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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/honda_civic_2001

  Marc K. Stengel
EditorMarc K. Stengel

For the 2001 model year, Honda is justifiably proud to reveal the seventh generation of the car that put this company on the world map, the Civic. In just 28 years, the Civic has matured from an econobox with a tiny motor into a refined if anonymous-looking line of commuter cars ranging in price from $12,760 for a DX Coupe to $17,710 for an EX Sedan.

When the 1973 Honda Civic debuted in the fall of '72, the big news was its CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine design. Not only did this

accidentally Romanesque acronym inspire the car's name, it also gave a gas-starved public a way to accommodate an oil embargo with the first pointedly fuel-efficient auto engine ever offered in America. So it is fitting that the 2001 Civic represents another leading achievement: It's the first car sold nationwide with an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) air-quality rating.

Commendable as this accomplishment may be, the Civic's clean-burning engine technology doesn't guarantee the car's success in an unprecedented competitive environment where its best-selling economy-car status is now under siege. In scarcely one year's time, the new Ford Focus line of coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks is already encroaching upon Civic's turf. Ford's European-influenced model line represents the greatest, best-organized frontal assault upon Civic's popularity and sales in almost 30 years.

For 2001, it's fair to say, Honda has focused its attention on reasserting Civic's claim as the best and wisest choice for auto buyers on a budget. The sales contest between Civic and Focus is shaping up into a veritable battle royal in which buyers will surely benefit the most.

Innocuous depth

It is too bad, then, that Honda's latest parry is so innocuously bland in appearance. The smooth but featureless lines of the Civic's new exterior — for both the sedan and coupe versions — fade into the background whenever the edgy, funky, even odd-looking Focus rolls into view. Under the Civic's plain brown wrapper, however, lies an impressive engineering feat that can transform this wallflower into a headliner if only people will bother to notice.

For the 2001 model year, Honda is justifiably proud to reveal the seventh generation of the car that put this company on the world map, the Civic. In just 28 years, the Civic has matured from an econobox with a tiny motor into a refined if anonymous-looking line of commuter cars ranging in price from $12,760 for a DX Coupe to $17,710 for an EX Sedan. When the 1973 Honda Civic debuted in the fall of '72, the big news was its CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine design. Not only did this accidentally Romanesque acronym inspire the car's name, it also gave a gas-starved public a way to accommodate an oil embargo with the first pointedly fuel-efficient auto engine ever offered in America. So it is fitting that the 2001 Civic represents another leading achievement: It's the first car sold nationwide with an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) air-quality rating. Commendable as this accomplishment may be, the Civic's clean-burning engine technology doesn't guarantee the car's success in an unprecedented competitive environment where its best-selling economy-car status is now under siege. In scarcely one year's time, the new Ford Focus line of coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks is already encroaching upon Civic's turf. Ford's European-influenced model line represents the greatest, best-organized frontal assault upon Civic's popularity and sales in almost 30 years. For 2001, it's fair to say, Honda has focused its attention on reasserting Civic's claim as the best and wisest choice for auto buyers on a budget. The sales contest between Civic and Focus is shaping up into a veritable battle royal in which buyers will surely benefit the most. Innocuous depth It is too bad, then, that Honda's latest parry is so innocuously bland in appearance. The smooth but featureless lines of the Civic's new exterior — for both the sedan and coupe versions — fade into the background whenever the edgy, funky, even odd-looking Focus rolls into view. Under the Civic's plain brown wrapper, however, lies an impressive engineering feat that can transform this wallflower into a headliner if only people will bother to notice. For the 2001 model year, Honda is justifiably proud to reveal the seventh generation of the car that put this company on the world map, the Civic. In just 28 years, the Civic has matured from an econobox with a tiny motor into a refined if anonymous-looking line of commuter cars ...