2012 Honda Civic LX 2dr Coupe (1.8L 4cyl 5A)
I wasn't even going to look at this car due to poor reviews, but my hubby had to take his CRV in for service and I was killing time browsing the lot, sat in one, drove it, loved it and traded my 07 RAV4 on the spot. Super glad I did! Don't understand the knocks this car is getting. Over the last month, I drove a Prius, Fiesta, Focus, Elantra, Mazda3, VW GTI, and Volvo C30(loved that one, but $$), and ruled them all out. Was just going to keep the RAV until this car. It is comfy, sporty, and OMG, the mileage! I just filled it for the first time and got 35mpg in TOWN people! This is an automatic and not a hybrid. It rides smoother than my RAV and handles great. Not a rocket, but adequate power
Mileage! Sporty looks, handling, comfy seats, smooth ride. User-friendly displays and controls. The new Toyotas I looked at were way too complicated to do simple things like find a radio station. This car has some neat features like real-time mpg which trains you how to drive in the most fuel-efficient manner. The climate control is simple dials for fan and hot/cold, which I love. And at $19k with Honda resale and reliability what's not to love? I loved the Volvo C30, but it was $30k+ and half the mileage. No, this car doesn't have the power of the Volvo, but without the eco button on, you can pass and accelerate just fine in real-world situations and you can also pass the gas stations!
I had my windows tinted, which helps a lot due to the sloping angles. Also tough to clean the bottom of the front windshield due to the steep angle. Headroom was a bit tight in the models with a sunroof, but I'm not a big sunroof fan anyway, so I got the LX w/o one and problem is solved.