2012 Honda Civic,Reviews

How good is the newly redesigned 2012 Honda (HMC) Civic that hit the market on Apr. 20? The Civic used to be the classiest compact economy car on the market. Rather than make dramatic changes to fend off rising competition, Honda improved the Civic in numerous small ways. The price of the Civic hybrid rose a mere $100, to $24,800. Crucially, with gasoline prices topping $4 per gallon in some areas of the country, the Civic's is up 3 miles per gallon. With an automatic transmission, both the Civic sedan and two-door coupe are rated to get 28 mpg in the city, 39 on the highway, for an average of 32 (up from 29 before).

However, that still leaves the Honda a tiny bit behind the 2011 Elantra sedan, which is rated at 29/40/33 whether with an automatic or a stick shift, and versions of the 2012 Ford Focus that are rated at 28/40/33 with an automatic. (The 2011 Toyota Corolla trails behind at 26/34/29.)

Honda claims the HF gets the best highway mileage of any car on the market with an automatic transmission and conventional gasoline engine.

The efficiency-oriented Civic HF sedan will list from $19,455 with a standard five-speed automatic, while the range-topping Civic EX-L sedan with navigation and XM Satellite Radio stickers for $23,455.

2012 Honda Civic HF, Sedan, Coupe and Natural Gas vehicle specifications
All of these models share a 140 horsepower, 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine that is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. This model uses a modified version of the same model on the standard Civic, and increased fuel economy by 7 percent, meaning highway fuel economy should come in between 38 and 39 mpg, but power will be slightly down compared to the gas-powered models.

2012 Honda Civic Hybrid specifications
Should fuel economy be at the top of your list, and your budget isn’t too tight, stepping from the 41 highway mpg Civic HF to the combined 44 mpg rating of the all-new Civic Hybrid is the move for you. The Civic Hybrid also features ECO Assist, a system that provides feedback to drivers to optimize fuel econo