All show, all go
Of course, looks are one thing - but performance is a whole other ball of wax. Luckily, the Honda Civic Coupe has the goods to back up the promise.

Via its 1.8-litre i-VTEC engine, the Honda delivers 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque at 4300 rpm. The 4-cylinder produces a sporty sound and revs all the way to 6800 rpm - more in keeping with a sports car than an economy car, to be sure.

While stoplight starts won't produce any neck-snapping performances, the Civic does get off the line briskly enough to keep the fun rolling along. To top it all off, fuel economy for the Coupe is rated at 7.8 L/100 km (city) and 5.7 L/100 km (highway). Impressive.

The Civic makes good use of every drop of gas with its 7.8 city and 5.7 hwy fuel economy ratings.

Once underway, the Honda also reveals itself to be more than competent in the handling department. Despite the fact that the DX-G was saddled with some fairly uninspiring P196/65 R15 all-season tires, it displayed significant cornering ability. This was, no doubt, due to the car's independent suspension set-up: MacPherson struts in the front and race-inspired double-wishbones in the back. The Civic also boasts stabilizer bars, front and rear, to help reduce body roll in corners.

With relatively little power underfoot, torque steer off the line was of little concern. On slick days, the Civic would probably be able to overwhelm the stock tires, but over the course of a dry week, no problems were encountered.

The rack and pinion steering is incredibly direct and provides excellent road feel. Driving the Honda, it quickly became apparent that its level of handling and feedback is comparable to what respectable sports coupes provided as recently as five years ago.

Unexpected bonuses are standard
To complete the picture, the Civic DX-G Coupe comes standard a number of admirable safety features. These include 4-wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, active front-seat head restraints, as well as front seat airbags and front side airbags.

The Honda also offers a decent standard audio system: a 160-watt AM/FM/CD unit with four speakers that features an auxiliary input jack, and MP3 and WMA compatibility. These are the kind of standard features that usually only appear in cars costing 50% more.

There are many reasons why the Civic has been one of the best-selling cars in Canada for so long - and driving the 2007 Honda Civic DX-G Coupe serves to highlight all of those reasons. With a base price of just $19,430, it represents huge value for the small car buyer. More than that, though, it's flat-out fun to drive.


Stylish exterior
Fantastic hi-tech interior
Slick manual transmission
Very fun to drive
Massive bang for the buck


Rear drum brakes




Feeling inferior to Civic Si drivers


Photo Credit : Honda