Ranks second worst in the category, and easily beaten by Domestic and Korean brand…
2012 Honda Civic LX: Scores too low for Consumer Reports to recommend
Aug 1, 2011 4:30 PM
The redesigned-for-2012 Honda Civic LX scored too low in Consumer Reports testing to be recommended. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s quite a fall.
The Civic has long ranked among CR’s top small sedans, having been a Top Pick as late as 2007. It’s also long been reliable, and we don’t expect that to change in the not-extensively-redesigned 2012 model.
So what happened? The new Civic feels insubstantial with a cheap interior. You don’t get much feature content for the $19,405 that our Civic LX automatic costs, either. That’s a problem given the high bar set in this class by the new-to-market Chevrolet Cruze, the redesigned-for-2012 Ford Focus, and the redesigned-for-2011 Hyundai Elantra.
But a savvy buyer could sit in a showroom and realize those Civic shortcomings. The problems that really hurt the Civic’s score run deeper and they showed up at our test track. Stopping distances are long. The steering is lightly weighted and comes up short on feedback. Body lean appears early in the corners. The ride is marred by frequent short pitches. And road noise still remains an annoying companion.
Not all of the news is bad. Fuel economy is very impressive, despite the Civic’s seemingly low-tech powertrain. There’s decent rear seat room, too.
But that’s just not enough. With all of the recent small sedan competition and a redesign that dropped the ball, now there are a lot better choices than a 2012 Civic.
See our complete 2012 Honda Civic road test and ratings.
Heard about this earlier today. When I bought my Elantra the civic wasnt even on my radar as competition. The closest was definetly the Cruze, Honda has been getting lazy for years now so its not really that suprising.
Its a Honda so it will still sell quite well regardless of this.
When I had my '96 Neon I drove a '99 Civic and I liked the Neon alot more. The Civic was very bland, especially the interior and the Neon seemed like it had more power (probably did due to a bigger engine). Both were automatics.
Chevy and Ford will be garbage, not sure about the Hyundai, but I’m sure the Honda will be in the best shape out of the cars mentioned (all with equal care)
Yesterday, Consumer Reports announced it would no longer recommend the Honda Civic after its 2012 redesign.
The editorial staff at Cars.com has tested various versions of the 2012 Honda Civic over hundreds of real-world miles, and today, we still recommend the car to consumers.
We recommend it for numerous reasons including its terrific mileage, comfortable cabin, top safety scores, high resale value and a long track record of reliability. When the class is so competitive, these factors are what many car shoppers focus on.
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And PJB you’re an idiot if you think a 96 neon is better than same year or a 99 civic.
Regardless of the reviews, whether they be positive or negative, I don’t think the sales numbers for the Civic will affected very much if at all. Honda is seen by consumers as a great brand and it’s pros still outwigh the cons. (i.e. fuel economy)
Im being serious. It was a customer’s car at the bodyshop I worked at and I had to pick it up and deliver it a few times because the owner was constantly hitting snowbanks and breaking the bumpers. I just wasnt impressed with it.
I actually liked the neon better than the Cutlass I fixed up so I kept the Neon instead of the Cutlass. Then I decided I wanted 4wd.
