Honda Civic: 2016 Motor Trend Car of the Year Finalist
Turbo Power and Active Safety Tech for the 10th-Gen Civic
We Like: Its roomier cabin, swanky interior digs.
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We Don't Like: The busy exterior design, needlessly complex infotainment system.
"Honda's Civic made its reputation by being small, light, and unpretentious," Angus MacKenzie started his notes. "Its designers would not recognize the new 10th-generation Civic."
Bigger, flashier, and more technologically advanced than ever, the new Civic impressed us. Honda paid more attention to the interior than anywhere else. With the Civic's adult-friendly back seat getting 1.2 extra inches of legroom, the more luxurious Civic makes a strong argument for itself. Our top-level Touring test car featured a futuristic interior design, swanky leather, and standard active safety tech. "This has to be the best lane keep assist and active cruise control for the price," Ed Loh said.
Learn aboutother Car of the Year contenders and finalists at the links below. Check out theCar of the Year introduction HERE, and discoverhow our Of The Year awards have evolved HERE.And the 2016 Motor Trend Car of the Year is...
The new Civic's exterior design didn't find as much favor with judges as its interior. "There's too much surface activity with the lines and surface breaks," guest judge Tom Gale noted. "The 'humpy' feel of the front fender and quarter panel is most bothersome." Other judges commented that the Civic's nose looked "Acura-y" and that the profile was reminiscent of the old Crosstour.
Although most Honda buyers will likely care more about how their cars look than drive, they'll still enjoy the Civic's two powertrains. The volume engine is a 2.0-liter I-4 producing 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. The optional turbocharged engine is a North American first for Honda cars. The 1.5-liter, turbo I-4 is paired with a CVT and makes 174 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque.
"The first thing you notice when you start the Honda Civic is the quietness of the engine and its smoothness," observed guest judge Chris Theodore. "The 1.5-liter turbo is a little slow off the line, but it gathers itself up at about 3000 rpm and pulls strongly from there. The CVT has artificial shift points built into it and, at least on acceleration, responded surprisingly well."
The new Civic represents a strong evolution. Although its original designers may not recognize it, buyers sure will. "There's little question," Jason Camissa said, "that this is the best car in its class."
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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