The 2012 Honda Civic

Honda sells so many Civics that if the car were counted as a brand, it would be the 12th largest in the United States. More Civics went to new homes in the U.S. last year than did Volkswagens or Mazdas. With sales numbers like that, it’s not too much of a surprise that Honda is playing a conservative hand with the redesigned 2012 Civic.

When the previous-generation Civic arrived in 2006, the swept-back windshield and the futuristic styling were a bit of a shock. It has taken us practically the car’s entire life cycle to grow accustomed to the look. Honda designers aren’t taking the same kind of chance again. What we see for 2012 is a careful evolution of the past Civic. Actually, it’s almost more of a devolution, a step toward conformity. All the subtle changes—the longer hood, the sculpted bumpers, and the larger taillights—make the Civic look more conventional than before. They also improve its aerodynamics. Honda claims a lower coefficient of drag, in part thanks to the styling revisions but also because of a smaller grille opening and a flat underbody.

Considering these improvements, the 2012 Honda Civic is still a solid pick with which buyers of compact cars will be pleased. But it's no longer the only game in town. We'd recommend test-driving this new Civic back to back with new competing models like the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra. All three provide excellent fuel economy, and each holds selective advantages over the Civic in terms of interior design, feature content and value. The Civic Hybrid is pretty much in a class by itself, though you could also consider the equally frugal VW Jetta TDI. Meanwhile, gearheads lusting for some sport should also test the Mazdaspeed 3, Mini Cooper S and Volkswagen GTI.