2005 Honda Civic LX Sedan Test Drive

Moving ahead to 2005 I hear media types complain that the current model is bland. They're not looking. Design isn't only a matter of dramatic silhouette, its the blending of details into a pleasing whole. Get up close to a Civic, run your hands over the body, sense how it all comes together. This is a pretty automobile that you'll love far beyond the lease expiry.

Of course it requires more than style to make a car satisfying... personally I rate interior ergonomics highly and in that respect the Honda Civic is one of the best. Could it be that Mr. Honda, having begun his career as a race driver, knew how important it was for the driver to be comfortable and to have great sightlines? I'm betting it was, for every Honda automobile continues that magic ingredient.

And yes, the Civic is perfectly suitable as a family car. Or, if there are no kids in your life, it suits young folks (and old folks, too) as all the car you really need.

You'd think top priority with interior designers would be to make the driving environment as safe and functional as possible. Sadly, that isn't the case. Although thought is certainly given to those matters, interiors are an opportunity for the designer to play with shapes, forms, materials and colors.

That's why I rate the Civic LS interior so highly. Utter simplicity is the key, combined with a dollop of good old common sense. Take a look at the knobs for the air controls, for example. They're stacked vertically, next to the instruments. And they're large enough not to be mistaken for anything else, or each other. Similarly, the instruments are large and clear and easily read at a glance. While this simplicity might lead you to suspect the Civic interior would be drab or cheap-looking that isn't so. Materials have been tastefully selected for quality and everything fits perfectly.

The driver's seat comes with a height adjuster though it's manually-operated by a knurled wheel. The passenger's seat has no height adjuster. Rear seat room is excellent for a compact, with more knee and legroom than an Audi A4. Headroom is adequate, entry to the rear is helped by a squared-off door cutout.

While a 1.7 liter four-cylinder engine pumping out a mere 115 hp may seem insufficient on paper it's more than enough to move the Civic out smartly. The only time you'll wish for more is when climbing a grade with full load, especially if your Civic is fitted with a 4-speed automatic as ours was. If you live in mountainous territory and don't mine exercising your left leg, I recommend the 5-speed manual.

Steering in the Civic LX is a nice blend of precision (the kind we car nuts like) and less-direct response (the kind your average driver finds comfortable). The same can be said about cornering ability although the Civic is slightly weighted in favor of handling. Add to this the low sills and cowl and rapidly sloping hood and you've got great sightlines contributing to safety and pleasure. This is no sports sedan but it's often been said the Civic is fun to drive and I concur completely.

Worried about fuel economy? A 3-door Honda Civic with 5-speed manual recently bested nine other sub-compacts in an economy test around Ottawa, Canada's capital. The course covered a variety of roads with an average speed of 40 mph amid plenty of stops and starts. The Civic delivered 47 mpg. With mileage like that, who needs hybrids?

The latter requires a key to operate, which is both a blessing and a pain. On the plus side it keeps trunk contents safe from greedy parking lot attendants or anyone else who might have access to the interior. Less appealing is that locking rear seatbacks are a nuisance to reach and operate. If I had my way (believe me, the auto world is grateful I don't) Honda should forget the door-lock remotes and apply it to those rear seatbacks.

In most respects the Honda Civic LX offers everything you could want in a car that's nicely-sized, comfortable, well-built. It can accommodate a family of four without complaint. It can satisfy those fun-to-drive emotions. It's not the least-expensive in its class but nicely maintains resale value and saves on fuel. There's an all-new model on the horizon but unless you must have the newest on the block I'd save cash and buy now.