THE CIVIC USED TO BE A working-class hero for car enthusiasts. Cheap, practical, and ubiquitous, it nonetheless steered, shifted, and revved like it was engineered just for us. Car lovers who came of age during the (Bill) Clinton administration revered the Civic as earlier generations did the flathead Ford and '57 Chevy.

No one thinks that way about the Civic anymore. The last iteration was as fun to drive as a LeSabre, with numb steering and flaccid body control. Mainstream shoppers didn't care—the car led its segment in retail sales the past six years. But it no longer inspired enthusiasts to worship at the Temple of VTEC.

This coupe aims to win back those devotees. Look at the lower roof and flared wheel arches. The design isn't radical—popular compacts can't be radical—but it stands out from the schools of Civic sedans swimming to and from work.

The overt sportiness carries to the interior, where you sit low in snug bucket seats. It's still roomy and easy to see out of, in the grand Honda tradition. Most Civics, alas, come with a touchscreen that's a pain to use and fussy touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls. Only the lower trims have dials and buttons.

For maybe the first time ever, Civic owners can brag about torque. An optional 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder makes 162 lb-ft at 1700 rpm. For context, the late S2000's 2.2-liter four had to wail at 6500 rpm to produce the same amount of twist. Great, right? Eh. Paired with a CVT automatic, 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 driver will love this. But there's no prize for climbing the tach—no winking reminder that in addition to your Civic, Honda also builds berserk racing engines.

Marc Urbano

Again, the answer is the cheaper car. The standard, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter has bragging rights of its own—it's the first base Civic engine with dual overhead cams and is the starting point for the 300-plus-hp monster in the upcoming Civic Type R. More important, it loves to rev and sings sweetly as you snap through six gears with one of the best manuals this side of a Boxster. (A stick is coming for the turbo, too.) What it lacks in grunt compared with the turbo, it makes up for with effervescence.

The old Scrappy-Doo spirit also inhabits the suspension. Variable-ratio steering is light but quick and sharp, and the neural pathways between the front wheels and the driver's fingers have regenerated. The stripper model—our favorite, if you couldn't tell—rides on smaller wheels and softer dampers and may be more fun as a result. It leans on initial turn-in but then takes a set, not unlike a Miata. Sixteen-inch Firestones hold on gamely, and when the fronts do begin to howl, lifting off the throttle can rotate the rear end into line. Every on-ramp is your oyster.

You might want to wait for the Type R. Understandable, but the Civic's appeal has never emanated solely from hot variants. Rather, it's the way even the humblest ones elevated everyday driving. In that sense, the Civic is back.

Honda Civic LX

Price: $19,885

$19,885 Powertrain: 2.0-liter I-4, 158 hp, 138 lb-ft; FWD, 6-speed manual

2.0-liter I-4, 158 hp, 138 lb-ft; FWD, 6-speed manual Weight: 2726 LB

2726 LB On Sale: Now

R&T Official Test Results

0–60 mph: 7.5 sec

7.5 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph : 8.2 sec

: 8.2 sec Standing1/4-mile: 15.8 sec @ 89.8 mph

15.8 sec @ 89.8 mph Top Speed: 130 mph*

130 mph* Braking, 70–0 mph: 188.0 ft

188.0 ft Skidpad, 300-foot: 0.82 g

*Governed. Top speed is manufacturer claim.

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