The Honda Civic is a class act. Sure, they cut some corners in the redesign. Therear disc brakes are gone. The cassette player is now optional. ABS is unavailable on some models. But the heart of the car--the powertrain, the suspension, the
ergonomics--are better than ever. When you're in a Civic, you always feel you're in a car designed by people who love to drive.
Of course, holding the price is not the same as lowering the price. The Civic is
still a couple thousand more than comparable Neons, Escorts or Saturns. But the fact that Honda sold more Civics last year than the other guys sold of their cars says something about the American buyer's priorities.