2009 Honda Civic Coupe

Reviewers note that the Honda Civic coupe's suspension is tuned differently than the sedan's, for a more sporty feel. The Civic Si, which is the coupe variant tested most frequently by reviewers, makes no bones about its intent -- it's a compact performance machine, and it's got the on-road behavior to back that up. "Any car that receives a perfect score in the fun-to-drive and handling categories is something we wouldn't kick out of the garage," writes Car and Driver in a comparison test against the Volkswagen GTI. Testers there also observed a sub-seven-second zero-to-60 acceleration run with the Honda Civic Si coupe.

As has come to be expected from Honda, safety is addressed with the expected combination of antilock brakes, a suite of airbags and standard electronic stability control. In government National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests, the Honda Civic coupe scores four- and five-star ratings. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not crash tested the Honda Civic coupe, but the agency rates the non-Si Civic sedan as a Top Safety Pick. Solid build quality helps the Civic garner a favorable reliability reputation, and high resale values are common.

The biggest stumbling block for the Honda Civic coupe is its polarizing interior layout, a multi-tier affair that blends digital and analog instrumentation. "Should you be abducted by aliens and they let you see the cockpit of their ship, the Civic's interior might trigger painful (maybe pleasurable?) flashbacks," writes Car and Driver. "Straight out of a 'Star Trek' shuttle pod," says Cars.com's Thomas who adds, "Nothing in its class has materials that are as nice to the touch, nor do any feel as solid as the Civic's do." ConsumerGuide.com editors also say that the somewhat unorthodox layout "works to good overall effect." CNET focuses on in-car tech, but observes, "the big letdown is in the cabin electronics, where the double-DIN navigation and stereo unit looks like an aftermarket piece shoe-horned into the dashboard."

Among the few cars reviews suggest as worthy alternatives are the Scion tC (*Est. $17,670 to $18,470) and the Volkswagen Rabbit two-door hatchback (which will revert back to the Golf name starting in 2010) (*Est. $16,300 to $19,340). The four-cylinder turbo Hyundai Genesis coupe (*Est. $22,000 to $29,500) makes for a potentially interesting rear-wheel-drive alternative to the Honda Civic Si coupe as well.

Many reviews that group the Civic coupe together with the sedan still provide useful information. ConsumerReports.org has an excellent review based on test driving several different models. Edmunds.com names the Civic among its top picks for coupes and provides a useful and comprehensive summary. ConsumerGuide.com names the Civic a Best Buy and gives driving impressions based on four different sedan and coupe models. TheCarConnection.com and Kelley Blue Book have coupe-specific reviews, complete with pros and cons and driving impressions. Cars.com and MyRide.com each give the Civic top awards.