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AO Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: dundee, scotland
Posts: 237
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'96 civic vtec coupe.....
tale of two coupes....OR head vs heart
1996 honda civic 1.6 sr coupe
well, this wee car is the antithesis of my rumbustious fiat coupe. sure it has a factory fited bodykit, alloys, fog lights and a rear spoiler, but its bland to the point of anonymity, unlike the fiat which screams LOOOKATMEEE to all and sundry with its italian matinee idol looks. behind the wheel its the same old japanese standard issue...much airier and more spacious than the fiat for sure, but again, lacking the drama of the italians coachbuilt interior...then, after about, oh, half a mile, you realise that this cars ergonomics are pretty much spot on. clutch, gearchange both light as a feather, all the dials are clear and easily read. the seats are japanese standard issue grey velour and are a wee bit flat and lacking in suport, but then, strangely enough, i find exactly the same about the fiats gorgeous looking leather armchairs. the honda steering has a lighweight delicacy the fiat can only dream about..yes, the fiats steering is light but the honda just feels so much more poised...it goes exactly where you point it, instant compliance, no histrionics, i dont doubt the fiat has much more outright grip with its big gumball clad alloys, but, at the expense of feel. the wee honda is a scalpel to the fiats bludgeon on the back roads i know and love.
the hondas engine is typically, a little jewel. whilst you start the fiat and think, crikey, this engine must have been created by satans own blacksmith, and then put into this little car to seduce the driver with its sensual sound and corruping power, goading you ever faster, encouraging you over to the dark side just by its sheer charismatic prescence, the hondas wee sohc v-tec starts up like any other generic japanese unit. its quiet, not particulalry powerful, but just so nice. parsimonious too with an easy 40mpg if you drive sensibly and stay away from its 7k red line. sure it can spin round to the war paint easily and quickly, and it can get all its power down with no fuss, but it sure lacks drama comapred to the italian..but then its about 100hp down so you would kinda expect that eh??...
the fiat just FEELS italian...it feels like an extrovert..it shouts about its idiosyncracies, lets the world know its different, not neccesarilly better, just different. no shrinking violet here. this is a muscular athlete that dresses in sharp suits but doesnt mind flexing its not insubstantial muscles at the right opportunity. contrastingly, the honda feels like EVERYTHING has been examined and re-examined under laboratory conditions, tried and tried again till its movement is perfect, just so, requires as little effort and thought process as possible by the end user..it is pure, distilled driving pleasure examined, disected and re-assembled by immaculate japanese robots....and whilst i have always maintained, and still do, that honda, along with subaru, is the only japanes manufacturer with soul, this constant hunt for perfection, this constant drive for perfect mechanical reliability is what makes the baby honda a car you will enjoy, trust implicitly and respect forever...a perfect partner then you would think....but it will never be an emotive car like the italian
..you like to think you can rely on the fiat, you like to say, well, its never given me a moments trouble..you defend its controversial looks to the unconverted and preach its merits to the uninitiated and when, not if, WHEN it breaks down, or needs another sack of loot thrown at it, or another tank of fuel dissapears at an alarming rate..you forgive it...because you love it...
...and there is the difference..the honda IS the perfect partner...you KNOW where you are with it, you KNOW its gonna start first time, every time..you KNOW its gonna get you from a to b efficiently and you know, that with a bit of encouragment from the driver, it can be a whole lot of fun...it seduces you over a period of time till you cant live without its swiss clock relaibility, and sure, in the end, you will feel that you love the little car..but...
..the fiat grabs you by the ******** with its looks. then it enthralls you with an interior that is austere, yet decadent...painted metal combined with leather, i ask ya!! ..you turn on the engine and the seduction continues with a sonorous burble, turning to a visceral, feral scream as you pile on the power, you NEED this noise, you WANT this car...and as it headbuts the horizon time and again with its searing, addictive pace you just KNOW you will forgive this car anything....and like most tempestuous affairs of the heart, you also KNOW this car will probably bankrupt, you both emotionally and financially..and you KNOW that by the time you realise this, its gona be too late....but ya cant help it.......cos loves a *****......
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