Long term reliability; 1.5T vs 2.0NA ?

[raf702]

Hey all, so I'm in the market and very soon to buy a 2016+ Civic. I've got my eye on the 2016 1.5T, and already test driven a 2016 2.0 the other day. And it drove smoothly no complaints at all, not much to say there. This will be a long term vehicle, as well as my daily driver.

In regards to long term reliability, which one has the advantage? Even with regular maintenance of both. I'm leaning more toward the 1.5T, because it obviously has turbo, more power, slightly better mpg, and more features from the LX-P which is the second option.

I plan for the engine to remain stock for the most part, just keep things simple, aside from exterior/interior mods. Thanks, I appreciate everyone's input!

Ralf

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[swah_fk7]

Hey all, so I'm in the market and very soon to buy a 2016+ Civic. I've got my eye on the 2016 1.5T, and already test driven a 2016 2.0 the other day. And it drove smoothly no complaints at all, not much to say there. This will be a long term vehicle, as well as my daily driver.

In regards to long term reliability, which one has the advantage? Even with regular maintenance of both. I'm leaning more toward the 1.5T, because it obviously has turbo, more power, slightly better mpg, and more features from the LX-P which is the second option.

I plan for the engine to remain stock for the most part, just keep things simple, aside from exterior/interior mods. Thanks, I appreciate everyone's input!

Ralf

1.5t is a lot funner.

 

[raf702]

1.5t is a lot funner.

Of course, lol. I've come from a history of having FI vehicles. But never had one as a daily driver, they were always my weekend/toy car. Again this car will serve as my long term daily driver.

 

[Masked]

Hey all, so I'm in the market and very soon to buy a 2016+ Civic. I've got my eye on the 2016 1.5T, and already test driven a 2016 2.0 the other day. And it drove smoothly no complaints at all, not much to say there. This will be a long term vehicle, as well as my daily driver.

In regards to long term reliability, which one has the advantage? Even with regular maintenance of both. I'm leaning more toward the 1.5T, because it obviously has turbo, more power, slightly better mpg, and more features from the LX-P which is the second option.

I plan for the engine to remain stock for the most part, just keep things simple, aside from exterior/interior mods. Thanks, I appreciate everyone's input!

Ralf

The 1.5T is a lot more fun then the 2.0NA. But if you are looking for long term reliability I would go with the 2.0NA. The 1.5 having a turbo will affect its lifespan and it is also going to be more costly in term of repairs if the turbo fails and whatnot.

 

[Royal_Purple_Oil_Filter]

Of course, lol. I've come from a history of having FI vehicles. But never had one as a daily driver, they were always my weekend/toy car. Again this car will serve as my long term daily driver.

2.0 for sure. Problems like turbo leak will never be a possible concern in the 2.0

 

[raf702]

The 1.5T is a lot more fun then the 2.0NA. But if you are looking for long term reliability I would go with the 2.0NA. The 1.5 having a turbo will affect its lifespan and it is also going to be more costly in term of repairs if the turbo fails and whatnot.

2.0 for sure. Problems like turbo leak will never be a possible concern in the 2.0

Very true on that aspect. Tough choice, I like the fact that 1.5T has the power on demand if necessary. And I don't mash on the gas regularly, I'm pretty conservative with my driving habits.

 

[Watchman999]

Be really careful when you are considering a GDI engine instead of a Port Injected engine. The 1.5T is GDI, the 2.0 is PI. I would only buy a GDI if there was a dual injection system where the backs of the intake valves are getting "washed" with gasoline. Otherwise....walnuts....google it. SavageGeese on Youtube has a good summary of the issue too. Honda is new to the GDI game....careful, careful, careful.

 

[raf702]

Be really careful when you are considering a GDI engine instead of a Port Injected engine. The 1.5T is GDI, the 2.0 is PI. I would only buy a GDI if there was a dual injection system where the backs of the intake valves are getting "washed" with gasoline. Otherwise....walnuts....google it. SavageGeese on Youtube has a good summary of the issue too. Honda is new to the GDI game....careful, careful, careful.

Similar carbon build that I had when I had my BMW 335i that need walnut blasting. This is an inconvenience to know for the 1.5T, also being it's the first generation FI engine for 2016. Typically first generation engines have issues, and get fixed by the following generation. Also just read about the oil dilution issues with the 1.5T's, I really have to make a choice soon.

 

[PhilF]

Similar carbon build that I had when I had my BMW 335i that need walnut blasting. This is an inconvenience to know for the 1.5T, also being it's the first generation FI engine for 2016. Typically first generation engines have issues, and get fixed by the following generation. Also just read about the oil dilution issues with the 1.5T's, I really have to make a choice soon.

I had a 16 EX-L , Ran it 38k without any real issues. I now have a 19 Touring, essentially the same car. There is some good advice here, 1st, I'd go to a 17 or 18, apparently the 16 has some "1st year issues" The turbo is fun, gets great mileage and is responsive, the 2.0 is rock reliable. Given the GDI/Turbo issues, Honda has not had a lot of carbon issues. Using a good 0W-20 synthetic, changing at 5k intervals and exclusive use of Toptier fuel generally alleviates or minimizes this as a concern, don't do extended warm ups especially if you're in a cold climate and make sure the car gets regular highway time to minimize oil/fuel dilution issues. Personally I'd look for a 17 or 18 Certified which has an extended warranty if you want to go low-risk. My 16 was fine, but any 1st year car has some issues. Good hunting!

 

[raf702]

I had a 16 EX-L , Ran it 38k without any real issues. I now have a 19 Touring, essentially the same car. There is some good advice here, 1st, I'd go to a 17 or 18, apparently the 16 has some "1st year issues" The turbo is fun, gets great mileage and is responsive, the 2.0 is rock reliable. Given the GDI/Turbo issues, Honda has not had a lot of carbon issues. Using a good 0W-20 synthetic, changing at 5k intervals and exclusive use of Toptier fuel generally alleviates or minimizes this as a concern, don't do extended warm ups especially if you're in a cold climate and make sure the car gets regular highway time to minimize oil/fuel dilution issues. Personally I'd look for a 17 or 18 Certified which has an extended warranty if you want to go low-risk. My 16 was fine, but any 1st year car has some issues. Good hunting!

I appreciate your input! I'm sticking with 16' since that's what my budget allows for. I've been reading other threads, and people with the 16' 1.5T don't seem to have issues, even from 20K to 100K+ miles. I drive conseratively, not a heavy footed. I wouldn't be boosting the car regularly.

I'm looking at a pre-owned of course at a non-honda dealer which this car im looking at is at a BMW/Mini dealer.

 

[jtrader]

Get a 2.0L and Ktune it!

 

[Design]

The 2.0 simply has less moving parts and is based upon decades of refinement from Honda's knowledge of the K Series powertrains.

The 1.5T is still relatively new. It may suffer from mild fuel dilution under certain ambient/operating conditions. And there really aren't a lot of higher mileage examples out there (comparatively).

Carb deposits aren't nearly as big of an issue on modern DI powertrains though. Honda reportedly uses valve overlap to force a small portion of fuel over the backside of the intake valves on the upstroke.

 

[fenix-silver]

Pretty much all been said, but I'll give my 2 cents: As far as a turbo vs NA, a turbo is always going to have more moving parts, more oil/coolant lines, etc, but as long as you are properly maintaining things and keeping an eye out for leaks, there's no reason a turbo engine can't last just as long as NA at this point. Turbo's have been around for so long now that they've basically been perfected. Now, regarding DI vs PI, that's likely a bit of an unknown, but it doesn't sound like these engines have been having much carbon buildup issues and walnut blasting is a relatively reasonable maintenance procedure. The fuel dilution issue isn't completely fleshed out yet, so if you live in a cold weather area and do lots of short trips, it might be something to be concerned about or at the very least, keep a close eye on (change oil more frequently, get UOA).

 

[raf702]

I appreciate all the info, I live in So-California. Cold weather is not an issue, it’s typically cool or warm in my area throughout the year.

I don’t do short trips much. As I do a 40-45 mile round trip daily to and from work, 90% of that is highway driving. Stop and go traffic only when there’s traffic on the freeway.

 

[COOL COUPE]

Some have suggested that direct injection spark ignition engines share some similarly to diesel engines... Hence the black particle matter build up. Couple that with Honda confessing they toned down HP for longevity... The 1.5 could also be the diamond in the ruff. If you get to 100 000 miles you should get the turbo redone but then it's going to be good for another 100 000. It's the CVT that I would run far far far far away from! I used to have a CVT and then moved to the Si.

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