2.0 Engine Impressions

[Zerostatic]

For owners of the 2.0L, what are your driving impressions? Does the engine ever feel anemic? Do you think it feels smooth? Do you ever regret not going with the 1.5 turbo?

Given that this is a 2 liter K-series engine with almost the same HP and Torque numbers as the base RSX and EP3 Civic Is, does the car feel like those two? Or do the better mileage and the CVT (if you opt for auto) give it a distinctively different character.

I ask this because I get the impression from car journalists and youtube test drives that this car is a little weak in the power department but I remember driving a base RSX auto back in the day and it did not feel anemic at all.

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[neteng101]

but I remember driving a base RSX auto back in the day and it did not feel anemic at all.

I've not driven the 2.0L but I had a 9th gen Si K24 previously and had a base RSX auto back in the day. The 1.5T/CVT combo is super smooth... the engine is really smooth for a 4 cylinder and with the turbo and CVT, the power delivery is pretty much just a constant stream, its not peaky and some might say lacking character, but speed builds up quickly.

Given the pricing where the 1.5Ts start at - I would never recommend anyone to look at the 2.0L base Civic. I've not had this much fun in a car for a long time... the 9th gen Si always left me wanting something else, even after some mods it just wasn't very special. Add a couple hundred bucks and the 1.5T will be even faster... though the stock 1.5T/CVT combo is no slouch either. The only thing it lacks is right off the line from a dead stop, it won't be chirping tires.

 

[unr1]

test drive it

 

[arhncmh]

Never drove the 1.5. Never cared to. I buy my cars based on a fairly limited set of criteria:

1. Driver comfort.
2. Anticipated value (bang for the buck).
3. Anticipated reliability.
4. Cost of ownership (I am cheap).
5. Looks (can't be coyote ugly).

I'm not (yet) sold on the reliability of these new mini-turbo assisted engines. I generally expect the normally aspirated version to outlast its assisted brethren.

My previous car was an 8th gen LX Sedan ('07). The motor in my new LX Sedan (CVT) pulls far better, so I'm a happy camper.

Not every customer is looking to get a performance kick out of their new ride...some of us just want to feel confident they have something comfortable, reliable, and won't hurt their family budget.

 

[xcivicx]

the 2.0 is a fine engine, and is only really short on TQ compared to the 1.5. ive had both with the mt. the 2.0 has plenty of power to do anything you want, with in reason. it never huffed or puffed ever going up some pretty impressive grades, without going out of overdrive. i still may like the 2.0 more overall maybe. super smooth and quite.

 

[fiatlux]

The 2.0L is fine if you drive mostly yourself, but load it up with a couple more passengers and you really feel the lack of torque. Ditto when you're going up a grade at highway speed and try to pass slower traffic.

 

[DallasTXCivic17]

My 2.0 feels fine. Definitely not lacking power in sport mode. In drive if you turn Econ mode off you should have sufficient power for daily driving situations.

 

[Stock_07]

My previous cars are : 2005 RSX (K20A3)Manual
2014 Civic Si (K24)Manual
Current: 2016 Civic lx (k20)Manual

The Rsx was more revy and had better gears ratios although it was a 5 speed (could also has been throttle cable)
The Si was more revy and more torque compared to my 16 (engine and gear ratios)

When I was getting the 16. I drove the cvt and took character away from the K20 engine. Its a revy engine and on cvt you will not feel that. The question is would I stick with the 2.0 or 1.5? I would definitely go with the 1.5. The 1.5 is a revy turbo with power all through the rev range.

Now if you put on like 200k miles on your car you might want to stick with the k20 since its a proven design, where as the 1.5 is still new and no high milage ones to compare.

 

[David Harper]

The 2.0 is much better when paired with the MT instead of the CVT. With the MT it feels lively and torquey and fun to drive. The CVT kills the fun factor entirely. If you read the reviews of the genX civic in the automotive press,(motor trend,car and driver, etc.) they all say the same thing, the 2.0 kind of sucks with the CVT, but it comes alive with the MT. And before the 2017 civic came out, they all lamented the fact that the 1.5 turbo was only available with the CVT.
Having said that, the 2.0 is an excellent engine, one of the most advanced and innovative four cylinder mills on the road.

 

[andromeda]

For owners of the 2.0L, what are your driving impressions? Does the engine ever feel anemic? Do you think it feels smooth? Do you ever regret not going with the 1.5 turbo? <snip>

I'm 70 now and have driven everything from Jaguars to Plymouth Valiants, and I find the 2L NA with CVT to be the best thing since sliced bread. I'm especially impressed at the peppy response and cruise characteristics. Also like NA to avoid all the inherent issues [ especially long term ( as far as I've got )]with a turbo ...

 

[Axatax]

I prefer a stripped-down car, personally. If crank windows and manual mirrors were an option I would pay extra for those. I maintain my own cars and keep them until the wheels fall off. Most people probably don't.

I work in IT (ARM firmware), and I know what's going to happen 3 years down the road with that 7" touch screen: the updates will *stop* and you'll be stuck with outdated software that's tied into your cluster, climate controls, ECU and everything else. That unit is running a general-purpose OS that's being treated like a black box. It can access the internet, and you're not getting timely updates.

The time-bomb ticks...

You also have an auto manufacturer that's attempting to cater to the "tech savvy" that's *mailing* dealer-exclusive software out on USB sticks. I don't even know what to make of this. There's some disconnect with reality going on here, for sure. I'm just impressed they're not sending the updates out on 192 floppy disks. Honda is treating this device like a brake fluid reservoir or a control arm or any random part and that's not an appropriate approach for this.

Ironically, you'll find people in IT are the *most* skeptical of this level of integration. Teens will implicitly trust all of this without any question, what-so-ever.

You guys with the 7" are lucky that Honda is even releasing *any* updates for this system. I wish you the best of luck, but history isn't on your side, I'm sorry to say. Your only hope if you want to keep this car for more than one model year is for someone to root the device and open the flood gates.

I love my 2017 LX (!!), but if Honda wants to go down this route, they really need a bit of adjustment and introspection. This is an old-skool, conservative (since 2000) company that appears to be out of their league with this infotainment system.

This system will never work right -- and it's a management issue, not a software issue.

 

[Axatax]

There was a time in Honda's history were the company had the S2000, NSX, Integra Type R, EM1 and CTR all in the inventory **at the same time**. ( <<--- Think about that... Really... )

How the mighty have fallen.

Somehow, they've managed to do something right for the *first time in 16 years* and then stink it all up with this Android thing.

 

[latole]

2.0L manual is fine.

 

[arhncmh]

The 2.0 is much better when paired with the MT instead of the CVT.

This was the drive train combination I wanted as well, but opted for the CVT because I've had some back and leg issues over the last few years that swayed me away. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Streetkid]

Not sure I understand this. My 7" touch screen works without issue today - why is it not going to work in 3 years? Because something newer and better will be out? That's fine with me, your solution to this problem is to never come near anything new or innovative and therefore you won't have to have something that is fairly new and works, but not as great as what just came out.. to each his own.

I prefer a stripped-down car, personally. If crank windows and manual mirrors were an option I would pay extra for those. I maintain my own cars and keep them until the wheels fall off. Most people probably don't.

I work in IT (ARM firmware), and I know what's going to happen 3 years down the road with that 7" touch screen: the updates will *stop* and you'll be stuck with outdated software that's tied into your cluster, climate controls, ECU and everything else. That unit is running a general-purpose OS that's being treated like a black box. It can access the internet, and you're not getting timely updates.

The time-bomb ticks...

You also have an auto manufacturer that's attempting to cater to the "tech savvy" that's *mailing* dealer-exclusive software out on USB sticks. I don't even know what to make of this. There's some disconnect with reality going on here, for sure. I'm just impressed they're not sending the updates out on 192 floppy disks. Honda is treating this device like a brake fluid reservoir or a control arm or any random part and that's not an appropriate approach for this.

Ironically, you'll find people in IT are the *most* skeptical of this level of integration. Teens will implicitly trust all of this without any question, what-so-ever.

You guys with the 7" are lucky that Honda is even releasing *any* updates for this system. I wish you the best of luck, but history isn't on your side, I'm sorry to say. Your only hope if you want to keep this car for more than one model year is for someone to root the device and open the flood gates.

I love my 2017 LX (!!), but if Honda wants to go down this route, they really need a bit of adjustment and introspection. This is an old-skool, conservative (since 2000) company that appears to be out of their league with this infotainment system.

This system will never work right -- and it's a management issue, not a software issue.

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