JonBoy

Then you'll definitely not want to buy the Ford Focus Hatchback for $27K (fully loaded) or Sedan for over $26K (fully loaded), not to mention the fully loaded Dart, at $27.9K.

The Civic is a virtual bargain when it's fully loaded, compared to the competition. Only Hyundai/Kia are comparable for price (Elantra is also $24K).

TheMuffinMan

A loaded Mazda 3i or 3s Grand Touring has an MSRP similar to that.....

I consider that to be a direct competitor.

FearlessFife

From what I can see and read, the improvements for 2013 are not so dramatic that the 2012 qualifies to be considered the bastard of the Si family - as many Honda fans seem to think of it that way.

WolfpackS2k

If you are any sort of auto enthusiast, you just cannot be serious. And nevermind those "Prius" tires are more performance oriented than what comes on the Si

Zoidberg

This emergency refresh should add a little bit more fun to the driving experience of the old Civic. But imo it will still be hard pressed to be better than the Focus, Dart, and Elantra. But people love Honda's reputation for reliability, and this refresh gives it a fighting chance against the competition, so I think it will be successful.

The Focus drives great, but is at the top of its game when you spend more on options.
The Elantra has great value, lots of base options, drives great, but others are a bit more fun.
The Dart, I think fits in the middle.

The Civic I think sits on that same middle ground as the Dart. The balance of price for standard options and (hopefully) newly fun driving experience puts it into a sweet spot. With Honda's reputation, the refreshed Civic will probably do well. I still prefer the Focus or Dart though personally.

Moddiction

Wasn't it already at the head of its class for 2012 even before the refresh?
Thought I read that somewhere. At least in sales or something.

rockville

How is this better than the last gen Civic? Really I think the '07 or when ever it was launch is STILL better than this one.

JonBoy

In my opinion, the Elantra sucks to drive. It looks good and the interior is decent but it's hardly a fun car to drive and it doesn't exude quality, either. Initial impressions were good but long-term, people are finding them to generally be worse on gas than advertised and they definitely aren't as sporty or comfortable as the Civic.

The Focus is a great little car and I love the hatchback. However, with Ford's recent issues with the 1.6L EcoBoost catching on fire, that'd give me quite a bit of pause, plus it's the most expensive compact car in its class, which is significant considering these cars are generally not meant to option up like that (for most buyers). Real-world fuel economy isn't as high as the others in class, either. It just has great looks and driving dynamics on its side, which is perfect for some people.

The Dart is an unknown right now - not enough data to show if it can hit its fuel economy targets or how build quality and reliability are. I don't remotely think you can compare it to a Civic, though. Interior is pretty bland/bad (to me) and I don't think for a second that the Dodge mechanicals will be nearly as good as the Civic, not to mention the fuel economy. I haven't driven it but honestly, I don't care if it drives like an S2000 - the car itself doesn't warrant any hope that it'll be a great, reliable car in the long run. I have less faith in the Dart than virtually any other car in the class, except possibly a Kia Forte.

The Civic is already the best-selling compact in the US (by quite a margin) and this refresh is only going to make it sell even better.

JonBoy

The 2006-2011 (8th generation) models were better looking, in my opinion (my wife has one) and the interior looked/felt better than the 2012 model. I haven't sat in the 2013 model but I expect it'll be better, based on these pictures and general media reports.

HOWEVER, the 2012 actually drove better than the earlier models (8th generation) - less crashing over bumps, slightly less sporty but overall, a better compromise for the class, I think. It also gets better fuel economy, both per EPA ratings and, more importantly, in real life. The Civic was an overachiever in Consumer Reports fuel mileage testing, getting 8 mpg higher (on the highway) than the EPA testing said it should, if I remember correctly. I believe they got 47 mpg highway with it.

FurY

I have to disagree... if you look at the styling the '13 looks MUCH better than the '12. I would not have even considered a '12 based on the way they looked but now the '13 has me giving it some thought. Granted, underneath it all the changes may be minor, but looks go a long way imo and the '13 does make the '12 look rather pedestrian. Resale on the '12's will take a hit since people will want the newer design in the long run.