The new Honda Civic is so mediocre even Consumer Reports, long a cheerleader for the Japanese econo-cruiser, dropped the redesigned 2012 model from its "recommended buy" list after the new model sunk to a rating of just 61 points on the magazine's 100-point scale. That means the newly-redesigned Honda Civic scored too low of a rating to even be recommended.


Increased competition from American and Korean automakers and decreased value conspire to make the new Civic, like many of the Japanese compact models, an also-ran in a category it once dominated.

As we noted in our 2012 Honda Civic first drive, the new model is mostly indistinguishable from the previous one and behind competitors like the Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus in many key areas.


The reviewers at Consumer Reports agreed, stating:

Compared with its predecessor, the 2012 Civic has lower interior quality and suffers from a choppy ride, long stopping distances, and pronounced road noise. Vague steering impairs its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel.

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The result is a drop from 78 points in their rating, which is considered "Very Good," to a "mediocre" 61 points out of 100 — and dropping it to next to last status behind the Volkswagen Jetta. Effectively going from first to worst.

After decades of domination, it means that the Civic is no longer the car you recommend to your sister-in-law's best friend as a good bet for better-than-basic transportation.