Honda rolls out the new Civic and in all honesty though it looks good, it enters a rather different market, than the previous models. This ever-popular car has to face much stronger opposition than ever before.
Here is what is actually happening at the moment. Let’s say 10 years ago there were surely other offers in this segment of compact, fuel efficient cars, selling for under $20000. Besides Civics’ strongest rival – Toyota Corolla, there were just no matches from Korean or American manufacturers. The Koreans haven’t gotten there yet and the American car manufacturers, who traditionally shined in the full-size part of the market, did not do too well in the department of the compact and fuel – efficient cars.
Well the times have changed. Now, Kia and Hyundai have fine cars to sell, and so do the American car manufacturers. They all now 
produce consistently impressive cars in the sub-$20K range, the build quality and look of which match or even beat Honda. Well, think for yourself, in all honesty, a world in which the Chevy Cruze or Ford Focus match up against a Civic is truly a different world.
Now what does the new Civic has to put up against its rivals? It continues to be a compact and presently futuristically shaped car and it can also come in a form of a hybrid or be powered by natural gas. The car that uses regular fuel has fuel efficiency that matches that of regular hybrids (36 mpg highway), while the Civic hybrid is rated at 44 mpg, which is an outstanding result in my opinion.
So, considering the rather fierce competition, Civic continues to be a nice machine, however it no longer is the only one of a kind. It still is a good a comfortable drive and is priced just right.
Dave H says
August 14, 2011 at 7:09 amI have to say, I much preferred the styling of the previous model. It really stood out, and the new one just seems to blend in with other models in it’s class. Is it just me?
cars philippines says
September 1, 2011 at 1:13 amthe new honda civic models compared to old one’s are very stylish and also nature lover.This blog shows how honda can match car brands in korea and america.
bk says
September 25, 2011 at 9:56 amIt looks like a dodge neon from the back. Since 2001 the civic has lead in styling and design but the civic is now far behind several different auto makers. In 2001 Honda was the leader of all auto makers when it came to hybrid vehicles and now 10 years later have position themselves to be the last auto maker to come out with a plug in car. In addition, the civic’s styling was cutting edge in 2006 but its out-dated now and without any major design changes would explain the lack of interest in the new civic with new buyers.