Comments on Cefiro

[Metrix2]

The Cefiro looks nice but there are some things I'm not sure about.

 

so far, comments on Cefiro:

-roof noisy when raining.

-useless lcd.

-no trip computer.

-no digital aircon.

-no polarising rear view mirror.

-poor fc.

 

Can anyone verify?

[Kardachia]

yeah, I love the Cefiro's outlook too..heard is quite comfy to ride in one...other than that...I know nothing...would be good to hear comments from Cefiro owners

[Nautilus]

Bro, my ride's the 2.3 version so let me explain. The roof noisy problem is the only gripe in the list that you mentioned, but it is not that bad to me. Perhaps an aftermarket sound insulation treament might help. As for the LCD/trip computer/digital aircon problem, you can blame it on TC wanting to stay competitive in the 2L car market. According to my SE, there was one guy in SG that's crazy enough to spec the stock lcd/computer/digital aircon (ala 3.5L) in the 2.3 and he ended up paying about $13k more thanks to our tax structure. The LCD is seriously quite useful for reversing. It's one of those devices where once you get used to it it'll be hard to live without. I don't know how important in the polarising rear view mirror cos i don't use it at all. If the driver behind me decides to be nasty, i'll simply use the auto rear sunblind. Now to the BIGGEST misconception about the cefiro which is the FC. The old cefiro used to have really bad FC thus many people just lump the old and the new together and comment due to hearsay from friends. On the average, 9-10km/l is normal (think better than camry FC). Presently, i'm getting about 400km at about close to half tank mark which works out to be about 30-35L. That's about 11.4km/l which ain't bad at all. For that i did quite a bit of cruising and am presently very light footed thanks to the shell better mileage challenge. For comparisons, the new camry clocks in at about 8-9km/l according to TCS forum members.

Edited October 23, 2004 by Nautilus

[Lala81]

the reason y the old cefiro has high FC is cos its a V6 2.0L. the new one is a 4 cylinder 2.0L. camrys fuel consumption shld be be rather similar but i suspect lower FC cos the cefiro's body is rather heavy.

 

I tink the key complaint of the cefiro is the sluggish handling. wats the current TC price? cos honda has alreadi dropped the KM accord price to 98.5k. unsure of wats the camry pricing too

[Nautilus]

lala81,

 

I agree that the old 2 litre is too small for a V6 engine thus the low FC. This is akeen to the old bmw 320i which was 2.0 vs the FL 2.2 version. The body of the cefiro is heavy at 1.55 tons vs 1.4 of the camry's. Makes you wonder what you're really paying for in the camry . Handling wise, it's much better than the camry with less body roll and sharper steering (surprisingly!). The camry also suffers from jerkier gear changes as compared to the smooth shifts of the cefiro. Also, you can rev it up happily if you want to and never get sick of it thanks to the 6 cylinder whine compared to the screaming inline 4. One gripe is that the cefiro's power kicks in at slightly higher revs such as 3-4k rpm. That's where the sweet spot is, perfect balance of smoothness and power. Like others, i did test both extensively before making my decision and i'm happy i stuck to the cefiro. In fact, i'm so addicted to the 6 cylinder whine that i drive mostly with my radio off these days. There's nothing better to soothe yourself than a dose of 6 cylinder goodness. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

 

PS. Do take note of the speedo when you test both cars cos the camry "feels" faster but it ain't going that fast. You'll feel that the cefiro isn't going too fast but when you look at the speedo, it's probably time to step the brakes.

Edited October 23, 2004 by Nautilus

[Burpmonster]

After hearing the positive comments abt the new cefiro V6 2.3, I mentioned to my dad abt it.....ANd he is glad too that he has chosen the Cefiro over the Camry.....Frankly, both of us felt that the Camry has very ordinary interior as compared to the Accord & the Cefiro.....He was very previously very hesitated abt his purchase (Yet to collect his car yet) but I believe that he is very fed-up abt his present Honda Accord ride.....The gearbox gave him alot of problems for the past 3 yrs plus....It would often give a jerk at D4 gear before moving off......Sent to Kah Motors for a couple of times...but no avail reason given by the mechanics there.....Ahhhh!!! Hope the Cefiro will live up toits expectations!!!

[Golfer]

Read from WHEELS that a jerking from Auto Car means that the Auto Gear Transmission is showing sign of failure due to wear and tear.

 

Another new inform from a HONDA CIVIC driver is slight vibration when starting off at traffic light. Mechanic told him expect total failure of gearbox in 6 months time. He sold his CIVIC and took a 2 years old Ford Mondeo 2.0A at $61k with LTA value at $57k with 50k km mileage. Heard it was purchased at $112k 2 yrs ago and now new Mondeo is $88k. Tough second hand market. more and more closing if COE continue to drop.

 

Regards,

[Burpmonster]

Yah....Very tough 2nd hand market....Beside the bank interest rate for the car is beside 1.9% to 2.2% compared to 2nd hand car's interest rate of abt 3% (hearsay from friends).......

[Cheekg99]

2nd hand car dealer will bid to drive up COE prices sooner or later

[Burpmonster]

HI, if what you mentioned is true...then my dad's car would be dying a slow death....I just hope the car can last till his collection of his Cefiro.... Cheers!

[En0203]

no 4 pots in this world can match the smoothness of the 6 pots, good choice

[Golfer]

Can only provide what I read and heard. Didn't really experience it but I think WHEELS do provide good technical advise while every magazine write great stuff about car they review. [What to do, people lend journalist car so must write great things] Better to test it out yourself and get second opinion from MCFers especially those who are driving the model you want.

 

Used car rate is 2.7% and COE car is 3.75%. Usually I multply by 2 to get effective annual interest.

 

My Nissan Sunny 1.6A is expected to collect 1st/2nd week of Nov. The interest rate is 2.2% for 7 yrs by ABN. Cash rebate is 3.15% of min loan amount of $50,000 i.e. $1,575. I work out the loan is about 1.75% while lockin period is 3 yrs.

 

I have not committed to the above yet but this seems to be the lowest rate while another option is taking OCBC 2.2% for 7 yrs without string attach. Once you walk out of TC, go to Citibank and do a refinancing. End up to be about 1.9% to 1.99%.

 

If any bro has better suggestion, do advise as the above is what I can gather so far.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Nautilus]

After hearing the positive comments abt the new cefiro V6 2.3, I mentioned to my dad abt it.....ANd he is glad too that he has chosen the Cefiro over the Camry.....Frankly, both of us felt that the Camry has very ordinary interior as compared to the Accord & the Cefiro.....He was very previously very hesitated abt his purchase (Yet to collect his car yet) but I believe that he is very fed-up abt his present Honda Accord ride.....The gearbox gave him alot of problems for the past 3 yrs plus....It would often give a jerk at D4 gear before moving off......Sent to Kah Motors for a couple of times...but no avail reason given by the mechanics there.....Ahhhh!!! Hope the Cefiro will live up toits expectations!!!

 

Hi bro,

 

Did you test drive all three before your dad's purchase? What are your comments about the car? Just wanna know if others feel the same way as i do or is it just me. :)

 

So far the complain abt the cefiro is the low end torque as i mentioned earlier. Normally it'll be fine for street driving but if you need more power, just rev it up and hear the monster growl. I agree that the interior of the camry looks old and very cluttered. In fact, all the extra features seemed like "slapped on" aftermarket ones for example, the rain sensor is a seperate module by itself and not nicely integrated like the other euro models. All in all, the interior of the cefiro looks so much more integrated with little details such as hidden passenger airbags, auto rear sunblind, etc. In fact, the interior looks very much like a poor man's 5-series. Looks like the designers have taken quite a number of clues from it.

Edited October 23, 2004 by Nautilus

[Burpmonster]

Yah....I am oso going to take the ABN loan at 2.2% as recommended by my SE at ORIX.....Still waiting for the 03 Nov's COE bidding day to come....You mentioned that we can do the loan with ABN first.....then later do a refinancing with Citibank and benefit the lower interest rate? I am abit confused but very interested to find out more......Are we allowed to switch banks loan so fast? No penalty incurred?

[Burpmonster]

HI, My dad sat in all three models b4......He mentioned that the Cefiro has definitely the most comfortable.....He hates the Camry interior as it feels like his present 2001 Honda Accord ride...no differences......As for the Accord.....he is still have nightmares abt the gearbox....See my earlier threads above abt his present accord's gearbox......But he chose the HOnda & Cefiro 2.3 over the Camry......One most important factor for why he chosen Cefiro above the rest.......It is a powerful V6 engine with a very smooth drive!!! What else can you ask for! All comments are personal and no offences to other HOnda Accord or Toyota Camry drivers

[Nautilus]

burpmonster,

 

If you take the ABN loan, they'll most likely give you a rebate of 3.15% of the loan amount but you'll be bonded with them for 3 yrs. If you happen to break the bond, you'll need to pay them back the rebate. Even if the finance company doesn't have a penalty clause, many don't realise that you'll lose a lot thanks to the rule of 78. I'd suggest sticking to ABN and going with the rebate, more worth it that way.

[Nautilus]

HI, My dad sat in all three models b4......He mentioned that the Cefiro has definitely the most comfortable.....He hates the Camry interior as it feels like his present 2001 Honda Accord ride...no differences......As for the Accord.....he is still have nightmares abt the gearbox....See my earlier threads above abt his present accord's gearbox......But he chose the HOnda & Cefiro 2.3 over the Camry......One most important factor for why he chosen Cefiro above the rest.......It is a powerful V6 engine with a very smooth drive!!! What else can you ask for! All comments are personal and no offences to other HOnda Accord or Toyota Camry drivers

 

Yes i agree with it too. However, there are still people who love the camry's interior, digital aircon, rain sensing wipers and HID headlamps. It's personal taste i guess and one man's meat is another man's poison. But then again, i've been zipping around the 2.3 cefiro for a month now and i can say that the engine sounds much much better when whacked hard. It's just so damn smooth you want more of it. Think of it along the lines of drug addiction.

[Ghost]

Read from WHEELS that a jerking from Auto Car means that the Auto Gear Transmission is showing sign of failure due to wear and tear.

 

Another new inform from a HONDA CIVIC driver is slight vibration when starting off at traffic light. Mechanic told him expect total failure of gearbox in 6 months time. He sold his CIVIC and took a 2 years old Ford Mondeo 2.0A at $61k with LTA value at $57k with 50k km mileage. Heard it was purchased at $112k 2 yrs ago and now new Mondeo is $88k. Tough second hand market. more and more closing if COE continue to drop.

 

Regards,

 

 

hmm, tt civic is a EK or ES .. if it's a EK, it must be the CVT problem.

 

change the ATF but after 2k mileage the problem come back..

 

btw, i still driving my EK3 but my gearbox had been change under warranty