Front-seat accommodations in the Civic are superb for a car in this class. The sedan's seats provide excellent support, thanks to a rigid structure with fairly aggressive side bolsters. High bottom cushions make entry and exit easy, though a lack of height adjustment in the base DX limits tailoring for driver size or taste. The Civic coupe's front seatbacks stretch broad and deep, with headrests that are open at the center like a doughnut. The Si hatchback's front seats are best of all, offering comfort for longer trips and more aggressive bolstering for hard driving.
Seat fabrics have been upgraded in recent years, and the look and feel of materials are generally very good. The Civic Hybrid's interior is most posh of all, with automatic climate control and a two-tone finish lacking in the high-trim EX sedan. Yet we like the Si best. Soft, suede-like microfiber adds richness to the side bolsters while red stitching accents the sporty fabric in the center.
Rear-seat accommodations, on the other hand, are not the best. The back seat is neither roomy nor comfortable compared to best in class. The flat floor eliminates a center tunnel, at least, and the outboard rear head restraints are adjustable. But three in back is definitely a crowd.
Moreover, getting into the coupe's back seat can be a challenge. The front seats cooperate for rear entry by gliding forward when the seatback tilts forward; a memory function then returns the seat to its original position. The front seatbelts attach to a side anchor bar that slides out of the way when someone climbs into the back. In short, the front seat's forward movement creates the largest possible portal for rear-seat entry, given the design. Yet it's still not easy to fold your body and wedge it into the back of this (or any) coupe, much less to haul yourself out. Bottom line: The Civic is happiest with two people, but can haul additional passengers when called upon.
In all Civics, the cockpit looks clean and efficient, with the instrument panel tucked beneath a barrel-shaped cowl. A four-spoke steering wheel provides a comfortable grip, though you'll crave a leather-wrapped steering wheel in anything other than the new SE on sweaty-palm days. Round analog instruments include an oversized speedometer and tachometer in the center, flanked by smaller fuel and coolant gauges. In the sedan, the gauge graphics are the traditional white-on-black. In the coupe, the gauges show silver highlights and glow with amber light at night. The Hybrid's instruments are blue-lit and include a digital fuel mileage display and other indicators that monitor the functioning of its auxiliary electric motor. The Si features sport-style black numbers on white gauges, with a bright red Si badge for a splash of color.
Heating and air conditioning controls are among the best in any car, with large rotary dials for temperature, flow direction and fan speed stacked just to the left of the stereo controls. Separate buttons for air conditioning, recirculation, and rear-window defrost are arrayed just below the audio system. It's an excellent design that's very easy to operate. Audio controls are also close at hand, but the system suffers from small buttons and knobs. Sound quality has been improved in recent years.
The Si's gear shifter sprouts at an angle from the upper console, as in a mid-1960s Alfa Romeo or some of the latest rally cars. Though it looks odd at first, the lever turns out to be perfectly located for quick, easy shifting, almost reminiscent of a formula car. Its close proximity to the steering wheel keeps it handy. It works really, really well and we instantly liked it.
With 12.7 cubic feet of volume, the Civic sedan's trunk is comparable to that of other compact sedans. The rear seat splits 60/40 and folds down for increased cargo space. The hatchback is even more practical, with a big cargo compartment that increases from 15.7 to 35.7 cubic feet when the rear seats are flattened. The Civic Hybrid, unfortunately, loses nearly 3 cubic feet of trunk to its batteries, making its luggage capacity nearly the smallest in the compact class. Another disadvantage of the Hybrid is that its rear seat backs cannot be folded down.
