People looking to purchase cars through the scrappage scheme would do well to look at the Honda Civic, it has been suggested.
Research conducted on behalf of the Sunday Times shows some manufacturers have increased their finance deal mark-ups in response to the initiative, which was introduced by the government in its April Budget as part of an attempt to stimulate the car market.
Under the scrappage scheme, owners of cars whose vehicles are more than ten years old can receive a discount of £2,000 if they put the money they save towards a new vehicle.
While half of the subsidy is funded by the government, the remainder is made up by car manufacturers – and the newspaper speculates that some have resorted to making up lost money by increasing charges in other areas.
However, the survey shows that it is still possible to secure a £2,000 discount on a car and an attractive finance package.
Honda in particular has been praised for offering a good finance deal in conjunction with a scrappage scheme reduction, with zero per cent offered on new Civic, Civic Type-R and CR-V models.
Features of the Honda Civic include 17" alloy wheels and an innovative Dual Zone driver environment.
There is no catch to the latest Honda Civic, one reviewer has indicated.
Writing for the Times, Jason Dawe remarked that the appearance of the car will even appeal to male petrolheads, through its "sporty low roofline and wraparound headlights".
Meanwhile, the 2.2-litre turbodiesel offering allows a driver to witness solid levels of speed and acceleration without having a too negative effect on the environment.
Mr Dawe added that the vehicle can accelerate from still to 60 miles per hour in under nine seconds, while still allowing a motorist to be able to complete more than 50 miles per gallon of fuel.
Alternatively, motorists could opt for a 1.4-litre petrol engine or a 1.8-litre petrol offering, which offers greater speed with little change to the fuel economy.
Furthermore, he revealed that the sporty appearance of the vehicle continues on the road through a firmer ride, while the vehicle is also said to provide strong residual values and good reliability.
Those interested in buying a Honda Civic also have the dilemma of which colour to choose, with options including Tangerine Orange Metallic, Nighthawk Black Pearl and Milano Red.
High performance is the name of the game for Honda as it has revealed a new version of its popular Honda Civic Model.
Writing for the Coventry Telegraph, Peter Keenan highlights that there are a lot of comparisons that can be made between the Civic Type S and its "big brother", the Type R.
However, he notes that the new Type S comes with an improved interior, as the fabrics used on the seats are "smarter", while a brushed metal trim adds to the instrument console.
Furthermore, he indicates that passengers will benefit from "vast" amounts of legroom and there is also plenty of rear space for luggage in the "massive" boot.
In terms of the general facts of the vehicle, the Civic provides a combined fuel economy of 42.8 miles to the gallon, while generating CO2 emissions of 156g/km.
Motorists will also be able to reach a top speed of 127 miles per hour when driving the 1.8-litre petrol offering.
Among the colours available to buyers of a Honda Civic are Milano Red, Nighthawk Black Pearl and Tangerine Orange Metallic.
A young motorist has been left "impressed" after winning a competition to pimp up his used Honda Civic, the Torquay Herald Express has reported.
Matthew McLaurin won the Mod My Motor competition, meaning that mechanics were given £5,500 to transform his vehicle.
The idea of the competition was that a typical run-down car was given a new lease of life, with the 23-year-old collecting tokens to beat off stiff competition to win the prize.
He told the publication: "I’m really impressed with the results. It’s been a long wait but it looks spectacular.
"It was ready for the scrap-heap. I can’t really believe it’s the same car."
Some of the work carried out included the fitting of a new music sound system, engine-tuning, a new spray-paint, alloy wheels, a new exhaust and tinted windows.
Top Gear has concluded in a review of the Honda Civic that the vehicle is "cool" with a "fantastically intuitive" cabin.
Motorists on the look out for a used Honda Civic in Reading may be able to pick up a bargain at the opening of a new dealership in the town.
Clover Leaf already runs two Honda dealerships in Berkshire – in Ascot and Newbury – and now it has secured a contract in Reading.
In the dealership there is space for the inclusion of 50 used cars, alongside a ten-car showroom for those looking at a new model.
As well as being of benefit to Honda fans, the dealership has also assisted in providing jobs for the nearby community, with further vacancies expected as the business develops.
Bernard Bradley, general manager of cars at Honda (UK), said: "It’s really important for Honda to have another strong outlet in the Berkshire area.
"The facilities at Clover Leaf are fantastic and will prove popular with existing Honda owners in the area, as well as those looking to buy a new car."
Gary Peters, franchise general manager for Clover Leaf Reading Honda, added that it is anticipated that the dealership will be successful despite the current economic climate.
A review of the Honda Civic from What Car? highlighted the fact that the vehicle was "superb" in terms of safety and security.
With motorists already snapping up used Honda Civic models as they seek out hybrid vehicles, they may soon be able to turn their attentions elsewhere in the Honda range.
Earlier this month Honda revealed that its total hybrid sales had cleared the 30,000 mark worldwide, with the Civic Hybrid and Civic IMA at the head of this market.
As of April, used car fans will have a new vehicle to choose from in the hybrid range as Honda releases a new Insight.
The first generation Insight was initially launched in 1999 and the latest update to the range is eagerly awaited, with predictions expecting 30,000 of the models to be sold across Europe each year.
In all it is expected that the new vehicle will sell 200,000 globally on an annual basis, with 10,000 orders already being placed in Japan.
A review of the Honda Civic hybrid by Andrew Frankel in the Times states that the vehicle offers much better fuel consumption than other 1.6-litre cars, as motorists can complete 60 miles per gallon rather than the general 40 miles per gallon.
Used Honda Civic fans looking to pick up a cheap vehicle in the fleet could do so through a new five-door model that has been added to the line up.
Although the 1.4 DSI SE fails to match the speed of other vehicles from the Honda Civic range, "it still impresses with its refinement", according to Auto Express.
In terms of appearance the new Honda Civic benefits from a changed front, which means the inclusion of an updated front grille.
On the inside, the vehicle features the familiar "striking split dashboard" and the quality of the material used is "excellent", according to review writer Owen Mildenhall.
When it comes to driving on motorways, used Honda Civic drivers will still be able to get almost 50 miles per gallon from the 1.4-litre engine, alongside "responsive steering" and a "compliant ride".
Overall, Mr Mildenhall states the vehicle is "no hot hatch", but still "great fun".
The previous version of the Honda Civic, which may be owned by many used car drivers, was the eighth generation and reached the market in 2005.
The 2009 Honda Civic is to get an invaluable night-time driving aid – mirrors which darken automatically in response to the headlamp glare of rearward-approaching vehicles.
The Gentex interior base auto-dimming mirror will be available as an option on all 2009 Civic trim levels sold in European Union countries and have begun shipping already.
A recent European study of night-time driving found that a majority of motorists have been dazzled by glare in their rear view mirrors caused by the headlamps of the cars behind them.
Half the participants taking part in the study already had auto-dimming mirrors fitted to their cars and were convinced it contributed to safety and helped prevent accidents.
Such owners indicated that they felt safer driving at night with this feature and were less likely to be dazzled by the headlamps of other cars. Improved concentration and less visual fatigue resulted from having them.
Gentex research estimates that about one in five new vehicles manufactured worldwide offer an interior automatic-dimming mirror.
Written by Bobby Minter
The Which? magazine’s car section has found that not only are Japanese cars reliable, but they are more reliable than they were a few years ago.
This phenomenon, unfortunately, only appears to extend to cars manufactured there. The Honda Civic, assembled in Swindon, in the UK, failed to match Honda’s worldwide number one rating of 85 per cent, with the British version only achieving an 82 per cent reliability rating.
This is behind Toyota (84 per cent), Daihatsu, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki – all of which achieved 83 per cent.
Other British marques fared badly too – Land Rover’s reliability put it joint bottom of the table with the American brands Chrysler and Dodge only scoring 67 per cent. Vauxhall scored 75 per cent, while Jaguar and Mini could only manage 78 per cent reliability.
Richard Headland, editor of Which? Car, says: "Japan continues to show the rest of the world how to make consistently reliable cars, although the new Honda Civic shows they’re not infallible. Some British-built cars, on the other hand, don’t exactly run like clockwork. Land Rover, in particular, needs to raise its game."
The German vehicles, which are also considered technologically advanced and well built, have faltered a little and their Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz marques all have average reliability scores, while Volkswagen is rated as poor – the Passatt recorded a rating of 80 per cent.
As rising fuel bills present a case for hybrid cars, new research has shown that some may not save many more emissions that diesel models.
According to a new report from Clean Green Cars, current hybrids while may not hold any significant savings or CO2 advantage over their diesel counterparts.
Fuel consumption figures revealed that diesel models generally used less fuel and therefore emitted less CO2 and saved consumers money.
The Toyota Prius ran on 39.9 mpg compared to the Jeep Patriot on 38.9 mpg in a driving environment involving urban, dual carriageway and motorway driving.
Jay Nagley, Publisher of Clean Green Cars, said that consumers may be surprised by the results of their study.
"Hybrid technology offers the prospect of real benefits, but only with the next generation of plug-in hybrids using more advanced lithium-ion batteries which are expected from 2010.Current models only confer dinner-party bragging rights," he said.
The test also studied the Honda Civic and the Ford Focus Econetic with the Civic registering 40.2 mpg and the Ford registering 52.7 mpg.
Richard Bremmer, editor of Clean Green Cars, was keen to point out that Britain should not be against hybrids – which are particularly popular in the states – because the concept offers could prospects.
But he warned that it may be until 2010 before consumers are able to see a hybrid drive up to 40 miles on an electronic charge.
"For your next new car, we would generally recommend an economical conventional engine – for the one after that a hybrid may make sense," he explained.
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