New 2012 Honda Civic Models, Specifications, Mileage, Performance

Car Auto Online | New 2012 Honda Civic Models, Specifications, Mileage, Performance | Honda Civic compact is so important to Honda that it////’s peculiar the car didn////’t get some expected features and functions in its redesign forThe 2012 model year. No backup camera.No 6-speed automatic transmission or manualShift mode.NoHeated rear seats.All are available on the recently redesigned Hyundai Elantra,A standard setter among mainstream compacts.

Even though Civic////’s probably better,more convinient overall thanElantra, Civic will look inferior on paper or in pixels to people who comparisonShop using brochures and OnlineSites.

2012 Honda Civic Models

The Civic line has so many versions that it////’s almost a brand unto itself. The 2012 Civic sedan, coupe, HF fuel-efficiency special and the gas-electric hybrid. The high-performance Civic Si sedan and coupe go on sale May 24. A natural-gas-fueled model is coming this fall.

2012 Honda Civic Mileage

The mileage-enhanced models had a pleasant and an unpleasant surprise.

• The HF high-mileage gas car uses the same engine and automatic transmission as the conventional cars, so it performs the same. You have no sense you’re missing some performance for the sake of mileage.
• The gas-electric hybrid is chockablock with improvements, from smaller, lighter battery pack to more power from the engine/motor combo. But a consistent annoyance of hybrids remains, and even seems worse: the shudder that travels in rough waves through the car when the gasoline engine restarts after shutting off temporarily to save fuel.

Test Drive Highlights

Instrument panel. Supposed to be 3-D-like. But big, flat, round gauges are better. You might like the gee-whiz factor, though.

Noise. All models seemed to kick an unusual amount of noise into the passenger compartment; tire noise on coarse roads and suspension bump-thunks on even small bumps.

Looks. Interesting, jazzy enough to seem new, restrained enough to wear well over time.

Sportiness. Long a Civic selling point. Not a sports sedan, but crisper, more fun, than many rivals. Still seems so.

Seats. Fronts, too much lumbar lump. Rears, not bad; just keep in mind it’s still a compact car, not a big sedan.

2012 Honda Civic Mileage Performance

The 201-hp Civic Si engine has a lot more torque than previously, and a light-touch clutch mechanism, so stop-and-slog driving’s easy. Base engine, 140-hp, usually is strong enough. But high-speed highway driving can make it feel and sound taxed. Five-speed automatic shifts great under hard throttle, but sometimes hunts, jerks in lower-speed, go-slow-go-again driving.

Favorite among drivetrain features is one you don’t notice: skid control. It blends so smoothly with your own steering efforts that — unlike the obvious and unpleasant intrusion on most cars — it’s unnoticed until the next step in your car-control repertoire is, “Hail, Mary ….”

2012 Civic Honda is a solid, laudable update of a classy compact, undercut by missing features, road noises, hybrid shudders and strained-feeling gas engine.

Overall, New 2012 Honda Civic is a nice car, could have been nicer.

Source: www.usatoday.com