Used 2016 Honda Civic

Buying a used 2016 Honda Civic may seem like a no-brainer, but this highly respected compact doesn’t come with a bargain-basement price tag, one of the main reasons many people look to used cars in the first place. Because of its stellar reputation for reliability and high resale values, you may find a used Honda Civic isn’t all that much less expensive than some newer rivals. However, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for, and putting up more money for a Civic may save you a lot in repair bills down the line.

In the Civic, you’ll find a compact car that is not so compact, with nearly as much interior room as the midsize Honda Accord. The Civic offers a wide variety of trims, engines and features, including the availability of the Honda Sensing suite of driver assists on every model. Fuel economy, always a Civic strong point, is near best-in-class, but sadly there is no hybrid or CNG engine for the 2016 model year.

Why Should I buy a Used 2016 Honda Civic Over a Less Expensive Competitor?
Along with its dynamic styling and outstanding quality, a used 2016 Honda Civic offers more interior room than a Ford Focus or Mazda3, more safety and driver assists than a Toyota Corolla or Nissan Sentra and better resale than nearly every car in this segment. The Civic’s massive interior is larger than most cars in this class, although the Toyota Corolla does offer more rear-seat legroom, but its trunk is nearly two cubic feet smaller than the Civics.

The Civic’s standard 158-horsepower 2.0-liter engine offers more power than the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze, plus on higher trims, the Civic offers an upgraded turbocharged 1.5-liter engine with 174 horsepower and a 42-mpg highway fuel-economy rating.

You’ll find the 2016 Honda Civic’s ride and handling far more precise than in a used Nissan Sentra, VW Golf or Chevy Cruze, but still not quite as spot-on as a comparable Mazda3. Lastly, there are the Civic’s resale values, which handily trump those of the Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, VW Jetta/Golf and Hyundai Elantra, and even top longtime rival Toyota Corolla.  Unlike most rivals that only come in sedan form, a used 2016 Honda Civic can be had in coupe form.

What Do Owners Say About Their 2016 Honda Civics?
Looking through the KBB owner reviews, it’s hard to find much to complain about. Owners love the Civic’s ride and handling, smooth power delivery and excellent fuel economy. They also rave about the car’s quality, interior design and upscale look and feel.

However, there were more than a few complaints regarding the touch-screen infotainment system that is slow to react, not terribly intuitive and desperately needing proper knobs for volume and tuning. Some taller drivers complained about hitting their head on the edge of the low roof when entering and exiting, and others found the front seats lacked proper lumbar support. Some people had issues with the adaptive cruise control and front-collision warning systems being a bit too quick to activate.

Does the 2016 Honda Civic Have Any Issues I Should Know About?
A quick check of consumer sites and Civic enthusiast forums turned up a few noticeable issues. Most concerning is an issue related to the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine and gasoline-oil dilution. According to a Technical Service Bulletin issued by Honda, the engine doesn’t warm up fast enough to combust unburned fuel, which then slips past the cylinder rings and gets into the oil, causing dilution. This can lead to engine-performance issues, as well as added volume to the oil (most noticeable when the oil dipstick reads above the “FULL” mark). The issue seems to be exacerbated in colder climes and after numerous short trips. A software update changes the way the cooling system works, allowing the engine to heat up faster.

Others areas of note include problems pairing certain Android phones with Bluetooth, sound-quality issues related to the subwoofer on the premium audio system, and reports of damage done to the radiator and air-condition coils after road debris came in contact via an opening in the lower grille. The 2016 Civic came with a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Your car may still be covered depending on age and mileage, but if you purchase a certified pre-owned (CPO) Civic from a dealer, Honda extends the engine warranty period to seven years/100,000 miles from the original date the car went into service.

What About Recalls and Safety?
The 2016 Honda Civic has a few recalls worth noting. All should have been dealt with by now, but any Honda dealer can check using the car’s VIN. If repairs have not been done, the dealer will perform them free of charge. The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall regarding the possibility that the Civic’s electronic parking brake might not engage after the car is shut off. Another recall was issued for faulty side-marker lights and yet another for issues with the 2.0-liter engine’s piston wrist-pin circlips. If the circlips are missing or improperly installed, the piston wrist pin can drift, causing damage to the engine and possibly seizure.

As for safety, the 2016 Honda Civic earned a 5-Star rating from the government and was awarded a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2016 Honda Civic manages to successfully serve as both a practical, reliable sedan and a fun, sporty model that has some of the best steering, handling and driving dynamics in the segment. The new Civic is decidedly sportier than last year, without sacrificing ride comfort, and it is agile and responsive when cornering. The Honda Civic feels both spry and stable, yet its highway demeanor is neither firm nor mushy. With the optional 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the Civic has plenty of get up and go. This engine is one of the most powerful in its class, and definitely the one to get. Power delivery is surprisingly smooth, thanks in large part to an excellent continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). With the turbo and CVT pairing you get up to 31 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway, which is better than in the less powerful, but competent, 2.0-liter four.

The new Civic is longer than the previous model, and now boasts best-in-class interior volume. Not only is it roomy, but the redesigned interior is enveloped in premium materials. The quality of the leather and plastics inside is top-notch for the segment, and the light gray leather seats use an appealing black accent strip down the middle. The available navigation system runs through a large, easy-to-read screen, which also serves as the control center for audio, CarPlay and climate control. This interior is so nice, it looks like it came out of a more expensive car.

Sweeping, elegant lines and a clean, modern design set the 2016 Honda Civic apart from its rivals, as well as from previous generations. LED headlights and daytime running accent lights give the nose a fresh, crisp look, and the lower, wider stance makes the sedan more athletic than in the past. The sedan’s clean lines improve aerodynamics, a plus when it comes to fuel economy, and its long sloping roofline also allow for a huge trunk. This sedan is sportier, more sophisticated and more modern at once, and it’s simply better looking than you expect a compact sedan to be.

HONDA SENSING
This suite of safety features includes adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning. Honda Sensing and LaneWatch, the blind-spot camera available on the 2016 Civic, round out an impressive list of safety features.

UPSCALE AMENITIES
The 2016 Civic is available with features that you don’t typically see in a compact car. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, push-button start, smart entry, driver memory settings, and remote engine start. There’s also an electric parking brake, hill-start assist and seat heaters for rear passengers.

The base 2016 Honda Civic LX comes standard with a rearview camera, LED daytime running lights, hill-start assist, an electric parking brake, an electronic remote trunk release, a capless fuel filler, Bluetooth, speed-sensitive stereo volume control, automatic climate control, and power windows and cruise control. You only need to move up to the midlevel Civic, the new EX-T trim, to get the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine standard.

There are several new features offered in the Civic, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All trim levels are available with Honda Sensing, a suite of safety features that includes adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist and lane departure warning. Also available are LaneWatch, which uses a camera to show you what’s in the right-side blind spot, and rain-sensing windshield wipers, a 450-watt, 10-speaker audio system, a one-touch power moonroof and LED headlights.

The sedan comes with a choice of two engines and two transmissions. The base engine, a 158-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, is available with either a 6-speed manual transmission or an excellent continuously variable automatic transmission. This engine offers 15 more horsepower than the 1.8-liter engine it replaces. For the smartest choice you can make, step up to the turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, which is not only more powerful, with 174 horsepower, but also more fuel efficient: The 1.5-liter’s fuel economy is only slightly lower than that of last year’s Civic Hybrid.

2.0-liter inline-4
158 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
138 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 27/40 mpg (manual), 31/41 mpg (automatic)

1.5-liter turbo inline-4
174 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
162 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700-5,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 31/42 mpg