2009 Honda Civic Review

2009 Honda Civic - Plenty of value.

By: John Stein

There's no secret about why Honda Civic has sold so well over the years. Combine outstanding reliability with impressive fuel economy in the compact class - no matter what the gas prices may be - and there is always going to be a market for value. The 2009 Honda Civic does nothing to discredit the Civic legend.

Truth be told, there are some fine compact coupes and sedans doing battle for the fuel-sipping consumer dollar.

With the likes of value royalty such as Nissan Versa and Mazda3 competing in this class, Civic manages to keep the bar high and deliver on all expectations for this price range: $14,800 to $29,500.

Available in four-door sedan and two-door coupe body styles, the 2009 Honda Civic gets only a refreshened exterior styling, though there are some impressive new features and several new trim levels.

New for 2009 are DX-VP and LX-S sedans. All sedans and coupes come in DX, LX, EX, EX-L and Si "sport" trims.

Long overdue, the Civic is available as a hybrid sedan that combines a gas engine with an electric motor for 110 horsepower. Hybrids are paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission.

The DX, DX-VP, LX, LX-S, EX and EX-L have a 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine while the Si versions have a 197-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The most popular 140-horsepower Civics are mated to five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissions. Step up to the GX models and you only have the option of automatic. Si only comes with a six-speed manual.

People who purchase Civics don't do so to sprawl out and bask in luxury. These days you buy one to save at the fuel pump. Period.

The standard Civic delivers 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. The sporty Si and hybrid differ due to their enhanced drivetrains.

My Civic EX tester had a five-speed automatic that was less than enthusiastic off the line, but once moving it aptly dove into highway merges and was just fine tooling around town and to the store.

Inside the surprisingly quiet cabin of the Civic EX, you will find an upgrade of materials over the lower-end models. My tester still featured some cheap-looking plastic on the dash and side panels, but it was not the obnoxious glossy plastic - it was a more palatable matted finish texture.

Sightlines for the driver are pretty good in the Civic. I like the design of the twotier instrument panel. The digital speed is indicated at a point directly in line with the driver's line of sight. It makes it easy to keep your eyes on the road.

The navigation system had a decent-size screen. The system was highly accurate and operating it was intuitive, though I never quite got used to the tiny buttons and the overlap on process with the audio system.

I really liked the audio sound quality in the Civic and in such a small interior space, it had plenty of oomph.

Just like luxury hounds stay away from Civic, so should people taller than 6 feet 3 inches. You may fit in the door and get the seat belt on, but you may not get out without straining a muscle or two. Seat comfort was better than I expected, but for my long highway trip it was uncomfortable in the lower lumbar region after about an hour.

Looking at the exterior of the Civic, you might not expect to find such large cargo spaces. It helps that the rear seat folds down and the trunk has a low lift-over to help slide things directly in from the rear.

A trip to the store for the week's grocery shopping provided little drama - there was space for everything with room to spare (including a temp spare).

Available safety features include antilock braking, traction control, an antiskid system, curtain side airbags and front side airbags. While it can be intimidating being in a compact car with Expeditions and Hummers sitting next to you at the stoplight, Civics are highly rated for safety.

Overall, it is hard to argue with the track record of Civics and Honda in general.

Few brands deliver such good resale value.

I always struggle liking Honda exterior design because there is little to be excited about, but it does deliver outstanding fuel economy and these days consumers value that almost most as much as looks.

2009 HONDA CIVIC EX

ENGINE: 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder

TRANSMISSION: five-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: front-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 25 city/36 highway

BASE PRICE: $19,305

WEB SITE: www.Honda.com

John Stein

John Stein grew up in an extended family that valued the art of going fast. Spending plenty of weekends at U.S. 30 Drag Strip and Sante Fe Speedway, he fondly remembers the screaming machines and the flying mud that made those long-gone racing havens such special memories. With plenty of late nights spent ‘tinkering’ with cars throughout high school, he never anticipated his interest cars and his love for writing might find a common ground. After graduating from Eastern Illinois University in 1988, John started writing for the weekly Southtown Economist. So, when the Economist went to a daily in 1994, and needed an auto editor, John took the proverbial steering wheel. Featured weekly in the Sun-Times and its 17 suburban publications, as well as ELITE Magazine, John balances being the Automotive Editor for Sun-Time Media with being a husband and dad in Plainfield, Illinois.

2009 Honda Civic Review

2009 Honda Civic - Plenty of value.

John Stein

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