Honda Civic is an icon. Honda sells more than 325,000 Civics a year in the U.S., making it one of America's best-selling compacts. They are notable for offering excellent fuel economy and sporty handling. But the Civic can't be described that easily because the lineup is composed of a family of diverse models: a practical four-door sedan, a slick two-door coupe, and a hot hatchback. Honda completely redesigned the entire Civic line for 2001. Refinements for 2002 included improved handling and reduced noise and vibration, though we think there is still room for improvement in that area.
For 2003, sedans and coupes come with improved seat fabrics and the outboard rear headrests are now adjustable. There's a sporty new four-spoke steering wheel on most versions, and a new center console and armrest on LX and EX. Civic LX and HX models now come with a standard CD player, and the driver's seat on the LX is now height-adjustable, as it has been on the EX. Aluminum wheels are now standard on the EX coupe.

Honda Civics come in three body styles: four-door sedan, two-door coupe, and three-door hatchback. Sedans and coupes are available in three primary trim levels: DX, LX, and EX.
Civic DX and LX are powered by a 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine rated 115 horsepower. LX adds air conditioning, power-operated controls and luxury features. EX models get a 127-horsepower engine, body-colored power mirrors, a remote entry system, and a tilt-and-slide glass sunroof. The EX engine displaces the same 1.7 liters as the DX and LX engine, but gets a boost from Honda's excellent VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Control) system. Larger wheels and tires help put the power to the road. A four-speed automatic transmission ($800) is optional for DX, LX, and EX models, all of which come standard with a five-speed manual transmission.

Civic Si is only available as a hatchback, and the hatchback is only available as an Si. Civic Si comes with a high-output 2.0-liter i-VTEC (for variable valve timing with intelligence) engine rated 160 horsepower. Si comes with a five-speed manual and is not available with an automatic transmission. Prices range from about $13,000 for a DX to about $15,000 for an LX to about $17,000 for an EX to about $19,000 for the Si.

Specialty Civics are available as well. Coupe HX ($14,170) comes with a fuel-efficient lean-burn engine teamed to the standard five-speed manual transmission. Capable of 44 mpg, it achieves an impressive 117 horsepower. Optional on HX is a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT, for $1,000. There's also a Coupe GX with a natural gas-powered engine that Honda claims is the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world. For their part, the DX, LX, and EX four-cylinder aluminum engines earn the government's ultra low emission vehicle, or ULEV, certification. A Civic Hybrid is available that uses a small gas engine and a big electric motor to achieve 50 mpg. We think hybrids are the best short-term solution to reducing air pollution and fuel consumption, and the Civic Hybrid is the best example of one of these.

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Options are limited for the many trim levels. Side-impact air bags add $250. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) are standard on EX and Si, optional on GX.

The Honda Civic sedan and coupe are conservative in appearance, but contemporary in design. They present a wedge-shaped profile with a high, curt tail and low, abbreviated prow. The hood sits an amazing 2.6 inches lower than the hood of the previous-generation Civic.
The front is clean and conservative with a discreet horizontal grille set between large, triangular multi-lens headlamps that curve around the corners. A wide air intake stretches across the body-colored bumper, and a low front spoiler has been added for downforce. Relatively flat flanks are interrupted only by the moldings. Windshield pillars arch into the rolled roof to meet the narrow C-pillars. Bold tail lamps dominate the blunt rear panel, underscored by a body-colored bumper. The sedan's tail lamps have been revised for 2003.

They look like they're from the same family, but the sedan and coupe differ in appearance. In fact, more than three-fourths of their body panels are not interchangeable. The coupe features a more aggressive windshield rake for a sportier look, and its tail lamps light up in a signature pattern. The sedan and coupe do share the same wheelbase and structure.
The styling of the Honda Civic Si hatchback seems to polarize people. Some think it's ugly; others love it and are quick to defend it. It's edgy and wedgy. The huge, flat windshield is steeply raked. The nose slopes radically downward, giving the car excellent aerodynamics and driver visibility. Its unique mesh grille is framed by huge triangular headlamps. The Si is slab-sided, without any sculpture in the sheet metal. Also, the wheels and tires do not look big enough for the bodywork. The Si features a subtle roof spoiler, a dual tipped exhaust, and comes standard with a moonroof.

Honda is known for its space-efficient design, and the Civic packs its engine into a condensed engine bay, leaving more space for the interior. The door handles are the lever kind, which I find harder to operate than the kind you stick your hands through.