2006 Honda Civic

Body style(s): 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe

Notes

    By 2006, Honda's Civic was engaged in a perennial battle with the Toyota Corolla for the title of best-selling compact car in the United States. Replacing the five-year-old model was the 2006 Civic, the eighth generation of American Civics. As before, it was available as a sedan, but a 2-door coupe replaced the old 2-door hatchback; the two bodystyles shared no exterior panels. Both coupe and sedan had a sharply-raked, futuristic profile that somewhat aped the 2004 Toyota Prius design, while still being innovative in appearance. The coupe had the steepest-sloped windshield ever fitted to a Honda vehicle, for whatever that was worth. The interior was even more daring, with large dial controls for climate control and audio, and a two-tier instrument display. The lower portion (where instuments usually reside) featured a large central tachometer. The speedometer (along with coolant temp and gas tank readouts) was positioned in a narrow strip sited above the line of the steering wheel. The speedometer, in a futuristic yet back-to-the-80s touch, was a simple digital readout. It was designed to require a minimal diversion of one's gaze from the road, but had the usual foibles of digital instrumentation, primarily in legibility and a sense of acceleration. The layout of the rest of the cabin was intuitive and functional, with high-quality materials and good panel gaps. The slope of the windshield and hood also meant that the Civic took some getting used to in parking; telling where the nose ended took practice. These niggling details aside, the new Civic was indeed a triumph. The new 1.8 L engine produced 140 horsepower, rather more the Corolla, and nearly as high as the Mazda3, while delivering better highway fuel economy than the previous-generation 1.7-liter model, thanks in part to a new 5-speed automatic transmission, a rare feature in its class. The DX was the stripped-to-the-bones model in the range. It started at just over $14,500, about $500 more than the equivalent Corolla (and about a grand more than the previous year), but with all the luxuries of a cell. The Civic DX had no air conditioning, no stereo whatsoever, and manual exterior mirrors, all features found on even a stripper Corolla CE. However, safety features were more prominent: even the base DX offered standard side (front) and curtain (front and rear) airbags, along with antilock brakes, features that were optional on Corollas. The LX was the volume seller, offering power equipment along with keyless entry, a CD player, and a security system. The EX was the pseudo-lux version, offering a moonroof, a higher-quality sound system, rear cupholders, alloy wheels, and radio controls on the steering wheel. The Civic GX was the natural-gas version of the basic sedan. Available only in California and New York, it sold in very limited quantities. It used a high-compression version of the standard engine, modified to run on compressed natural gas (which, it should be noted, is actually in a gaseous state at room temperature). It was hamstrung by the bulky fuel tank, which halved trunk space and eliminated the folding feature from the back seat. While the EPA reckoned that the GX's emissions rate made it the cleanest-running car in America, it repaid the driver with poor acceleration and the problem of finding a gas station that pumped natural gas, making every excursion an exercise in refueling strategy. At $24,400, it was also the most expensive Civic ever conceived, although the cost was somewhat offset by a $4,000 federal tax credit in 2006. The hybrid used a revised version of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist. As numerous magazines noted, the system resembled an electric supercharger, where the batteries and 15-kW motor boosted the power of the ICE. However, in this application, the gasoline engine could be turned off altogether with the car moving, but only while cruising at 15-20 mph at a steady speed on a flat road, a sharp contrast to the Toyota system that could actually start the car from a stop and accelerate under electric power. Finally, the Civic Si coupe offered a sportier suspension, sport seats, unique interior trim, and a much more powerful two-liter engine that developed nearly 200 horsepower. The Honda Civic was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 2006.

Series: 2006-current

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Other vehicles

Honda Civic sedan.


Honda Civic sedan.


Honda Civic coupe.


Honda Civic coupe.