HELP!!! '08 Lancer 2.0, '08 Civic 2.0S, or '08 Altis 1.8V???

[markyap]

you know im also in the same boat...id like to share my thoughts for the 3 exact models i was looking at before buying a new car. these are my personal opinions

initially i was almost set on buying the the toyota mainly for its track record even before seeing it or reading reviews. but then it didnt have the color i wanted. being so disappointed i thought id go for a differernt maker. so checked out the lancer and the civic. i got very excited about the lancer. less so with the civic.
after the test drive of the 3 cars, altis was my winner (i settled for dark grey instead of black). civic was super close 2nd. lancer was a distant 3rd choice.

lancers 18inch wheels, rockford 9 speaker system, AFS HID high and low, 7 airbags,etc. made it such sweet deal on paper, not to mention they had the color i wanted. (civic also had the color i wanted)

but you know what, after the test driving the lancer GTA isnt all that great up close and personal. cheap materials. the interiors may look good in photos but seeing it and touching it, whole different story. gauges were tiny. red LCD display was not to my liking. the controls on center consol werent very ergonomic. dials on the climate control are so retro. arm rest was practically useless for my hight. headlights were awful (emitted light isnt smooth and not as bright as altis/civic even though it uses both high and low HID.) it may have 18 inch wheels but looks cheap closeup(unimpressive) the bagage was the smallest of the bunch not to mention the sub leave even less room. interior storage was the smallest also. shifting thru gears wasnt smooth a/t at times went back and forth like crazy. lancer was the least comfortable of the 3. also the noisiest of the 3. and the worst seats as well. swade? come on! lack of retractable side mirrors and power seats and no one pull window closing was a big downer for me. unimpressive leather quality on the steering wheel. backing up was also a problem since the back window was the smallest of the 3 and the spoiler obstracted view. clearly whats on paper doesnt equate to reality all the time...

i cant help thinking, lancer brags about safety with 7 airbag but those little things that would have made things safer everyday use like one click window close, sidemirror mouted turning lights, parking sensor(sonar) & clearer better rear view for backing up are ignored. they have saftey when accidents happen, little to prevent accidents from happening. so for safely preventing accidents id say altis tops the bunch.
i also hear altis aircon/climate control is better than the other 2.

civic has the best interior detailing among the 3 with little to complain about overall. but what mattered to me most i found altis to be at the top although there are those details that civic would be on top. features that civic outdid the altis that i didnt care too much for...faster ang 2.0s but also eats up gas faster and 1.8v altis is no slow poke and far from being under powered (plus i dont intend to race anyways)...digital speedometer (i prefer the optitron on altis). steering paddles for gear shifting which i probably never use.

here are some reasons why i pick the altis over the civic.
no auto rain/lights/parking sensor. no manual leveling of headlamps. no dual glove box. less headroom. no power seats. smaller rear window bad for backing up. bit stiff and harder less comfortable ride/seats. all these points go to altis.

civic's blue seats was not to my liking. wider turning radius than the altis but not by much and the lancer performed best here. smallest tank capacity among the 3 means more trips to the gas station.
biggest deal breaker for me sa civic is the maintenance from year 4 to year 15 would be many times more than the altis.

i only wish the altis had aux audio input. both civic and lancer has it kasi.

BTW, i know some are discouraged bout the 2008 altis coz its much alike from its previous incarnation. but the last time i bought a corolla was 1994 so im not affected by that at all.
and besides id like to think that its good they didnt try to change what wasnt broken. just enhanced and improved it a bit

[mel_pmma94]

the first time i saw the new lancer 2.0 was last year when i was in singapore...they have released it in malaysia and singapore in the mid of 2007...maybe because they have made a lot of units in rhd...
that's why i am so glad seeing it in our streets now...i really like its interior and exterior design...
i own a 2.0 civic and got no regrets having it...but still want to have the new lancer someday

ano pa nga ba ang mai-aadvice ko, i have tried the 2.0 civic s-L, so better go for civic, but if you want something new, choose the lancer!

[melrome]

Actually I'm a Corolla fan and I really like the All-New Altis but my wife insists to get a 2.0S Civic

Wife knows best

Go get a Civic. The Lancer is not for everybody.

[paolorenzo]

Wife knows best

Go get a Civic. The Lancer is not for everybody.

That's because you can easily get laid in the new Lancer! Yeah baby! :banana1: Not many wives would like the Lancer for their hubbies.

Kidding aside, the Civic might have my vote here. Kahit 2.0, matipid yung engine. And I find the Altis just too bland/conservative (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Matter of taste lang.

[Gerbo]

Naisip ko lang...di kaya age-dependent yon profile ng mga bumili?

20-30s --sports sedan for yuppies on-the-go (Lancer)

30-40s --trendy car for those who wants glamour (Civic)

40-50s --ease and comfort for subdued elegance (Corolla Altis).

[toObaDfoRu]

civic is my vote kasi we have one 2.0S-L and bago kami mgkacivic we have an altis 1.8g.so far happy kami ng mga parents ko sa civic namin.the best tlga.worth it sya for the price.hope this helps!

[niky]

Priorities lang yun... and that's down to you and your wife.

Basically, if you value driving fun, the Lancer is an excellent balance of handling and power. Most testers agree it's a hoot to drive, and it's very pretty to look at (from the outside), but as markyap pointed out, gun-slit windows aren't really great for looking out of (this is my beef with Volvo's "***y" cars, too).

If you want the most sophisitcated and powerful engine package, the Civic is it.

If you value seating comfort, the Altis is, IMHO, leagues ahead of the Civic. I can't comment on the Lancer yet. But you really have to test-drive to find out. Most people are fine with the Civic's seats. If you're that unlucky 10% of the population who don't fit properly, it really, really hurts where it pokes into your back.

The Corolla is a good car, comfortable seats, very comfortable suspension. That suspension is soft, though, and tends to sag under full loads. The steering is also plain crap. Too light, too numb, and too loose for my tastes. The very definition of "boring". Still... it's very, very easy to commute with.

The Civic is a sporting car with a great interior, the biggest rear seat and a great engine, etcetera. It rides a bit stiffly, though, and the seats... well, I mentioned them already.

The Lancer makes no bones about what it wants to be. It's not a compact family car. It's a sports sedan... the Galant GTi reincarnated. In fact, it's labelled as a Galant in other markets.

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Of course, there are other choices on the market. If you're looking at top-end models, the Mazda3 is still a good choice. The 2.0R has decent power, exceptional handling and great seats. The interior is more boy-racer than family car, but it's comfortable, if not as generous in knee-room as the Civic. The suspension is stiff-ish, but the ride is almost as supple as the Corolla's.

The Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi. May lack features compared to the others, but amazing grunt combined with 13-16 km/l in traffic? What more could you ask for? And, as most people here know, I swear by this car's toughness... damn near unbreakable. Seats are comfortable, suspension very well controlled. Rear hatch very handy.

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And there's always the ultimate family cars... the MPVs... the Grand Livina, the Carens, the Innova... cars that are, ultimately, more practical than any of these sedans/hatchbacks, though they're not as much fun to drive.

[niky]

Mitsubishi Lancer:

There's a fair bit of chicanery in quoting weights, as weights will differ between trim versions and transmission set-ups. Minimum weight for a 2.0 MT is 1320 kgs. Minimum weight for an AT is about 1410. C!'s tester is an AT with 18" wheels. Maybe the subwoofer adds 5 kgs (on the Mazda MP3, the subwoofer and 17" mags added 15 kgs to the dry weight)

Of course, since this is all "dry" weight, it's anyone's guess what actual weight is.

Also, there's some fudge factor in converting PS to HP. The official power output of the Lancer is measured in PS. Divide that by 1.01387 and you get HP, which is: 152.8795950113987.

Mitsubishi rounds this number up (which is more correct) to 153 hp (which is technically correct). Most publishers round this number down to 152 hp, which is still relatively correct.

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Honda Civic

Some markets quote the Honda Civic 1.8 at 103 kw, which is 138 hp. Why this difference exists, I don't know.

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Remember, power ratings are suggestive and based on a manufacturer's own testing. These may be subject to change given different testing regimens (Japanese power quotations don't completely follow US SAE procedures yet, which is where Honda and Toyota got burned before) and different gasoline types and emissions requirements.

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Ford Wheelbase: apparently, they've got that one completely wrong. By a whole 10mm.

[daimengrui]

Biggs, Thank you for elaborating. This needs a call to C! Magazine editors

You lazy blokes!

[Biggs]

Biggs, Thank you for elaborating. This needs a call to C! Magazine editors

You lazy blokes!

Isa pa pala... one of their major criticisms was that the Focus TDCi has no AUX port! Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!!!

[melrome]

when in doubt about HP figures, you could always have it baseline dyno'ed in Speedlab and/or Autoplus.

[niky]

when in doubt about HP figures, you could always have it baseline dyno'ed in Speedlab and/or Autoplus.

Won't do you much good. Dynos can't accurately tell you bhp. They can only state whp (which will also vary from dyno to dyno) from which you can infer bhp. It gets even worse when you consider that modern cars have ultra-efficient transmissions, which makes calculating bhp even more problematic (higher efficiency transmissions give an extra 5-10% power over older ones).

And from dynos of the Focu TDCi, it apparently makes 160 bhp.