Honda's small car presents a familiar face to the world, one that'sretained its family character through several redesigns, inluding the wholesale
1996 overhaul.
Three body styles are offered in a variety of trim levels: The 3-door
CX Hatchback is the least expensive (from $10,945), followed by the DX
coupe (from $12,675) and DX sedan (from $13,030).
From the windshield forward, the trio shares sheet metal; a sloping
nose and low cowl give the driver excellent visibility, and the front end
is made more distinctive by the new headlight treatment that went with
the 1996 redesign. From side and rear, links to Civics past are more pronounced,
but the current soft-edged contours seem a bit more anonymous than equivalent
Honda shapes from earlier years.
Nevertheless, the new cars look clean and uncluttered.
The dictates of style have not compromised functionality. All three
Civics have large doors, and offer good access to well-shaped stowage space
in back. It's also worth noting that Honda claims significant increases
in structural rigidity for the current Civics, an assertion borne out by