Motor Trend Show (cont.)

Still one of the most impressive lineups of vehicles still comes from Honda. They are not necessarily knwon for producing the most exciting vehicles in terms of looks, but their flawless ergonomics, clean and simple design parameters, great gas mileage, and seemingly infallible reliability onle serve to solidify it's place in my mind as one of the greatest car makers out there. I was skeptical of the new Civic at first because its design seems too polarizing for one of their best selling cars. However, once I had a chance to familiarize myself with some of the Civic's improvements over last generation's model, I was very impressed. By upping the engine displacement by one tenth of a liter, the horsepower climbed from 127 to a respectable (at least in the economy market) 140. In addition to adding much needed power, Honda engineers also reduced the emissions, extended the gas mileage, and created a wonderfully intuitive 5-speed automatic that combines with the new engine for 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. This is up from the previous manual trans./1.7 liter I-4 combo of 30/38 mpg. Say what you will about driving an automatic, but this auto is a gem. I used to hate the thought of having to drive an automatic. My newer car is an auto and I appreciate it in times when I would just rather do what I'm doing (e.g. listen to the radio, drink my drink, etc.) than have to row through the gears. I appreciate a good stick as much as the next guy, but the 5-speed auto on the new Civic is a very nice alternative to the stick-shift of the enthusiast. It is compact and smoothly driven, especially when asked to perform with a quick downshift or crisp upshifts while accelerating. My favorite feature is that, at highway speeds, the automatic holds the rpms in the quieter 2400-2600 range compared to the 3000+ range of the manual. This translates into an overall more serene driving environment, something that most economy cars lack or fall short of. The engineering in this department alone is reason enough to seriously consider the Civic over any other car in its class. Even the love it/hate it two-tier dash that so many editors can't decide on really becomes a nice addition when driving at night. It makes you feel like you're on Tron, but in a good way.