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2006 Honda Civic Coupe Road Test

More Distinctive Styling Sets Civic Coupe Apart

Ive always liked the Civic coupe, ever since my brother purchased a 1993 two-door in 92. Its been a thoroughly reliable ride, now pushing 135,000 miles on the odometer and still getting him dependably from home to work, the club, pool hall, soccer games, rowing, and the many other activities he involves himself in. In fact, if Greg is any indicator as to how long Civic customers keep their cars, Im surprised Honda sells as many as it does each year.

Im sure if the means are there, the new 2006 Civic Coupe will lure him down to his local Honda dealership to reinvest. It looks extremely good, and so much more distinctive than the outgoing model which borrowed its prominent triangular taillight styling cues from the much pricier previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S, CL, SL and SLK rear lamp design. Ive even seen

Ive always liked the Civic coupe, ever since my brother purchased a 1993 two-door in 92. (Photo: American Honda)

"tuned" Civic coupes with aftermarket lenses featuring the same M-B clear on red design pattern.

Its a lot more difficult, and maybe impossible to see any blatant design plagiarism in the new model. Now it includes those clear inserts import tuners like, but the taillight shape is completely unique, as it the rest of the cars shapely behind. Its tall, bustled rear deck lid appears like an oversized airfoil, which isnt all that far from the truth. In fact, its the result of extensive wind tunnel testing, as is the rest

Its racy headlight slits meld nicely into the horizontal grille opening. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

of the cars swoopy styling.

From the front, little distinguishes the coupe from the much more sporting 2006 sedan. Its racy headlight slits meld nicely into the horizontal grille opening, with its now trademark wing-shaped insert and stylized Honda "H" dead center. Its not as radical a step forward as the Si Concept, which debuted earlier this year as a teaser to Civic coupe fans, and has since been softened into the new 2006 Civic Si - more on this one in a future road and track test. Ironically, Honda has chosen to the grille insert on its Si chrome, instead of black

I find the stock 160-watt, four-speaker stereo to be very competent. (Photo: American Honda)

or body colour, the latter of which is the norm for sport models. I like the chrome better, and bet that owners will quickly swap out the base coupe insert for the upgraded one, as well as adding the Sis stylish rear deck lid spoiler. But such are the ways of Civic coupe owners. It just might be the most customized vehicle on the road, with oversized wheels, rigid suspension kits, aluminum whale tails, carbon fiber interior trim, aluminum switchgear, A-pillar gauge clusters, personalized upholstery, short-throw gearshift levers, engine upgrades galore, and lest I forget, aftermarket audio/video/nav systems that often cost much more than the

The design looks sporty and technologically advanced, while featuring a much higher quality of plastic surfaces than the outgoing model. (Photo: American Honda)

entire purchase price of the car.

While the 2006 coupe doesnt offer 1000-watt amplifiers and TV monitors on the backs of its contoured headrests, it does provide a pretty impressive audio system, at least for my needs. Unlike some tuner friends I associate with, I have no need to shake up the neighborhood - that just happens to be very close to an earthquake inducing fault line - so I find the stock 160-watt, four-speaker stereo to be very competent. It features a single CD player, AM/FM radio bands, of course, and MP3 compatibility. If you load it up it even comes with a plug-in for an external device, like an MP3 player or iPod. This is a feature

Digital readouts join analog-style gauges to provide excellent legibility no matter the weather conditions. (Photo: American Honda)

that I really like, due to my little white iPod Shuffle, and would cause me to pay more just to get it.

Honda doesnt require entry-level buyers to buck up for its many interior upgrades, however, which improve across the coupe lineup for 2006. The design, which is identical to that in the sedan, looks sporty and technologically advanced, while featuring a much higher quality of plastic surfaces than the outgoing model. Upholstery on the seats and door panels is also much nicer in both design and tactile quality, and the former are wonderfully comfortable while offering a level of support few rivals can match.

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