2001 Honda Civic

When Honda introduced the Civic in '73, it quickly established the company's foothold in the American marketplace. At the time, it was seen as a tiny, inconspicuous car built by an outfit best known for motorcycles, competing in a market full of V-8-powered lead sleds packing acres of sheetmetal and more chrome than in a Las Vegas strip club. Despite the OPEC fuel crisis in full swing that year, most automakers didn't bat an eye at Honda's well-built, gas-sipping little hatchback.

Big mistake.

Almost from the beginning, it's been the best-selling subcompact in the U.S. For '01, Honda's upped the ante with increased performance, new suspension hardware, a larger cabin, and an increased level of safety features. This seventh-generation Civic also attempts to build on its track record for sporty styling, economical operation, and excellent price-to-value relationship. Available as a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe, the Civic's freshened bodywork is edgier than that of its predecessor. With a miniaturized Volvo S80-ish trunk and sculpted taillamp assembly, plus a rear bumper cover sans the former exhaust cutout, the tail of the Civic takes on more of the looks of its big brother Accord. From the profile, the Civic gains new lower rocker moldings and a full-length accent line running along the lower third of the door panels, making the vehicle look longer than it is. Aggressive multi-element headlights dominate the nose.

The new Civic moves from the EPA's subcompact to its compact class this year, thanks to its larger interior (104.3 cu ft of volume). While its overall length is actually 0.5 in. shorter, the cabin has been stretched 2.6 in. between the wheels over 2000 models. Although the driver's space feels larger than last year's variant-with increases in leg-, shoulder-, and hiproom-the Nissan Sentra and Mazda Protg (which remain in the subcompact class) still best the Civic in front headroom and shoulder room.

Honda's star player was one of the first cars to prove that "entry level" doesn't mean you have to compromise your comfort standards. Its new interior features a waterfall dash with a soft-touch surround and typically outstanding control arrangement. We especially liked the placement of the climate controls and stereo on the center stack, which are only a fingertip away and easy enough for a six-year-old to use. "Easy-to-reach adult-size control knobs and multi-adjustable rheostats are a dream, instead of just the usual three or four choices" was just one comment. The gauges are also clear and easy to read.

Front cloth seats provided good thigh and lateral support, but we found the lumbar too high and stiff to get comfortable on long trips. If you plan on frequently carrying adults in the rear seat of the Civic, we suggest you reconsider that notion before heading off cross-country with a pair of six-footers in back. Ingress and egress to the rear compartment are less than ideal, with somewhat shallow-opening doors, a protruding rear wheelhouse, and a high-mounted cushion that's a guaranteed head banger for anyone over 5 ft 10 in. tall. Rear legroom is at a premium (not uncommon in pint-size four-doors), and for the effort Honda designers took to open up the cabin, they should've worked in another inch of space for rear seat passengers.

Shortening the Civic also necessitating revising the suspension. Instead of redesigning the tried and true (and more expensive) double-wishbone arrangement, Honda elected to jump on the MacPherson-strut bandwagon. Granted, for 90 percent of the 300,000 or so people a year who buy a Civic, the suspension change will go unnoticed. But performance-oriented owners will feel jilted, and Honda tuners will now have to work harder to get the cheaper underpinnings to handle at enthusiast levels.