2020 Honda Civic Coupe

Based on the brilliantly well-rounded Civic Sedan, the Civic Coupe adds more flair to the range's already long list of attributes. Much more than just a poser, the Civic Coupe's great chassis and available six-speed manual transmission make it an appealing driver's car. An available 174-horsepower turbocharged engine also provides the coupe with spirited performance. Although the price to pay for the coupe's body style is tricky access to the rear seats and limited headroom once you're there, the smart cabin is otherwise difficult to fault with supportive seats and enough features to keep most people satisfied. Direct competitors are few and far between; Toyota's 86 is similar in size, but less refined, more focused on driving thrills, and pricier, while the BMW 2 Series coupe is a more premium - and much more expensive - take on the compact coupe theme. The Civic Coupe, then, appears to have a lot on its side and is a must-look if you don't require the Civic Sedan's superior practicality.

The current generation of the Honda Civic finally brought with it some much-needed style, and the coupe is the best expression of that. It's a stylish, sporty coupe with balanced proportions and enough styling details to keep things interesting. All versions get alloy wheels that are either 16-, 17-, or 18-inches in size. The Sport gets unique wheels with gloss black inserts. Standard features include projector-beam halogen headlights with auto on/off, taillights with integrated LED light bars, and power side mirrors. The EX and Touring trims have a one-touch power moonroof and the Touring gets LED headlights. Optional fashion accent packs are available in colors like black and blue and, on the Touring trim, starts at $1,850.

Sharing the same 106.3-inch wheelbase with the Civic Sedan, the coupe is otherwise shorter, with a length of 177.3 inches. Width is 70.9 inches and height is 54.9 inches. The curb weight ranges from 2,763 pounds for the LX trim to 2,937 lbs for the range-topping Touring model. With its tighter dimensions, the coupe is even better suited to threading through a series of curves.

The Civic Coupe range gets two engines: a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque on the LX and Sport trims, and a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with outputs of 174 hp and 162 lb-ft on EX and Touring derivatives. A CVT automatic is standard on all models except the Sport, which comes standard with a sweet-shifting six-speed manual - a CVT is, however, available on the Sport as well.

Although the 2.0-liter engine feels responsive enough for most needs, you'll want the turbo-four for its ability to hit 60 mph in under seven seconds, and get the Civic up to speed with more vigor on the highway. Unfortunately, the more powerful engine can't be paired with the six-speed manual - the combination would likely make for the ideal Civic Coupe. The CVT improves the Civic's efficiency and is smooth, but it increases engine drone.

Offering an accomplished mix of comfort and dynamic enjoyment, the Civic Coupe is one of the better front-wheel-drive performers out there. The precise steering system has enough weighting dialed into it to let the driver know what the front wheels are doing, there's good grip, and the coupe's tighter dimensions than the Civic sedan make it even more enjoyable to drive quickly. It's no Toyota 86 in terms of driving thrills, but the Civic wasn't designed to be, either.

Ride comfort - in the context of a sporty coupe - is good. Yes, the Civic can't be described as the smoothest drive, but the taut suspension soaks up the worst of surface imperfections and long drives aren't taxing in this car. It's an excellent balance of comfort without isolating the driver from the experience too much. Wind noise is kept to a minimum, although the bigger available tires do transmit a bit more sound into the cabin than is ideal.

Not only is the 1.5-liter turbo the more powerful engine, but it's the most efficient, too. Coupled with the CVT transmission and in EX trim, EPA-rated estimates for this model work out to 31/40/35 mpg city/highway/combined. The price to pay for the manual transmission (available only with the Sport trim and in 2.0-liter guise) are consumption figures of 25/25/29 mpg - not bad, but not as thrifty as the turbo, while even the CVT-equipped 2.0 struggles with estimates of 30/38/33 mpg - matching the 1.5T Touring in the process. With a 12.4-gallon gas tank, the EX turbo should manage a combined cruising range of approximately 434 miles.

The Civic Coupe seats five occupants, although a narrow rear center seat means that the back seat is better suited to just two. As expected, there are a few compromises to be made in the coupe for the benefit of its more stylish lines. Ingress and egress to the front seats are fine, but the longer, heavier door is a bit more cumbersome to manage than the sedan's smaller front door. Getting into the back requires the usual bit of twisting and turning, but isn't too bad. There's no shortage of legroom and headroom in front, and the seats are comfortable and supportive. Legroom is acceptable at the back, but taller adults approaching six-feet in height will notice reduced headroom.

With its shorter rear-end, the coupe's trunk is a fair amount smaller than the Civic Sedan. It measures 12.1 cubic feet on the LX and Sport trims, and 11.9 cubes on the EX and Touring. While this isn't a ton of space, it's actually decent for a compact coupe - the Subaru BRZ, for instance, has an unimpressive 6.9 cubes of trunk capacity. The rear seats feature a 60/40 split for increasing overall cargo capacity.

Appreciably, interior storage is good, thanks to well-sized cupholders and large door pockets, and a center console in front.

For the most part, the coupe has the same level of equipment as the sedan. Every model features cruise control, a tilt/telescoping steering column, a multi-angle rearview camera, power windows, and the Honda Sensing suite of driver aids, which includes collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. Automatic single-zone climate control is standard on the LX and Sport, while the EX and Touring get dual-zone climate control. Upper trims also have push-button start, a power moonroof, and heated seats, while the Touring uniquely gets an automatic-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and LED headlights with auto on/off. Additional interior illumination is optional to add more pizzazz to the cabin - on the LX, the blue interior illumination kit costs $724.

Infotainment differs between trims, with the base LX getting a five-inch color LCD screen, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and streaming audio, and an AM/FM radio. This model is fitted with a 160-watt sound system with four speakers. There's a big jump in tech from the LX to the Sport, with the latter getting a seven-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, HondaLink, a 1.5-amp USB smartphone/audio interface, and SMS text message functionality. The Sport also gets an eight-speaker sound system. Moving up to the EX adds SiriusXM satellite radio, HD radio, and a 450-watt premium audio system with ten speakers. Honda's satellite-linked navigation system with voice recognition and HD digital traffic is reserved for the range-topping Touring.

Although the 2020 Honda Civic Coupe doesn't yet have a J.D. Power rating, last year's model was rated at 78/100. According to the NHTSA, there have been no recalls for the 2019/2020 Honda Civic. The 2018 model was recalled three times - the most serious issue was one where steering ability could be reduced, while the other two issues were for incorrect information in the owner's manual and random characters on the certification label which could make it difficult for owners to determine if their cars are involved in any safety recalls.

Honda's standard limited warranty covers the Civic Coupe for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The Civic also gets a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Rust perforation cover is for five years with unlimited miles.

Although the Civic Coupe missed out on the IIHS's Top Safety Pick award, it still received a solid spread of Good ratings for all major crashworthiness tests. The headlights were, however, rated as Poor. The NHTSA gave the Civic Coupe a full five-star rating for overall safety.

Every Civic Coupe ships with the Honda Sensing suite of driver safety aids and comprises collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, lane keeping assist, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning. Further safety features across the range include auto high-beam headlights, a multi-angle rearview camera, vehicle stability assist with traction control, along with front, front-side, and side-curtain airbags. The EX and Touring trims are fitted with the Honda LaneWatch blind-spot camera.

A polished offering in the limited compact coupe segment of the market, the Civic Coupe adds a dash of style and exclusivity to an excellent model line. The tenth-generation Civic has a broad spread of talents, from its premium-feeling cabin to the enjoyable handling, strong engines, many safety features, and comfortable seats. The shorter Civic Coupe is less practical than the sedan and hatchback, as it has reduced rear headroom and less cargo space, but it's also not unusable in either respect. Direct competitors are few and far between: the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins may be more thrilling to drive, but they're more expensive, feel cheaper inside, and have hopelessly small trunks. The Mazda 3 is an accomplished alternative, but its range lacks a coupe option. So, the Civic Coupe offers a package that you can't really find anywhere else at the price. If you don't need the extra space, it's easily the most desirable Civic body style.

The Civic Coupe range begins with the base LX at an MSRP of $20,950. Next is the Sport at $21,750 followed by the EX at $23,500 and the fully-loaded Touring at $27,150. The Sport is the only trim to come standard with a manual transmission, but you can get it with the CVT for an extra $800. All prices exclude tax, licensing, registration, and Honda's destination charge of $930.

The only Civic Coupe that we'd skip is the base LX as it's stuck with the basic infotainment system (without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and misses out on the turbocharged engine option. There's plenty of appeal in the remaining three models. The Sport is the only version to come with a manual gearbox, and that alone could be enough to entice buyers interested in the most engaging driving experience - but this trim doesn't get the more powerful engine either. The EX is tempting with its wide range of features - it gets a premium audio system, a power moonroof, and the 174-hp turbocharged engine, plus it's a nice $3,650 saving over the Touring model. The range-topper is a pricier proposition but it does get leather seats, navigation, and LED headlights.

The Honda Civic Hatchback is the much more practical of these two. With up to 25.7 cubic feet of space behind the front seats, the hatchback's trunk is twice the size of the coupe's, plus there's just under three inches of extra headroom in the back. Although the hatch is slightly more expensive, the entire range gets a turbocharged engine, whereas the coupe only offers this option on the top two trims. This means that you can get the excellent six-speed manual gearbox with the more powerful engine in the hatch, but not with the coupe. Both share a similar range of features, upscale cabins, and driving dynamics that represent a neat balance between comfort and sportiness, although the coupe is the more nimble of the two. The choice here is pretty easy: choose the coupe if you value style above all else, but go for the hatchback if you need more trunk space and will often have passengers at the back.

Closely mirroring the coupe's pricing is the Civic sedan. The extra doors, bigger rear seats, and more useful trunk obviously set the sedan apart, but it doesn't have the coupe's styling flair. Both use the same pair of engines (a 2.0-liter non-turbo and the preferred 1.5-liter turbo with 174 horsepower), but the coupe is the better performer thanks to its reduced weight. The sedan is far from sluggish, though. The sedan also offers an additional trim (the EX-L) for a bit more choice within its range. The decision between these two depends on how much space you need as the sedan's rear seat will be a lot more comfortable for two or three people. In both cases, the tenth generation of the Civic is a winner.