2012 Civic takes an athletic stance

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2012 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN EX/EX-L

ENGINE: 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder

TRANSMISSION: five-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: front-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 28 city/39 highway

BASE PRICE: $15,805

AS TESTED: $20,455

WEBSITE: honda.com

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Updated: January 4, 2012 1:51PM

The all-new 2012 Honda Civic could easily make a bid for most valuable player honors when it comes to its seat at the Honda table. Not unlike Aaron Rodgers’ importance to the Green Bay Packers, Honda wouldn’t be anywhere close to its lofty perch in sales without the Civic at the center.

Honda has sold more than 8.8 million Civics in the United States since it launched as a 1976 model. That’s more than 244,000-plus vehicles averaged over the 36 years the cars been in the United States. With numbers like that, even Rodgers would have to bow to the mighty Civic (he wasn’t even born until seven years after the Civic landed on the U.S. shores).

Civic has cut its teeth in one of the most competitive segments, which includes heavy lightweights such as the Toyota Corolla and the Hyundai Elantra, which are especially notable offerings in this class. You don’t survive here unless you offer value and dependability and, given this is the Civic’s ninth generation from Honda, there’s a lot to be said for surviving that long.

The compact Honda Civic delivers seven different variations (yes, I said seven). From the Civic Natural Gas, Civic Hybrid, Civic HF, Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe to the Civic Si Coupe and Civic Si, there is a vehicle to suit any family or any consumer. This really shows the versatility of the platform and the flex engineering Honda has created to share in so many incarnations.

Honda would be the second one to tell you (because I’d be the first) that exterior design never has been the driving force behind it success. That’s not to say Hondas are unattractive, but merely it is my observation that Americans buy Hondas for reasons other than fashion-setting exterior style.

While the Civic has been accused of being an ugly duckling in the past, the 2012 model has really taken strides to become more athletic looking and aerodynamic. Honda refers to the exterior approach as a “one-motion” shape. The sleek lines, steep windshield and 15-inch alloy wheels, set in a noticeably wide stance, not only add to the Civic’s overall fuel economy — but it looks much better than any model before it.

My sedan tester was available in three trim levels: DX, LX and EX/EX-L.

All three of the trim levels, which are powered by a 1.8-liter inline 16-valve iVTEC four-cylinder engine that produces 140 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque, are available in all-wheel-drive configurations.

Depending on the trim level you choose, the 1.8-liter can be paired to a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission. My tester had the automatic and, while it strained sometimes to make the big move into fast highway traffic, it always produced a smooth and acceptable finishing touch around town.

The 2012 Honda Civic automatic will deliver Environmental Protection Agency mileage of 28 city/39 highway/32 combined for the automatic and 28/36/31 mpg for the manual. The Civic’s McPherson front suspension and rear multilink suspension create a road-hugging feel that is fun and sporty to drive.

Offering more interior room than the previous generation, the new Civic seats five, but as Civics will, it will push you tightly together to get to five. As a compact, adults are best seated in the front, where head and legroom is plentiful for average height individuals (legroom 42 inches front/36.2 inches rear) and sightlines for the driver are good. Cargo volume is 12.5 cubic feet.

I really like the Civic’s blue panel illumination with white backlighting. Honda offers the Civic with its own progressive illumination, which begins at a low brightness when you enter the vehicle and brightens to 100 percent when the key is inserted into the ignition.

Other than a small bit of wind noise in the cabin, the only sound worth noting is the audio that emanates from a fantastic-sounding 160-watt AM/FM/CD system with four speakers, USB audio interface, MP3/auxiliary input jack, MP3/Windows media audio playback capability, radio data system and speed-sensitive volume control. It all makes the smallish cabin rife for big playback and perfect for long road trips.

A compact car does not have to think small when it comes to safety. The Civic offers antilock brakes, electronic brake distribution, multiple air bags, and vehicle stability assist.

Price ranges for the 2012 Civic go from a stark $15,000 to a more elaborate $27,000 for the highest option-laden packages. At $20,455, my tester was impressively priced, while making sure there was still plenty of fun to be had in every turn.