Honda very nearly killed the Civic. No, not the popular commodity car known for its reliability and efficiency. That Civic is doing just fine, leading the compact segment in retail sales three years running.

But the other Civic, that spirited little pocket rocket that launched a thousand tuner shops and garnered a fanatical following, has all but disappeared over the years. The last generation of the Civic, which debuted in 2011, was about as interesting to drive as a Buick LeSabre, with numb steering and flaccid body control.

The new Civic, which debuted as a sedan late last year and was named the 2016 North American Car of the Year, looks like it'll continue pleasing the compact car buying masses. But what about the coupe buying, Honda-loving, pocket rocket enthusiast crowd? Will they love the coupe? We recently went to San Diego, where Honda was previewing the two-door version, in search of the other Civic—our Civic.

1. This Civic coupe actually looks like a coupe.

Civic coupes have always looked cheerful but extremely conservative, sort of like Mike Huckabee. They have big greenhouses, upright C-pillars, and frumpy cab-forward proportions. The new coupe is more radical. The car sits an inch lower than the sedan—which is itself lower than its predecessor—and is 5.4-inches shorter thanks to smaller overhangs. Angry fender creases exaggerate its stance, and the beltline rises dramatically. Coupes get standard aluminum wheels, which look a whole lot better than the steelies that come on base sedans. The design is maybe a little behind the curve—Mazdas were angry anime characters five years ago—but the new coupe stands out in a sea of Civics on California's 405.

Honda

2. Honda's interior designers are magicians.

The same sorcery that makes the subcompact Fit capable of hauling the entire contents of your apartment yields a coupe that feels as airy and spacious as most sedans. Despite the higher beltline, it's easy to see out of. Grownups won't mind riding in the backseat and enjoy slightly more headroom than in the last coupe. The front seats, meanwhile, are some of the sportiest you'll find in a commodity car, with big firm bolsters and handsome, contrasting cloth or leather.

3. But the magic runs out at the radio.

For most trims, it's one of those terrible touchscreens that complicates even the simple act of adjusting the volume. Just use the steering wheel control, you say? Well, it's touch sensitive, too. For a company that cherishes the principal "man maximum, machine minimum," there's an awful lot of machine here. A new update with more physical controls is on its way, we hear. Can't come quick enough.

Honda

4. It has more low-end torque than an S2000.

The Civic's new bread-and-butter engine, a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder, makes 162 lb-ft starting at 1700 rpm. For context, the S2000 reached the same peak torque at 6800 rpm. The CVT automatic, the only transmission offered with the turbo at present, makes the best of this low-end grunt. The engine rarely needs more than 3000 rpm to keep up with traffic, and it spins in near silence at highway speeds. The average Civic owner is going to love this.

We, however, are split. There's nothing wrong with torque, of course. But it's hard to love a powertrain so clearly engineered for gentle driving. Nail the throttle, and the engine surges with a grainy, monotone rasp. There's no reward to climbing all the way to the top of the tach, as in old Honda engines. No winking reminder that in addition to your beige Civic, Honda also builds berserk racing engines that rev past 10,000 rpm.

Honda

5. The suspension was tuned by the guy who tuned the 2005 Si's exhaust

You know, this one. The one that sounds like a symphony performed on buzz saws. Point being, Bruce Fouts, the guy in charge of suspension tuning on the new Civic, is a man of proven taste.

Whereas the last Civic felt dull and distant, this one has the alertness that used to be Honda's trademark. The steering is quicker than before, so you rarely have to take your hands off the little wheel, and the front tires track eagerly. Agile Handling Assist, which debuted on the Acura RLX and is now standard on all Civics, limits understeer by braking the inside wheel when you enter a corner.

Whereas the last Civic felt dull and distant, this one has the alertness that used to be Honda's trademark.

We're told the suspension in the coupe is slightly firmer than the sedan, but we honestly couldn't tell the difference even when we drove them back-to-back. No matter—they both feel significantly firmer than the last Civic. The suspension is particularly good at managing transitions, recovering from a right-hand corner in time for an immediate sharp left.

At the same time, the Civic feels more mature than before. Honda shelled out for hydraulic subframe mounts and additional insulation to isolate road noise better—long a shortcoming in the Civic. The body itself is more rigid than before and soaks up bumps with an expensive sounding thunk. It's so quiet and refined that we hit 90 mph on the highway without even realizing it.

Honda

6. The best Civic is the cheapest one.

That'd be the LX, which starts right around $20,000. It comes with a normally aspirated, 158-hp 2.0-liter and the best six-speed manual this side of a Porsche Boxster. The four-cylinder revs only to 6700 rpm, but the way it responds to taps of your right foot and that familiar cammy whir tells you it actually wants to hit that redline. It does more for us than the turbo and, furthermore, is probably one of most entertaining powertrains you'll find at this price.

The base Civic also feels very much like a real car. Bluetooth, nice-looking cloth seats with bolsters that hold you, keyless entry, and a backup camera are all part of the deal. Bonus: The base Civic has a volume knob.

We did miss the fancier footwear from the more expensive Civic. The EX wears squishy 16-inch tires, versus 17-inch on higher trims, as well as softer springs, which somewhat muffles that great steering and handling.

What we'd like more than a stick shift for the turbo engine is simply for Honda to offer this base powertain with the higher-trim suspension, like it does with the Accord Sport. This would cost Honda no money and would be perfect for enthusiasts on a budget. Honestly, those who want a turbo stick shift can wait for the Si and Type R.

7. The Real Civic Is Back

At a stoplight outside of San Diego, a guy pulls up next to us in a late '90s Prelude with a custom paint job and fart-can exhaust. He takes in our car with a slight nod, revs his engine, and takes off.

We echo his approval. The true enthusiast's models, Si and Type R, are yet to arrive. But for now the new Civic coupe, even in its basic form, is a car Honda lovers will recognize.

Honda

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