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By Warren BrownThe Washington Post and WashingtonPost.com
November 6, 2005
The Civic, introduced in July 1972, gave the small car a good name. It was fuel-efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly. It was an ugly two-door coupe in its initial presentation. But ugly was okay. It was a badge of honor. Civic buyers cared more about quality than fashion. They honored ingenuity. Other car owners bragged about horsepower. Honda devotees raved about technology that allowed early Civics to meet U.S. clean air standards without the assistance of catalytic converters, exhaust system devices used to reduce tailpipe emissions. Times changed, and the Civic changed with them. Rival car companies that thought they could match the Civic by rolling out small, inexpensive and often dowdy cars missed the mark. The Civic had moved onto something else -- becoming hip without sacrificing its core values of quality, reliability and practicality. Civics that once were horsepower slugs were transformed into chariots of speed through the efforts of a new generation of hot-rod enthusiasts seduced by the thrill and danger of street racing, and assisted by the wonder of computers. The car for nerds thus became the wheels of the fast and the furious. Rival car companies, with the notable exception of Toyota Motor Corp. and its redoubtable Corolla, were left behind in the small-car race, again. But no circumstance lasts forever. Over the years, the small-car quality and reliability of all major automobile manufacturers improved dramatically. "Small" no longer meant "cheap," or otherwise less than desirable. BMW gave us the born-again Mini Cooper, proving that "premium small" was a bona fide automotive sales concept. Ford Motor Co. eventually regained its competitive focus and greatly improved its Focus subcompact. General Motors Corp., still the world's biggest automaker, began taking small cars seriously; and a recovered Nissan Motor Co., which rode back to glory with breakthrough vehicle styling and big engines, renewed its commitment to things small in the form of the new Versa subcompact. All of those companies are still gunning for the Civic. But, based on a week of driving the splendid 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan, they're still shooting wide. Simply stated, the new Civic is loaded and ready to rock. Exterior styling is sleek, sassy. Honda obviously borrowed design cues from the street stylists of Southern California for this one. The interior is a mixture of computer game and Ferrari. This works well. The digital readouts -- white on an indigo-blue background -- are easy to see. The onboard navigation system, sold as a package in the EX with navigation, is intuitive and informative. Interior materials are mostly high-quality vinyl. But the small, perfectly graspable steering wheel in the new Civic clearly was inspired by race cars. The driver's seat is comfortable and supportive for backs young and old; and although interior space, especially in the rear, is a tad smaller, four adults can sit comfortably in the car on a 50-mile drive. The Civic, available as a coupe or sedan, remains front-wheel-drive. It is fuel-efficient with its traditional four-cylinder internal combustion engine. But, if you really must have a gas-electric hybrid -- and if most of your driving will be in stop-and-go urban traffic where current hybrids are most effective in saving fuel -- a hybrid Civic is available. But I'd be happy with the standard 1.8-liter, four-cylinder 140-horsepower engine in the new car. It has zip. It saves fuel. It costs less than the hybrid; and it doesn't pollute the air any more than your average political speech. In short, the Civic remains the car to beat in the small-car contest. That means, as presented for 2006, it ranks first in overall execution, performance, value and appeal. - - - Nuts & Bolts 2006 Honda Civic EX Downside: I have no problems with this car. Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent in all three categories. I really enjoyed driving this one. Head-turning quotient: The nerd is gone. The new Civic looks like it's ready to run. Indeed, as demonstrated by last week at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas, street stylists and bling-bling artists are already having a grand time outfitting this one with fancy wheels, paints and wings. Body style/layout: The 2006 Civic is a front-engine, front-wheel drive car available as a coupe or sedan. It is offered in three trim levels -- base DX, mid-line LX and upscale EX. Engine/transmission: The 2006 Civic engine is equipped with a standard 1.8-liter, in-line four-cylinder, 16-valve engine that develops 140 horsepower at 6,300 revolutions per minute and 128 foot-pounds of torque at 4,300 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. A five-speed automatic is optional. Capacities: The 2006 Civic EX sedan has seating for five people, but you get better passenger comfort carrying only four. Cargo volume is 12 cubic feet. Fuel capacity is 13.2 gallons of required regular unleaded. Mileage: I averaged 37 miles per gallon mostly in highway driving. (Honda says that its Civic Hybrid will get you up to 50 miles per gallon, assuming that you do most of your driving in stop-and-go city traffic where the hybrid's electric motor handles most of the work.) Safety: Side and head air bags; four-wheel antilock brakes; three-point belts at all seating positions. Price: The 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan with navigation comes fully loaded at $20,560. Dealer's invoice price on that model is $18,790. Price as tested is $21,100, including a $550 destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $19,340. Prices sourced from Honda, http://www.edmunds.com , and http://www.cars.com , an affiliate of The Washington Post. Purse-strings note: The 2006 Civic ranks first on the On Wheels small cars list (and that's above my own Mini Cooper in overall value and utility). It gets an enthusiastic "buy."
Find a USED 2006 Civic for SaleFind used car inventory in your area.
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