The 2020 Honda Civic: A strong all-rounder in the sub-$30,000 market

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  Honda has sold millions of Civics since 1972. This is the 10th generation car to wear the nameplate. [credit: Honda ]

Can you believe that the Honda Civic is already on its 10th generation? The first car to wear the nameplate took to the streets back in 1972 and has been a sales success ever since; by the late 1990s, Honda was selling more than 300,000 Civics a year in the United States, and this year the Toyota Camry is the only car (as opposed to truck or crossover) to find more buyers.

My thoughts about Honda’s cars are heavily colored by my very first exposure to one. It would have been in the early 1980s in London, a time when a friend’s mother drove an Accord and would sometimes ferry us about in it. I remember thinking that its dramatically styled interior, complete with a bright green LED clock, wouldn’t look out of place in Battlestar Galactica—the original, which shared the same beige-brown color palette. Ever since then my brain has expected to see an element of science fiction starfighter in Honda’s vehicles, and I’m glad to say the current-generation Civic—either in sedan or hatchback form—does not disappoint.

Some people might find the new Civic fussy, particularly compared to the restrained and curvy shapes that Honda’s stylists used to draw. But to me it works, like a folded up Gundam suit or something. I find the styling of the Civic hatchback even better, and there’s also a coupé that you could buy in fluorescent yellow, if you’re an extrovert’s extrovert.