New sedan delivers an impressive Civics lesson

How many compact sedans did the former Big Three build last year? None. Zero. Zip. It's as if they imperiously decreed that Americans no longer needed them.

But what if you prefer a compact car? A lot of people do. Last year, Americans bought approximately one million compact cars, of which more than a fourth — 261,225, to be exact — were Honda Civics, the most popular car in the segment.

It's remarkable that neither General Motors nor Ford, both in business for more than a century, can build a car to compete in this segment. Then again, few companies have lavished the resources that Honda has on its Civic, slowly building it into a mainstay of its lineup, despite the growing popularity of SUVs.

This certainly is true for the redesigned 2022 Honda Civic sedan, the 11th generation of a car that proves the merits of a well designed sedan. Detroit might have forgotten what some car buyers like, but Honda hasn't. The company doesn't treat car buyers like second-class citizens, something Detroit is becoming adept at in its rush to kowtow to truck buyers.

The funny thing is that a new Honda Civic is now treated as a newsworthy event. Yet the car itself is never daringly different from what came before, a creature of careful evolution, not revolution. Designers maximized space for homo sapiens while minimizing machinery.

The designers tried to endow the new Civic with a low hood and front fenders that characterized the car's glorious past, despite regulations that make that difficult. They succeeded somewhat, helped by a low horizontal beltline on the body.

But the overall stance of the vehicle has a newfound seriousness that pushes its look somewhat upmarket. Credit the windshield, which is more upright than last year, which allows for a longer hood, giving it a more mature appearance. It's far less polarizing than its predecessor.

A 7-inch color touch screen with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto is standard. A 9-inch color HD touch screen with wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto is optional. Top-of-the-line Touring models get a customizable 10.2 LCD digital color instrument cluster, a first for the Civic.

Wireless smartphone charging, a navigation system and, in another first for the Civic, a Bose 12-speaker audio system, are optional. The infotainment screen is easier to use than past iterations, but still fails to equal that of the best systems. Its cluttered design makes it hard to use at a glance.

Overall cabin space feels largely the same as before, despite a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 1.3 inches of added overall length. Space is generous up front, and above average in the rear.

When comes time to drive, you'll find Civic LX and Sport models come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder generating 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque with standard stop/start capability and a continuously variable automatic transmission, also known as a CVT. Tonier Civic EX and Touring are powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four making 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 6 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque from last year.

A CVT transmission is standard. A manual transmission is not available on the Civic sedan but should be once Si and Type R models are introduced. In the meantime, Sport and Touring models get a driver-selectable Sport driving mode that other Civic sedans lack, changing the drive ratios and mapping for a sportier feel.