Honda Civic (USA) review

You know how the Civic’s exterior design is sort of meh? The interior is the same way, but in this case, that’s a good thing. As soon as you sit in the car, you know where everything is. There are no hidden buttons or weird control knobs for the multimedia screen. The layout is simple but logical. It’s a design that should age well.

Cloth or leather upholstery is available depending on the trim level, and the front seats are cushy but supportive. Rear-seat head- and leg-room is ample – maybe that’s why so many ride-hailing drivers choose Civics – and only the tallest of passengers will have issues. Cargo space is decent, too, with 14.8 cubic feet of space in the Civic sedan’s trunk, or 24.5 cubic feet of room in the hatch’s hatch.

Can you get lots of fancy things?

You can, though the really good stuff is obviously reserved for the most expensive versions. Spec a Touring sedan or Sport Touring hatch and you get heated leather seats, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 10.2-inch digital instrument panel, a kickin' Bose stereo, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a sunroof, four USB charging ports, a wireless phone charger, and more. It's a super nice car fully loaded, but even a midrange Civic feels more premium than many of its rivals. The Civic is an inexpensive car, not a cheap one.

How’s the tech?

Eh, it’s kind of a mixed bag. While all the driver-assistance features work well, Honda’s native multimedia setup is kind of basic. The graphics aren’t super crisp and the system occasionally lags if you try to do things too quickly. Just use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for the best experience. Seriously.

I dig the digital gauge cluster, but it’s a shame it’s only available on the most expensive variants. The rest of the Civic models get this weird half-digital display, where part of the cluster is reconfigurable but the rest is fixed. It’s a weird half-step that just ends up looking half-assed.