On a negative note, you must watch your head when entering and exiting, or when loading items on the back seat; otherwise, you'll hit the edge of the roof. Rear passengers enjoy decent room but limited storage.

Behind the wheel
I particularly liked the layout of the various gauges. The high-mounted speedometer, among others, allows you to keep your entire focus on the road. The digital readout also makes things easier. You'll always be aware of your speed, which is great when driving near school zones and playgrounds.

My tester relied on a 140-hp engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The smooth, precise steering comes in quite handy for parking. My EX-L tester relied on a 140-hp engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. While output is decent, passing maneuvers should be performed with the gear selector in D3 position so as to give yourself a greater safety margin. Personally, it allowed me to sprint from 80 to 120 km/h two seconds faster. As for 0 to 100 km/h, it took me nearly 11 seconds. (Of course, the manual-equipped Civic achieves better times.)

Fuel economy is excellent, with a combined city-highway average of 8.6 liters per 100 kilometers. Be careful, though: when you manipulate the transmission, the gear selector has a tendency to land in D3 rather than standard D (there is no locking mechanism). While it proves useful for passing, as previously mentioned, long-term fuel economy will be affected if you keep the selector in that position at all times.

Honda engineers made significant headway in terms of braking performance. Despite still wearing Blizzak winter tires, my Civic took 42 meters to stop from 100 to 0 km/h. A good set of summer tires would probably allow you to drop below 38 meters, which is good for this type of car. Credit goes to the 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD as well as the 16-inch alloys.

Handling is convincing in all conditions and quite safe despite a bit of understeer. The Civic also offers good ride quality for a compact car, although the suspension is slightly firmer than the Corolla's. In fact, that's the main thing that sets these two Japanese rivals apart. The former delivers sportier handling, while the latter's ride comfort is a tad superior.

A matter of value
At nearly $25,000, my 2008 Honda Civic EX-L tester could be described as an upscale or even premium compact sedan (though it's definitely not as compact as in previous years). According to Honda Canada's website, the LX model with sunroof is almost as pricey as the EX-L. I would pick the latter for its added value and luxury feel. And with a frugal engine (a Honda trademark), driving excitement is remarkably affordable.

At nearly $25,000, the 2008 Honda Civic EX-L could be described as an upscale compact sedan.

Photo Credit : Amyot Bachand