2009 Honda Civic Review

The 2009 Honda Civic comes in several different trim lines. However, all Civics are known for their high resale value, great bang for you buck, and tremendous dependability. The Honda Civic is iconic and is the reason for the initial success of the Honda brand in the U.S. Since the 70's, the Civic was always a value leader. Always known as a fuel efficient, small car, the Civic sets the standard in the subcompact and now compact class of vehicles. The new generation Civic has moved more upscale. Offering additional amenities and features for a slightly higher price tag. The move has allowed Honda to introduce the Honda Fit below the Civic in both size and price. But now that the Civic has moved upscale, how does it compete with other vehicles in its class, and does it have what is needed to remain one of the best selling cars in America?

Pricing: The 2009 Honda Civic is indeed more costly than previous generation Civics, but you do get additional room and features. The Honda Civic is broken down into 4 models, excluding the natural gas and hybrid version for this article. The four versions are as follows, a Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Coupe, and Civic Coupe Si. Within the four model lines, the are more distinctions such as LX, EX, EX-L and so on. For simplicity, pricing for the Civic Sedan ranges from $15,505 to $20,855, the Civic Sedan Si starts at $22,105, the Civic Coupe ranges from $15,305 to $20,855, and the Civic Coupe Si starts at $21,905. There are several options for each trim line and pricing varies accross the models. The numbers above provide ballpark figures for comparison purposes.

Standard Features: Each individual Civic model has different standard and available features. Honda sets up their model designations in a manner that makes it very difficult to compare trim lines within a model and even more difficult to compare their models to other vehicles. With numerous trims and models it is impossible to list standard features for all models of the Civic. Refer to the Honda website for additional information.

Performance: The Honda Civic has always set the standard for handling and driving characteristics in the economy car class. Competition has grown stronger over the years, especially the competition from the remarkable Mazda 3, but the Civic still offers solid handling, a good ride, communicative steering and strong engine performance. The 2009 Civic has the availibility of a 1.8 liter 140 hp engine offering 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway in the Civic Sedan and Coupe models, or a 2.0 liter 197 hp engine offering 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway in the Civic Sedan Si and Civic Coupe Si models. Both engine provide strong performance, but the 2.0 liter in the Si paired with a 6 speed manual transmission offers exhilirating performance.

Bottom Line: The 2009 Honda Civic offers a lot of car for the money. If you are stingy with options, you can have a well equipped version for less than $20,000. The Civic returns good fuel economy numbers and is a economical choice in a compact car. It has been a best seller for years and continues to score top marks on reviews worldwide. It hard to go wrong with the Civic.