September 4, 2010 - 8:03 am
It’s a perennial best-buy, and with the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla,
the Civic is one of the most visible vehicles on the road today.
And there’s little argument Civic’s popularity isn’t warranted. Honda has
capitalized on the compact car’s success by presenting three body
styles and the notable options of a gas/electric hybrid and two-door
hatchback. But does Honda really need another option in the Civic line?
Apparently it does, considering my test drive for the week, the Special
Edition, 4-door, EX model. It’s an effort in some ways to make the Civic
something it’s not ? a sports car or an economy vehicle with high-end
standard features.
The Special Edition features include a leather-wrapped steering wheel,
a AM/FM 6-Disc in-dash CD, with six-speakers, MP3 playback capability
and an equalizer display function, 15 or 16-inch alloy wheels and a rear
wing spoiler. And while many of the features are perfectly fine, what
really is the point of a spoiler on a Civic? Just how much can it possibly
help a vehicle that features a 1.7-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder, 127-
horsepower engine with an automatic transmission?
Nevertheless, beyond its special edition features, the 2005 Civics offers
plenty of what has made the car what it is ? a reliable, economical
vehicle with myriad standard features, few weaknesses, good resale
value and the availability to suit budgets beginning at $13,000 and
continuing to nearly $21,000.
In my weekly drive, the Civic performed to satisfaction and featured one
of the nicest colors I’ve seen on the road.
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