Is the 10th Gen right for my small family?

[Gh0st]

I've been looking into the 10th gen and I'm probably going to be buying a car next year, or the following. Civic (Specifically the hatchback) has caught my eye for sure.

Family of 3, only child.

Live in Canada, roads are salted for fairly heavy winters each year. Other than that, I'd just like a comfortable, but fun ride.

If you know of any big changes coming to the Honda line worth waiting for, what are they? Is there anything about the current gen of Civics you wish they had? Anything you wish they would change?

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[REBELXSi]

If you do get a 10th gen, get the 2.0L as they claim the 1.5L has problems in cold weather with oil dilution.

 

[CastorX]

I think it is completely fine for a family of 3. Im pretty sure this is one of the „roomiest“ in the compact car class.
As mentioned by rebelxsi, buy the 2.0 n/a instead of the turbo if possible. Honda says they solved the oil dilutionnproblem, but I‘m not so sure. I don‘t have such Problems in this part of Europe, because the weather is much warmer. I also don‘t know if there is a difference in the oil dilution problem between the engines l15ba and l15b7. Europe gets the l15ba only and here i didn’t hear about any oil dilution problems.

 

[charleswrivers]

It’s fine. Look at my profile picture. Family of 5. You don’t run out of room until you hit 6 unless you’re willing to stick the baby in the trunk.

For real though... it’s the size of an Accord from 20 years ago. The Fit is more like the size of a Civic from when I was growing up. Folks keep getting bigger and bigger vehicles, but that’s a perceived need/upsell that generally isn’t necessary day to day. 3 kids are perfectly content to have dad row through gears on a reflashed Si. Might outgrow it in 5+ years but it’s been fine. The ‘15 this car replaced was fine too. I also had 3 car seats in that Si... one rear facing, and that car was smaller in the back than this one.

 

[Jes_si562]

i recomend getting a accord they have much more room

 

[charleswrivers]

i recomend getting a accord they have much more room

Thats certainly an option and can/should be cross shopped. I did. There is more legroom as it’s a stretch of the same platform. I sat in both and didn’t care for the Accord. Given all I’d have to if given up to get an Accord, I thought it compares poorly for a vs the Si. If we’re talking normal-sized humans... especially children, a Civic has plenty of room. Kids, even grown ones, don’t need to ride in the back of a BMW 7 series... or large car/SUV.

Not trying to talk down to you or anyone else, just want folks to make an informed decision and it’s just wild to me that having a kid seems to equal, I need a van/SUV/large car. They’re little human beings... flexible... they don’t ache yet. ? Folks also shouldn’t think of a Civic as a compact car anymore.

Our Civics have exactly 1/2” less rear legroom than a 2000-era Accord. It’s a huge “small” car and is totally grown out of its segment. Mid-sized cars are supposed to be between 110-120 cu feet. At 112.9 cu feet for a sedan, a 10th gen Civic meets the metrics to be mid-sized, not compact. Gen 9s were a little smaller at 107.1 cu feet and still would have been considered compact. Gen 8s 102.9. Gen 7s... 98.8. The Civic today is *huge* compared to when I had my 7th gen-based RSX, and still used it was a single rear-facing car seat in the back w/o issue.
Accords at 122.3 are technically out of the midsize segment and into the large one.

Vehicle size classes by U.S. Fuel Economy Guide for sedans[5]

Class	Interior combined passenger and cargo volume index
Minicompact	< 2,405 litres (85 cu ft)
Subcompact	2,405–2,830 litres (85–99.9 cu ft)
Compact	2,830–3,110 litres (100–109.9 cu ft)
Mid-Size	3,115–3,395 litres (110–119.9 cu ft)
Large	≥ 3,400 litres (120 cu ft)

Hip room is a little less than older Accords so it won’t seat 3 across the back as good but 1 or 2? Perfect. My 3 are still young and don’t have the genes to be big/wide people so it’ll never be a problem. I had to be a little choosy with getting 3 car seats to fit based on width, but they will fit if you choose... wisely.

Here’s a thread in the subject awhile back. https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/am-i-crazy-dadlife.21173/page-6#post-359044
I actually have pictures of the 3 across from ‘15 Si that had a inch-plus less legroom vs this one. The rear seat also was a little more angled. There’s other stuff in the thread too. Not sure if your kid is in a car seat still... booster... or older. Still, I just don’t see it being an issue unless he/she is a 6 footer.
OP, good luck with whatever you choose. Big enough is big enough and kids don’t need ‘walkin’ around’ room in the back of a car. IMO, if you want to get bigger, get it for your own wants and needs and and not because you feel like you’ve got to the get the biggest thing for the smallest person in the family. I also just want to clear any misconception that a “Civic” is a small car. It has grown 2 segments since gen 7 based on its interior volume and is absolutely a mid-sized car. You can choose to get a bigger car still... but don’t make that choice based solely on the idea a Civic is still small. It’s all grown up. Today’s Fit is more of what a Civic was when I first started driving.

 

[MutatedMango]

I see you're looking at the hatchback and also that people in this thread are recommending to stay away from the 1.5T. I thought after 2019 they fixed the oil dilution issues for the most part but if you do want to go the safer route with the slower, more robust 2.0NA then you would have to go with the sedan/coupe in the Sport trim or below unfortunately. All the hatchbacks come with the 1.5T motor standard

 

[Gh0st]

Thats certainly an option and can/should be cross shopped. I did. There is more legroom as it’s a stretch of the same platform. I sat in both and didn’t care for the Accord. Given all I’d have to if given up to get an Accord, I thought it compares poorly for a vs the Si. If we’re talking normal-sized humans... especially children, a Civic has plenty of room. Kids, even grown ones, don’t need to ride in the back of a BMW 7 series... or large car/SUV.

Not trying to talk down to you or anyone else, just want folks to make an informed decision and it’s just wild to me that having a kid seems to equal, I need a van/SUV/large car. They’re little human beings... flexible... they don’t ache yet. ? Folks also shouldn’t think of a Civic as a compact car anymore.

Our Civics have exactly 1/2” less rear legroom than a 2000-era Accord. It’s a huge “small” car and is totally grown out of its segment. Mid-sized cars are supposed to be between 110-120 cu feet. At 112.9 cu feet for a sedan, a 10th gen Civic meets the metrics to be mid-sized, not compact. Gen 9s were a little smaller at 107.1 cu feet and still would have been considered compact. Gen 8s 102.9. Gen 7s... 98.8. The Civic today is *huge* compared to when I had my 7th gen-based RSX, and still used it was a single rear-facing car seat in the back w/o issue.
Accords at 122.3 are technically out of the midsize segment and into the large one.

Vehicle size classes by U.S. Fuel Economy Guide for sedans[5]

Class	Interior combined passenger and cargo volume index
Minicompact	< 2,405 litres (85 cu ft)
Subcompact	2,405–2,830 litres (85–99.9 cu ft)
Compact	2,830–3,110 litres (100–109.9 cu ft)
Mid-Size	3,115–3,395 litres (110–119.9 cu ft)
Large	≥ 3,400 litres (120 cu ft)

Hip room is a little less than older Accords so it won’t seat 3 across the back as good but 1 or 2? Perfect. My 3 are still young and don’t have the genes to be big/wide people so it’ll never be a problem. I had to be a little choosy with getting 3 car seats to fit based on width, but they will fit if you choose... wisely.

Here’s a thread in the subject awhile back. https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/am-i-crazy-dadlife.21173/page-6#post-359044
I actually have pictures of the 3 across from ‘15 Si that had a inch-plus less legroom vs this one. The rear seat also was a little more angled. There’s other stuff in the thread too. Not sure if your kid is in a car seat still... booster... or older. Still, I just don’t see it being an issue unless he/she is a 6 footer.
OP, good luck with whatever you choose. Big enough is big enough and kids don’t need ‘walkin’ around’ room in the back of a car. IMO, if you want to get bigger, get it for your own wants and needs and and not because you feel like you’ve got to the get the biggest thing for the smallest person in the family. I also just want to clear any misconception that a “Civic” is a small car. It has grown 2 segments since gen 7 based on its interior volume and is absolutely a mid-sized car. You can choose to get a bigger car still... but don’t make that choice based solely on the idea a Civic is still small. It’s all grown up. Today’s Fit is more of what a Civic was when I first started driving.

Thats certainly an option and can/should be cross shopped. I did. There is more legroom as it’s a stretch of the same platform. I sat in both and didn’t care for the Accord. Given all I’d have to if given up to get an Accord, I thought it compares poorly for a vs the Si. If we’re talking normal-sized humans... especially children, a Civic has plenty of room. Kids, even grown ones, don’t need to ride in the back of a BMW 7 series... or large car/SUV.

Not trying to talk down to you or anyone else, just want folks to make an informed decision and it’s just wild to me that having a kid seems to equal, I need a van/SUV/large car. They’re little human beings... flexible... they don’t ache yet. ? Folks also shouldn’t think of a Civic as a compact car anymore.

Our Civics have exactly 1/2” less rear legroom than a 2000-era Accord. It’s a huge “small” car and is totally grown out of its segment. Mid-sized cars are supposed to be between 110-120 cu feet. At 112.9 cu feet for a sedan, a 10th gen Civic meets the metrics to be mid-sized, not compact. Gen 9s were a little smaller at 107.1 cu feet and still would have been considered compact. Gen 8s 102.9. Gen 7s... 98.8. The Civic today is *huge* compared to when I had my 7th gen-based RSX, and still used it was a single rear-facing car seat in the back w/o issue.
Accords at 122.3 are technically out of the midsize segment and into the large one.

Vehicle size classes by U.S. Fuel Economy Guide for sedans[5]

Class	Interior combined passenger and cargo volume index
Minicompact	< 2,405 litres (85 cu ft)
Subcompact	2,405–2,830 litres (85–99.9 cu ft)
Compact	2,830–3,110 litres (100–109.9 cu ft)
Mid-Size	3,115–3,395 litres (110–119.9 cu ft)
Large	≥ 3,400 litres (120 cu ft)

Hip room is a little less than older Accords so it won’t seat 3 across the back as good but 1 or 2? Perfect. My 3 are still young and don’t have the genes to be big/wide people so it’ll never be a problem. I had to be a little choosy with getting 3 car seats to fit based on width, but they will fit if you choose... wisely.

Here’s a thread in the subject awhile back. https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/am-i-crazy-dadlife.21173/page-6#post-359044
I actually have pictures of the 3 across from ‘15 Si that had a inch-plus less legroom vs this one. The rear seat also was a little more angled. There’s other stuff in the thread too. Not sure if your kid is in a car seat still... booster... or older. Still, I just don’t see it being an issue unless he/she is a 6 footer.
OP, good luck with whatever you choose. Big enough is big enough and kids don’t need ‘walkin’ around’ room in the back of a car. IMO, if you want to get bigger, get it for your own wants and needs and and not because you feel like you’ve got to the get the biggest thing for the smallest person in the family. I also just want to clear any misconception that a “Civic” is a small car. It has grown 2 segments since gen 7 based on its interior volume and is absolutely a mid-sized car. You can choose to get a bigger car still... but don’t make that choice based solely on the idea a Civic is still small. It’s all grown up. Today’s Fit is more of what a Civic was when I first started driving.

Man I'm new around here, and wow. What an incredibly helpful and thorough post.

I really appreciate the insight! My wife and I are one and done, so it's good to know it'll be a good fit for us!

I'll definitely bring a car seat and stuff to see how everything fits and works but again, I appreciate the answer!

 

[Gh0st]

I see you're looking at the hatchback and also that people in this thread are recommending to stay away from the 1.5T. I thought after 2019 they fixed the oil dilution issues for the most part but if you do want to go the safer route with the slower, more robust 2.0NA then you would have to go with the sedan/coupe in the Sport trim or below unfortunately. All the hatchbacks come with the 1.5T motor standard

Good point! I'll have to keep that in mind. Really unfortunate that those issues popped up. Since I'm buying in a year or two, I'll get to see if any issues pop up with the newer models.

I still like the look of the coupe, the hatchback just keeps growing on me.

 

[Jes_si562]

Thats certainly an option and can/should be cross shopped. I did. There is more legroom as it’s a stretch of the same platform. I sat in both and didn’t care for the Accord. Given all I’d have to if given up to get an Accord, I thought it compares poorly for a vs the Si. If we’re talking normal-sized humans... especially children, a Civic has plenty of room. Kids, even grown ones, don’t need to ride in the back of a BMW 7 series... or large car/SUV.

Not trying to talk down to you or anyone else, just want folks to make an informed decision and it’s just wild to me that having a kid seems to equal, I need a van/SUV/large car. They’re little human beings... flexible... they don’t ache yet. ? Folks also shouldn’t think of a Civic as a compact car anymore.

Our Civics have exactly 1/2” less rear legroom than a 2000-era Accord. It’s a huge “small” car and is totally grown out of its segment. Mid-sized cars are supposed to be between 110-120 cu feet. At 112.9 cu feet for a sedan, a 10th gen Civic meets the metrics to be mid-sized, not compact. Gen 9s were a little smaller at 107.1 cu feet and still would have been considered compact. Gen 8s 102.9. Gen 7s... 98.8. The Civic today is *huge* compared to when I had my 7th gen-based RSX, and still used it was a single rear-facing car seat in the back w/o issue.
Accords at 122.3 are technically out of the midsize segment and into the large one.

Vehicle size classes by U.S. Fuel Economy Guide for sedans[5]

Class	Interior combined passenger and cargo volume index
Minicompact	< 2,405 litres (85 cu ft)
Subcompact	2,405–2,830 litres (85–99.9 cu ft)
Compact	2,830–3,110 litres (100–109.9 cu ft)
Mid-Size	3,115–3,395 litres (110–119.9 cu ft)
Large	≥ 3,400 litres (120 cu ft)

Hip room is a little less than older Accords so it won’t seat 3 across the back as good but 1 or 2? Perfect. My 3 are still young and don’t have the genes to be big/wide people so it’ll never be a problem. I had to be a little choosy with getting 3 car seats to fit based on width, but they will fit if you choose... wisely.

Here’s a thread in the subject awhile back. https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/am-i-crazy-dadlife.21173/page-6#post-359044
I actually have pictures of the 3 across from ‘15 Si that had a inch-plus less legroom vs this one. The rear seat also was a little more angled. There’s other stuff in the thread too. Not sure if your kid is in a car seat still... booster... or older. Still, I just don’t see it being an issue unless he/she is a 6 footer.
OP, good luck with whatever you choose. Big enough is big enough and kids don’t need ‘walkin’ around’ room in the back of a car. IMO, if you want to get bigger, get it for your own wants and needs and and not because you feel like you’ve got to the get the biggest thing for the smallest person in the family. I also just want to clear any misconception that a “Civic” is a small car. It has grown 2 segments since gen 7 based on its interior volume and is absolutely a mid-sized car. You can choose to get a bigger car still... but don’t make that choice based solely on the idea a Civic is still small. It’s all grown up. Today’s Fit is more of what a Civic was when I first started driving.

i agree big time the 10th gen have way more room compared to older genration, especially the sedans. When it comes down to the hatchbacks they have very little room compared to the sedans but still its decent im size

 

[charleswrivers]

Man I'm new around here, and wow. What an incredibly helpful and thorough post.

I really appreciate the insight! My wife and I are one and done, so it's good to know it'll be a good fit for us!

I'll definitely bring a car seat and stuff to see how everything fits and works but again, I appreciate the answer!

You’re very welcome. A lot of folks don’t realize how much the Civic has grown by over the last few years. The car really has no business being considered a compact car anymore. If the Fit grows it’s next generation as much as the Civic did from gen 9 to 10... it’ll be out of the subcompact class and actually bigger than a gen 7.

The Civic can give you a little bit smaller, efficient more tossable platform that’s also cheaper than an Accord. It defiantly gives up on interior room and a few niceties and I encourage you to cross shop the Accord and any other car you want. I couldn’t get an Accord to compete well against a Civic Si at their respective price points. Even a 2.0T Accord wouldn’t be as small and tossable like a Civic and lacks a LSD. I swore I’d never get another sporty FWD car without one after having owned the RSX w/o one.

I just want to share that the only real compromise that should give anyone pause that I think our platform has for its rear-seat room as a ‘pocket midsize’ is seat width and requires careful selection of car seats if you want to go 3-across. It can be done. If you’re done at 1 child... the idea of needing a large car to me is crazy. I mostly focused on sedans... Hatches/Coupes? (I haven’t looked up their internal volume and haven’t owned them in gen 9 and 10 so am less familiar with them first-hand) will be a little different but similar. I’d just sit in the back of a coupe/hatch if that’s what youre leaning towards. I could sit in the back of my much smaller RSX and be fine at 5’9”, though as a small hatch, it’s roofline was different than a modern Civic coupe. Any taller though and my head would have touched the rear glass in a RSX. Coupes/hatches tend to have a little bit different rear dimensions and rear headroom from the slope of the roofline. Again... I’ve just crawl around back there to be sure.

But... if you want a Civic... it’ll work. If you want a bigger vehicle... that’s also fine. Just don’t feel like getting a modern Civic is getting stuck with a tiny compact or even subcompact car that won’t have sufficient room for your smallish family if 3. I was genuinely surprised how much bigger the back of gen X was compared to 9... and 9 was much bigger compared to my RSX, which was tighter with a sharply sloping rear hatch glass. I crawled all over both gen 9 and 10 to ensure it’d work for 3 kids. I bought my ‘15 and ‘18 already being a family of 5 and needing it to fulfill my needs.

Good luck! Have fun shopping.

 

[tacthecat]

Hatchbacks only come with the turbo engine 1.5 or 2 liter (CTR)!

 

[MutatedMango]

Good point! I'll have to keep that in mind. Really unfortunate that those issues popped up. Since I'm buying in a year or two, I'll get to see if any issues pop up with the newer models.

I still like the look of the coupe, the hatchback just keeps growing on me.

The hatchback is definitely super cool and would be really practical since you have a small family. The coupe was cool for me because I'm single and young so I just wanted something that looked cool haha

 

[jred721]

I also have a family of 3 with a Civic albeit the Civic is not a primary vehicle. But I will say that the CIvic has plenty of room in the back, never found it cramped at all. Car seat fits perfectly as well. However, if you're buying and not leasing then you could definitely get a lightly used/certified accord that is exactly the same car as the one that they are selling new, for the same price as a new Civic hatchback. It will offer a little more room and also a bit more premium interior if that stuff interests you. Otherwise, a Civic hatchback should fit your lifestyle quite well.

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