2006 Car Of The Year Winner: 2006 Honda Civic
Fantastic Four: A windshield more rakish than an Acura NSX's. One has an 8000-rpm redline. Another gets 50 mpg. And even with voice-activated navigation and XM Radio, you can get one for about the price of Sean Connery's toupee. Honda's Four New Four-Cylinder Civics Set The New Class Benchmark
By Editors of Motor Trend
Photography by Brian Vance, John Kiewicz, Evan Wollenberg
Our photographers had zoomed in on our 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year winner before we'd even voted. "When you drivers passed our photo locations on the test route," said one, "depending on the car, some of you were visibly pushing harder than others. But every single time the Civic Si came toward us, no matter who was driving it, we'd hear the engine screaming at the redline, the tires yowling for grip, and then the Honda would flash by, the driver grinning like Cameron Diaz on payday. We got it all on film."
It's true: At the flamboyant wheel of Honda's brand-new bottle rocket, we dropped our professional poker faces, lost our journalistic composure. An 8000-rpm redline, a light-switch six-speed, and Terrell Owens moves will do that to you. But this new Honda is more than just one great performance bargain. The 2006 Civic lineup encompasses four new models: the sizzling Si, the sleek Coupe, the elegant Sedan, and the 50-mpg Hybrid. Each one is a winner. When we sat down to vote, it wasn't even close: out of 12 judges, 11 voted Civic.
Forget what you think you know about this Honda. The outgoing 2005 Civic was a quality automobile--well crafted, capable, a strong value--but it didn't tingle the fingertips, never moved the "gee!" meter. The new 2006 Civic does. Honda deserves a standing ovation for not playing it safe again, for crafting a compact car that's edgier and more soulful than it needs to be. The automotive joy that Honda Motor Company was founded on radiates from these new Civics.
In picking a winner, we look for significance, superiority, and value. Significance? The Civic has been the best-selling retail compact car in the U.S. for the past nine years. Honda expects sales of the new model to be even stronger--to well over 300,000 units for 2006. Value? A base Civic Coupe DX starts at just $14,910, and even fully loaded Civics hover in the low 20s. Superiority? Read on...
Why We Love the Civic Si
It's a Screamer
Indicated redline on the Si's tach is 8000 rpm. The limiter doesn't kick in until 8500 rpm. The engine feels like it would happily spin to 10,000. Sure, you could gun a Chevy Cobalt SS or a Ford Focus ZX4 ST to 8500 rpm. Once.
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