2007 Honda Civic

Early in my automotive career, I had a conversation with a waggish fellow about what kind of cars we’d be, considering our personalities. I said he embodied a Corvette: flashy, loud, performance-driven. He replied that I resembled a Civic. We don’t speak anymore. I wasn’t thrilled, since Civics represented everything sensible, rational and numbingly dull. Thus it was with heightened curiosity that I approached the 2007 Honda Civic EX, fully optioned out at $21,995. The EPA estimates that you’ll get between 30-40 MPG, right in line with our 32.1 MPG in mixed driving conditions.
First Glance: Let’s do the Time Warp again

The Honda Civic, like the larger Accord , is one of Honda’s bread-and-butter vehicles. With almost 10 million examples sold since its introduction in 1973, the Civic has been the affordable compact car other companies emulate, and likely will be for generations to come. Past Civics may have been the ultimate in getting the most bang for the fresh-out-of-school buck, but they’ve been touch-and-go in the styling category.

Call the eighth iteration of the Civic what you will, but at least it’s not boring. With its steeply angled windshield , narrow strip of a grille and headlamps and short overhangs enhanced by handsome 16-inch alloy wheels, it looks more like a futuristic space pod than a sensible sedan. Because of the Civic’s ubiquity where I live, I’ve gotten accustomed to its shape but still can’t help but remark upon Honda’s design chutzpah every time I see one. Time will tell if it’s a look that stands the test of time, or if it’s something that grows dull in a couple of years.

Overall, the Civic’s proportions are more European or Japanese than your standard four-door, a design aesthetic that’s spreading thanks to the current popularity of small Asian cars. Its prominent shoulder line runs the length of the Civic, abruptly ending at the truncated tail. Trunk space is on the small side at 11.5 cu.-ft. but is aided by 60/40 split-folding rear seats for when you have longer objects to transport. Take care to not crush your parcels under the lid’s gooseneck hinges.