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.
Used Honda dealers will be celebrating after the company won an award for its customer service performance.
The UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) voted that Honda UK had the best customer service, based on the responses of 24,000 consumers.
The news will be welcomed by used Honda dealers, who will also be seeking to maintain that reputation and deliver high levels of customer satisfaction.
"In tough market conditions, great customer service is a key differentiator," said Matt Gibson, head of customer services at Honda UK.
"We are delighted to have won this award, selected by the people that matter most," he added.
The UKCSI is the most wide-reaching measure of customer satisfaction in the country and is compiled by the Institute of Customer Service.
Honda has suffered falling sales along with the rest of the car industry over recent months, but used Honda dealers will be hopeful that this award for high standards of customer service will ensure motorists keep coming back to the company.
Written by Chris Malone
An expert has praised the new Honda Jazz for its high residual value.
Honda has just announced class-leading residual values for its new Jazz, offering customers even greater value for money.
The current Jazz has a 34 per cent residual value, (based on three years and 60,000 miles), according to the latest CAP Monitor survey.
This compares favourably with the 38 per cent achieved by the Volkswagen Polo 1.2 E and the 34 per cent reached by the Toyota Yaris 1.0 T2.
But the new Jazz 1.2 S tops the lot. It has a residual value of 42 per cent.
“Every now and then a car comes along that challenges the long-established rules of depreciation. In this regard the Jazz has confounded many,” said Jason King of Eurotax Glass’s.
"It’s a compact car with huge flexibility, decent driving dynamics and some of the best residual values in the industry."
"Securing strong residual values and whole life costs for a car that represents quality and value for money was critical," said Lee Wheeler, national leasing manager, Honda (UK).
Written by Bobby Minter
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 head of marketing for Honda has said that value for money is "the jewel in the crown" of the new Honda Jazz.
Tom Gardner acknowledged that building a successor to the highly-popular Jazz was always going to be a challenge, but believes that the new car will raise the bar without raising prices.
He said: "With more space, more kit, great fuel economy and low running costs, the new Jazz will appeal to its traditional customer base as well as those looking to downsize from the sector above."
The entry level 1.2-litre S is available from £9,990 (OTR), but Honda is placing even more faith in its SE grade, which includes air conditioning and 15-inch alloy wheels and is priced from £10,990 (OTR).
Honda’s i-Shift automatic manual transmission will retail at £800 and when teamed with the 1.4-litre ES the cost will add up to just £12,290 (OTR).
Manual versions of Jazz will be available in the UK in October, 2008, with the i-Shift on sale in January 2009.
When Kwik-Fit experts fiddled around with the air con the average minimum interior temperature of Hondas plummeted to an icy 5C, a drop of over 10.3C.
This compares to an average 11.3C drop in the in-car temperature post-recharge service.
Before undergoing the recharge service, the average minimum temperature achieved by undercharged car air conditioning units was a decidedly non-cool 19.5C.
After a thorough service a chillier average of 8.2C was reached.
Kwik-Fit believes that, in order to work efficiently, air conditioning units should be recharged every two years.
This will allow those inside the car to stay cool, calm and collected and help the car to burn less fuel. This enables motorists to save at the pump and slash their carbon emissions too.
So confident is the company about its recharging service that it is promising to waive the £44.95 fee if it can’t reduce the temperature at the vent of an air-conditioning unit by at least ten per cent.
Honda is to release the all-new Jazz this autumn – a car which is sure to be in tune with consumer demand for extra space, style and fuel efficiency.
The old Jazz was one of the most successful models in super-mini history, and the new model promises to be an attractive option for the increasing number of credit crunch-wary motorists looking to downsize.
Low emissions and impressive economy will be achieved, Honda says, through new i-VTEC engines.
A quick glance inside the car will show that the famous Honda ‘magic’ seats are back – now they dive down in one action, making carrying large loads even easier.
A new double-trunk boot feature in the luggage bay will be able to be configured in four ways to accommodate different-sized loads.
Backseat drivers will be pleased to note that they now have 37mm greater knee room, while the distance between front and rear passengers has increased by a handy 30mm.
EX models are fitted with a panorama roof that extends over the rear seats for an expansive view of the heavens.
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.
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