The 2010 Honda Civic styling is unchanged, though if you pop the hood on an Si model you’ll see the color of its plastic engine shroud is now black instead of silver. This eighth-generation Civic was introduced for model-year 2006, bringing to the small-car field an artsy sense of design inside and out. No rival has quite matched it for sophisticated good taste, and Honda kept the look contemporary with some “mid-cycle” updates for model-year 2009. These are evident on the 2010 Honda Civic and include slightly sharper definition to the grille and lower front bumper. Headlights and taillights transitioned to trendy clear turn signal lenses with amber bulbs, and several models got new alloy wheel designs. Although it doesn’t have the longest body in the class, no compact competitor has a longer wheelbase than the Honda Civic four-door sedan. This 106.3-inch span between front and rear axles defines the space available for the passenger compartment. In wheelbase and overall body length, Civic’s two-door coupe is about two inches shorter than the sedan. That’s in keeping with a jauntier demeanor that sacrifices rear-seat room to swoopy styling; the difference is driven home by a roofline a significant three inches lower than the sedan’s. Don’t expect the Civic to change much in size when the all-new model debuts for model-year 2011. What that ninth generation Civic will look like, however, is Honda’s closely guarded secret.
