The Best Gas Smileage

INTRODUCTION AND EXTERIOR STYLING

I test drove the 2006 Honda Civic LX coupe with the automatic transmission. The first thing one notices about the Civic is the styling. I have to admit, I didn't like the looks of this car at first, I guess because it's so different. The stubby appearance of the nose that comes from the steeply sloping windshield just didn't look right to me.

After I got used to seeing the car, I started to like it. In a peculiar twist of styling, the stubby front end, steeply sloping windshield, and overall shape of the car make it look like a mid-engine rear-drive sports car, even though it's actually a front-engine front-drive economy car.

INTERIOR

The interior is what really sets this car apart from the rest. The dashboard has two tiers. The lower tier has the radio, heating, air conditioning, tachometer, and most other things. The upper tier has the digital speedometer and other information that can be displayed using simple button commands, such as trip meters and percent oil life remaining.

The lower tier has a steep slope such that the bottom is nearer to the driver than the top, and the upper tier is much farther from the driver than the lower tier. This look is made possible by the steep slope of the windshield, and creates a sense of depth and grandeur that makes other cars seem flat and boring by comparison. The sense of magnificence is heightened by the dazzling glow of the electronic displays.

I've read many reviews that complain of the impracticality of this interior. They claim that the gauges are hard to read, and that the steep slope of the windshield makes it difficult to drive. Personally, I didn't have any of these problems. I found the tachometer, speedometer, and other displays easy to see, and the button locations convenient. The slope of the windshield never bothered me.

Perhaps most importantly, all 6 feet of me fits in the Honda Civic comfortably. With the seat as low and as far back as it would go, I had a couple inches between my head and the roof and enough leg room to stretch out. In fact, with one or two inches less leg room, this car would still be comfortable. The seating position is very low, like that of an exotic sports car.

Although all the small cars I've driven technically offered adequate head and leg room, most of them felt a little confined, and I never forgot that I was driving an economy car. The Civic is the only small car I've test driven so far that actually felt roomy and expansive, except the Scion xB. I think the depth of the dashboard and distance between the driver and the windshield have something to do with that feeling. Nevertheless, the Civic is one coupe that didn't make me feel cooped up.

I usually don't look under the hood of a car, but this time I did. When the salesman popped the hood, I saw - oh my God - AN ENGINE! Imagine that. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but in many cars, even more expensive ones such as the Ford Mustang GT, there is no discernible form of an engine block. All there is, is a mess of plastic pieces, a rat's nest of wires, and who knows what else, and the promise that there's actually an engine somewhere under that seemingly random hodgepodge.

In the Honda, the engine block itself is very evident, and whole arrangement is much neater and tidier than most. It’s not quite as pristine as the engine compartment of a Boyd Coddington hot rod, but it looks pretty nice. Aside from being very aesthetically pleasing, this makes it easier to find dipsticks, fluid refilling caps, and the like.

ON THE ROAD

The first thing I noticed about the Honda Civic was how noisy it is. The Civic makes a lot more road noise than anything else I've driven so far, which I attribute to a combination of the hub caps and possibly poor insulation. The engine becomes an unenthusiastic drone at about 3000 rpm. It might sound racier at high revs, but I didn't try it.

The brakes are fairly responsive for ABS. Sticking the Civic in a turn is a satisfying experience, with great steering response and little to no observable body roll. The seats are shaped like racing seats and provide good lateral support during hard cornering.

POWER AND EFFICIENCY

The 2006 Honda Civic has a better power to weight ratio and better gas mileage than most cars in its price class, making it a strong contender in the power and efficiency compromise. Exceptions include the cars with much less power and a marginally better fuel economy such as the Toyota Yaris and Honda's own Fit. The Toyota Corolla has a little better gas mileage, but less power to weight ratio. The Suzuki Aerio and the Mazda Mazda3 have slightly better power to weight ratios, but considerably less efficiency.

Although this judgment is a little subjective, I find the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla to be the winners in this area. However, the Civic feels roomier and is more exciting to look at and drive.

I read on answers.com that some consumer reviews complained that the Civic with the automatic transmission gets far less than the EPA fuel efficiency ratings, sometimes citing as low as 22 mpg. Since I only test drove the car, I can't verify or deny this, but it's important to be aware of it.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Honda's 4-cylinder coupe has the look and seating position and lateral support of an exotic sports car and a dashboard that looks like the captain's command center for a spaceship. When piloting this rolling sculpture, one can't help but feel important.

My question is, why didn't Honda ditch the Civic name in favor of something a little more...well...exciting? I know the Honda Civic name has some street cred among a certain set, but many of us associate that name with the lackluster econoboxes they were a couple decades ago.

Instead of naming their car the Civic, maybe Honda could do something clever, like spell Civic backwards and name it that...wait, maybe that wouldn't work so well. Anyway, I'm sure they could have thought of something.

AWARDS

The Honda Civic won Motortrend's Car of the Year Award, and the salesman who took me on the test drive reminded me of that about half a dozen times. It also won Editor's most wanted from Edmunds. There may be other awards but I haven't found any.

THE VERDICT

The Honda Civic Coupe is an awesome car overall. It's like an exotic on the outside and a spaceship on the inside, has decent power, yet yields excellent gas mileage and ease of parking. It truly proves that a practical economy car can be exciting.

I think if one were to ditch the hubcaps and invest in decent wheels, the road noise problem would be largely solved, although this still wouldn't be a quiet car. I'm just glad I could do my civic duty and tell others about this car.