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2016 Honda Civic Coupe Review By Larry Nutson


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2016 Honda Civic Coupe Review

By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel

I always enjoy driving a car. Sliding down into the driver’s seat, sitting low in the car so you can better sense its behavior, and stretching my legs a bit more horizontal all makes for great enjoyment. At least it does for me.

Earlier this year I drove the 2016 Honda Civic 4-door sedan. Now I’m in the Civic 2-door coupe for a spin. Like the sedan the coupe is all-new for 2016. Honda first launched the sedan and the coupe followed.

Noteworthy is that the 2016 Honda Civic was named North American Car of the Year.


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The coupe is offered in five trims and with two different engines. (see links to ALL Civic trim levels and data below this review) It’s a five passenger, but no doubt sitting in the rear seat will not be for everyone. Also take note that the coupe is not a hatchback, like many other two-door cars. It has a trunk, the opening hinged below the rear backlight, that holds about 12 cuft.

Civic coupes in the LX and LX-P trims are powered by a 158HP, 2.0-L engine. The LX is priced at $19,050 with a 6-speed manual, the only manual available. The EX-T, EX-L and Touring trims are powered by a 174HP, 1.5-L turbo engine mated to a CVT. The top of the line Touring, which was my media loaner, is priced at $26,125.


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Both engines are certified as low emission compliant. Besides you being green, certain businesses that have LEED certification offer closer-in parking for low emission vehicles. It’s nice to have a short walk in bad weather.

EPA test-cycle fuel economy ratings for the 1.5-L turbo with the CVT are 35 mpg combined, with 31 city mpg and 41 highway mpg.

The Civic sedan that I drove earlier this year had the 158HP engine. Now in the coupe I experienced the 174HP turbo. I thought 2.0-L engine delivered adequate but not wonderful performance. It needed to occasionally work too hard. With the coupe and its 174HP 1.5-L turbo I was feeling a bit better with the overall acceleration, passing and merging abilities. I’m still not a lover of CVTs with 4-cylinders, but the set-up in the Civic coupe worked quite well. The engine has a noticeable low speed intake air noise when pushing the throttle hard. At cruise it goes away and all thing are relatively comfortable and quiet.

Standard on the Civic Touring Coupe is Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistance technology. Available on many new vehicles today, this technology can reduce the chance of an accidental collision and mitigate the consequences of damage and even injury. It alerts the driver and can take emergency action when a collision is determined to be imminent.

Honda Sensing uses both millimeter wave radar and a monocular camera to sense and respond to detected road hazards. Honda Sensing features include Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist System, and Road Departure Mitigation

There’s also a rearview camera and the Lane Watch feature that displays an image in the center screen of the right lane next to the car when the right turn signal is on. It’s great for checking for bicyclists.


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2016 Honda Civic Coupe earned the highest available collision safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with Honda Sensing.  All 2016 Civic Coupes earn the top GOOD rating in each of five IIHS test modes, including small and moderate overlap frontal collisions, side impacts and roof crush protection.

Overall, the Civic coupe is fun to drive with confident and sporty handling. The ride is comfortable and the spacious front seats make for enjoyable touring. The push button start is easy to locate with its bright red coloring. There’s a touch screen for audio control but no knobs for tuning or volume. I wish there were knobs, however, there is a volume control on the steering wheel that works quite well. The brake hold feature is pretty cool. When it’s activated it will hold the brakes on while at a stop, so you can lift your foot off the brake pedal.


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More info and specs can be found at www.automobiles.honda.com. You can shop the Civic and compare it to other 2-door coupes right here at The Auto Channel's Perfect New Car Match


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Virtually everything about the 2016 Civic Coupe is new. There’s the all-new vehicle architecture, new interior and exterior styling, a more spacious and high-quality cabin, two new engines, and a host of new premium features and safety technologies. The choice between 2-door and 4-door can be easy for some and difficult for others. No doubt a 4-door is more convenient to use. On the other hand, a 2-door evokes a bit more of a personal car image, a sense of style.

Happy car shopping!

© 2016 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy


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