2011 Honda Civic Review and Prices

Styling: The 2011 Honda Civic styling should carry over from 2010 with only a few new exterior colors to distinguish the two model years. Introduction of a special performance version, however, could bring with it specific aero body addenda or unique wheels. Otherwise, this eighth-generation Civic will continue with an artsy sense of design inside and out. No rival has quite matched it for forward-looking good taste, and Honda kept the look contemporary with revisions to the nose and tail model-year 2009. The Civic four-door is notably roomy, with particularly generous rear-seat room for a compact car. Credit its 106.3-inch wheelbase, longest of any sedan in this class. Wheelbase is the distance between front and rear axles and key to how much space a car can devote to the passenger compartment. To promote more agile handling and sportier looks, the Civic coupe’s wheelbase is about two inches shorter than the sedan’s. It roofline is lower, too. The differences are most evident in tighter back-seat space, though of course rear-passenger ingress and egress suffers on the two-door model, as well. Both body styles have severely raked-back windshields -- good for aerodynamics, a little disconcerting from the driver’s seat because you look out over a long, long dash top. The two body styles share an instrument-panel design that’s as avant-garde as the exterior styling. It’s no serious impediment to functionality -- at least after you’ve oriented to its double-tier layout. The feel of the various buttons and switches, even the finish on many of the cabin surfaces, benefits from the same exacting execution Honda lavishes on cars from its upscale Acura brand. Expect the 2011 Civic lineup to generally mirror the 2010 roster, starting with the DX range of sedans and moving up through LX, EX, EX-L, and Si versions of both the sedan and coupe.

Mechanical: The 2011 Civic powertrain lineup should segue into 2011 intact. It’s four-cylinder engines and front-wheel drive formula is compact-car typical: the modest engines balance power and fuel economy and front-wheel drive carries the slippery-road traction advantage of placing the weight of the engine over the tires that propel the car. Some rivals offer more horsepower, some the added grip of all-wheel drive. Several have six-speed manual and automatic transmissions versus Civic’s less-efficient five-speed units. But this Honda’s powertrain is tough to beat for overall smoothness, and few are better matched to the task at hand. Optimists hope Honda will mark the end of this Civic design cycle by adding a high-performance model. That could be the 220-horsepower Type R, an enthusiast favorite previously offered only in Europe and Japan. Meanwhile, a 140-horsepower 1.8-liter will continue as the sole engine in the value DX, volume LX, and upscale EX lines. These cars come with manual or automatic transmission. The sporty Si coupe and sedan have a 2.0-liter that should return with 197 horsepower and again link exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. The 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid will return as a sedan only and combine a 1.3-liter gas engine with an electric motor for a total of 110 horsepower. The electric motor can propel the Civic Hybrid for very short distances on battery power alone but mostly acts as an assist to the engine. This saves fuel and reduces emissions by allowing use of a smaller gas engine and by enabling the engine to shut off at stops and restart automatically as the driver presses the accelerator. The Civic Hybrid employs a continuously variable transmission, or CVT. A CVT acts like an automatic transmission but dispenses with set gear ratios in favor of a rheostat-like delivery of power. Honda also offers a near-zero-emissions model to retail customers in California, Utah, and New York. This Civic GX sedan has a 113-horspower 1.8-liter powered exclusively by natural gas.

Features: Honda doesn’t offer stand-alone options, instead grouping features to create individual trim levels. For example, to get such core items as air conditioning and a stereo, Civic buyers have had to ascend from the base DX sedan to the costlier DX-VP model. In that same vein, buyers who wanted a Civic with leather upholstery had to move up to the top-line EX-L model – and pay also for the heated front seats mandatory with that trim level. Still, it’s a system that works well for Honda by simplifying ordering and assembly. And it evidently hasn’t damaged Civic sales; this is best-selling compact car in the U.S. The various 2011 Civic models should continue with the familiar range of features. Every model comes with antilock brakes, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and power windows. Antiskid control to stabilize the car in turns is standard on EX-L, Hybrid, and Si models. Alloy wheels, steering-wheel-mounted auxiliary audio controls, rear disc brakes, and remote keyless entry are among available features, depending on model. So is a voice-activated navigation system that includes satellite radio, Bluetooth cell phone connectivity, and a USB audio interface for iPods and other MP3 devices. The navigation system has been exclusive to the EX, EX-L, Si, and Hybrid models, where it added about $2,000 to their base price.