still offering "sporty" coupes.
 


ichii

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2016
Threads
4
Messages
437
Reaction score
148
Location
PA
Vehicle(s)
2016 Civic coupe and 2011 CR-Z
Country flag
Agreed completely with this. I'm also single, childfree (I don't want kids), hardly carpool to begin with, and my family lives thousands of miles away. It also seems to be an unpopular opinion (from what I've seen around here, haha) in that I prefer the look of the coupe over the sedan—I love how the rear looks. It ticks all of my boxes of what I want in a next car and I'm happy they're still offering "sporty" coupes.
Same here, It would be an adjustment coming from a Accord sedan to a civic coupe, but I'm sure I can fit 2 Asians in the back no problem
 
Joined
May 16, 2015
Threads
0
Messages
34
Reaction score
13
Location
United States
Vehicle(s)
2013 civic si
I will forever be. Coupe person...hands down ....I don't like driving a bunch of people around and I'm single...if I need bigger I'll venture to the accord coupe...I'm always more like...why would you want a sedan!! But again ...it's not needed for me
 

RobbJK88

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Threads
22
Messages
1,099
Reaction score
669
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda Civic EX Coupe
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
I will forever be. Coupe person...hands down ....I don't like driving a bunch of people around and I'm single...if I need bigger I'll venture to the accord coupe...I'm always more like...why would you want a sedan!! But again ...it's not needed for me
Same here. I've had many friends and family tell me they couldn't even imagine me in a sedan, i'm just a coupe person. I've considered the Accord coupe on a few different occasions when the 9th gen civic coupes were still pre refresh. Alot of people love big huge SUVs and Trucks, i like small coupes (Audi TT is a favorite, and the new civic coupe has a very very similar shape IMO.) I'll take a punchy little turbo 4 coupe over a monster V8 gas guzzler any day honestly.
 

Assolute

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Threads
0
Messages
34
Reaction score
10
Location
Arizona
Vehicle(s)
2003 Honda Civic DX Sedan
Country flag
I will forever be. Coupe person...hands down ....I don't like driving a bunch of people around and I'm single...if I need bigger I'll venture to the accord coupe...I'm always more like...why would you want a sedan!! But again ...it's not needed for me
I'm with you. My current civic is a Sedan but I've regretted it since buying it and I am 1000000000000% excited to get the Coupe!
 

Vtak Groceries

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Threads
1
Messages
230
Reaction score
181
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
08 Civic Si HFP, 2017 Golf R
Im getting the Coupe also. Its is a bit more sporty looking, and not having a A-Piller beside my head is nice if you are a taller person who puts the seat back alot.

Another thing I noticed a Coupe car does better than a Sedan is..... Wind! If you are cruising with your window all the way down you will not get air smashing your face. In a sedan with the smaller sized door and the seat in my driving position it is not as pleasurable. The larger door on the Coupe flows the air to the rear passenger seat of the car.
 
Last edited:


PirelliPZero

Active Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2015
Threads
1
Messages
165
Reaction score
255
Location
PA
Vehicle(s)
EJ6, CBR
The coupe appeals to younger buyers, and that is such an important demographic. (Heck, the whole of Scion was created just for that purpose.) The idea is that if you get a young buyer, with the right product you can gain a customer for life. Every automaker is after young buyers, and the coupe - simply by being a more attractive/sportier version of a smart automotive purchase - achieves that goal.

This has even further reach when you consider the used market. Naturally the very youngest buyers generally purchase used cars, and the Civic coupe is immensely popular in this respect. While that particular purchase doesn't equate to new-car sales for Honda, its satisfied owner is very likely to keep buying Honda products, eventually new.

Beyond just age, the coupe consumer is generally more of an "enthusiast," relatively speaking. More likely to spend money on accessories, make repeat purchases (to keep up with trends - as coupe buyers tend to be more trend-conscious) and have more of an automotive forum presence, which is also very valuable to Honda.

So for the automotive press to dismiss this all on account of spaciousness is very short-sighted. The coupe is actually a very important product.
 

tcaudo

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Threads
4
Messages
217
Reaction score
144
Location
new jersey
Vehicle(s)
2016 civic ex-t
So a 15.0 1/4 and 0-60 in 6.6 from car and driver. The coupe and sedan weigh practically the same at around 2900 so performance should be equal. It appears the numbers are getting closer and closer to current si numbers with more testing. I like how car and driver added "honda insiders are noticing after further testing the 1.5t is faster than current si" cough hondata cough cough....
 

hondabuildquality

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Threads
4
Messages
69
Reaction score
32
Location
California
Vehicle(s)
Honda Civic
I see a constant trend among the articles in that "why get the 2 door when the 4 is more useable with back doors". And also "why does honda still bother with a coupe variant due to lack of competition"

In the videos posted of the press event Honda mentioned why the coupe was so important. Yes, the sedan has more utility, but the coupe has always been the basis of the civic's style. And people looking for something affordable, sporty driving and more sporty looking than a sedan will go to coupes. It's the whole form over function argument. I'm a single guy, no kids, and don't really care to haul friends around all the time, so for me choosing the (arguably) more stylish and sportier coupe is a no brainer for me. It's a different demographic they're appealing to. If you need utility you get the sedan, if you want aesthetic you get the coupe. It's not really a good reason to bash the coupe just because it lacks the utility of the sedan, it's not meant to appeal to families and sedan buyers.

Secondly the "why a coupe still" argument due to obvious lack of competition. Honda mentioned this in interviews as well. Coupes started dying off when the economy took its dive. Peoples minds shifted from fun style just because to a more bang for the buck sense of thinking. Less disposable income and more of a need for utility/multitasking etc took over and affordable coupes like the cobalt coupe and others died off. Historically, other automakers tend to flub their coupe counterparts by not making them quite special enough to justify less utility over their almost identical sedan brothers. (i.e. the elantra coupe) If a car maker isn't willing to spice up the suspension and change up the styling a bit (more than just removing rear doors) then yea, it's gonna fail. A coupes lack of utility has to be made up in it's sportier style and driving dynamic, which honda has historically always done for the civic coupe by making it more than just a sedan with less doors.

Besides all that, the coupe civic sells quite well. Better than other coupes in the same market by a pretty wide margin, why would honda want to potentially get rid of such a big money maker and push those customers to competition that does still offer a coupe/3 door hatch variant? And now that the economy is making a slight upswing we could very well see a resaturation of small sporty affordable coupes form various automakers assuming the upswing continues for a few more years at least.
Well said, RobbJK88!

Only other things I would want to add is the improved (arguably) ergonomics for the driver with the longer door and windows, which Vtak Groceries also mentioned, and that the coupe is the basis for the SI and the Type R.

Also, for me, and this is entirely just only about style and personal appeal, but I've always liked the interior space of coupes. There is something about it, that it's smaller, more of a closed in and personal space.

Automotive critics a lot of times suck at actually critiquing cars. I recommend not clicking the MotorTrend link. They are the ones who posted the awful Youtube review "the slowest supercar ever?" of the NSX, and then proceeded to bash the car without providing any tests, track times, or any discussion at all as to why they labeled it the "slowest supercar ever?"
Sponsored

 


 


Top