To be selected as the
MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards Best of the Year, a vehicle must excel in all areas, from performance to value. And that's exactly what the 2006 winner, the entire Honda Civic lineup, does easily.
All new from bumper to bumper, the latest Civic continues Honda's super-successful small car approach, with a comprehensive lineup of sedans and coupes ranging from basic transportation, to spirited high performance, to cutting edge hybrid.
Both the sedan and coupe boast show-car-like low and lean exteriors, with wheels pushed to the corners for a very athletic and spirited appearance.
Those slick, hyper-modern exteriors carry over to the interior, which features an artistic, ergonomically excellent, and very upscale trimmed split-level dash.
Interior space is comparable to the previous generation, but Honda designers have managed to make Civic's cabin feel and appear larger through a superb job of packaging. There is a top notch use of space for the big and small, of people and cargo alike.
The Civic is also very impressive when it comes to powertrains. The standard fitment gains power with a larger, high-tech 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine rated at 140 horsepower, a 25 unit boost. But fuel economy is up as well, with a highway rating of 40 miles per gallon with an automatic transmission.
Mileage is even higher for the latest Civic Hybrid, which is EPA rated at 50 city/50 highway. Its new generation 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engine and Integrated Motor Assist combination improves output to 110 horsepower, and can now run at low speeds on electric power only.
But it's higher speeds that will attract drivers, especially young ones, to the latest Civic Coupe. In its raciest Si trim, the bigger 2-door Civic pumps out 197 horsepower from a free-spinning 2.0-liter dual-cam-4. Yet even here highway fuel economy tops 30 miles per gallon.
With a new 6-speed manual gearbox, limited slip differential and razor-sharp chassis, the Si coupe is an affordable rocket for the roads both straight and curvy.
And all this is available for extremely reasonable prices that start around $15,000 for sedan and coupe. With so much value, versatility, performance, and choice available in a single car line, it's no wonder that the 2006 Honda Civic is the 2006
MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year!
