Current Car Honda Civic Generation

In 2002 Honda Civic, all Honda Civic's came with 14-inch wheels, Honda Civic DX models got full wheel covers, the LX sedan received air conditioning and, strangely, EX coupes with manual transmissions no longer had the option of antilock brakes.

The current Honda Civic Si, which was introduced for the 2006 model year, is available in two body styles: coupe and four-door sedan. Both styles share four trim levels: a base honda civic DX, EX, LX and Honda Civic Si. The Honda Civic DX,EX and LX are powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 140 hp. A five-speed manual
transmission is standard, and a five-speed automatic is optional. All trims get a broad range of safety features, such as antilock brakes, front-seat side airbags and full-length side-curtain airbags.

Those accustomed to the Honda Civic's conservative tradition will be surprised to find a dramatic-looking interior that features a new two-tier dashboard layout. A digital speedometer sits on top of the dash,while the tachometer is the lone instrument gauge behind the steering wheel. In terms of premium features, the honda civic DX is pretty limited, and you'll have to jump up to the EX and LX trims to get air-conditioning and powered accessories. The EX and LX also add upgraded stereo systems and sportier 16-inch aluminum wheels.

The biggest news is the availability of a Hybrid Honda Civic sedan, which has a more powerful gas/electric powerplant system than in Honda's car groundbreaking Insight. This environmentally friendly vehicle offers the room and comfort of a Honda Civic sedan with mileage estimates of 46 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. Although Toyota car brought out its four-door Prius hybrid a few years prior to this Honda Civic's debut, Honda loyalists now have a practical hybrid they can call their own.

There are now three car body styles to choose from: Honda Civic coupe, Honda Civic sedan and Honda Civic hatchback. Conservative styling for the Honda Civic sedan and a slightly more aggressive approach for the Honda Civic coupe help to differentiate these two body styles, while the Honda Civic hatchback presents a snub-nosed, city-car look. The hatch is only available as the sporty 160-horsepower Honda Civic Si, while the others car are available in familiar Honda Civic DX, Honda Civic HX (coupe only), Honda Civic LX and Honda Civci EX trim levels.

A more spacious cabin car features Honda's trademark large, simple controls but greater use of hard plastic trim seems to indicate that the company may be resting on its laurels a bit.

The newest car Honda Civics ride on a stiffer platform that decreases chassis flex and thus provides better handling and increased crash protection. But to the chagrin of hard-core enthusiasts, Honda replaced the front double-wishbone suspension setup with a more space-efficient McPherson-strut setup, which isn't as easy to "slam" (lower) as the double-wishbone design. Steering now boasts a quicker ratio along with variable power assist, which makes parking easier while allowing more road feel and response during spirited driving.

Under the hood, the car engine's size has been increased slightly (from 1.6 to 1.7 liters) to provide more torque, and transmissions were tweaked for improved shifter feel and greater efficiency.