When you’re looking for a compact car with plenty of options and great gas mileage at a low price point, don’t overlook the Honda Civic. Available in coupe, hatchback, and sedan styles, the Civic delivers plenty of bang for your buck. Discover engines, mileage, and safety specs below.
What Honda Civic specs are important to know about?
A few of the major specs include:
- Two Engine Options: 2.0L 158 hp multi-point-injection or 1.5L 174 hp direct-injection
- Fuel Economy: Varying on drivetrain and road conditions, expect 25-32 MPG City/36-42 MPG Highway
- Safety Specs: 5-Star NHTSA Safety Rating
Though there are many more specs to track to make sure the Honda Civic is the right vehicle for you, you won’t have to read through endless articles and brochures to discover how fast it will go from zero to 60, because we’ve gathered information like that for your perusal.
A Quick Glance at the 2020 Honda Civic
For an efficient daily driver, few vehicles can match the low price point and overall features of the 2020 Honda Civic.
Produced for nearly 50 years starting as a subcompact through the 2000 model year and then moving into the compact category, the vehicle has received multiple awards, including the Kelley Blue Book 2019 Best Buy: Compact Car and the 2019 Edmunds Buyers Most Wanted Award.
It received very high ratings at 4.5 and 4.6 on the Kelley Blue Book website, which noted its overall reliability, strong retention of resale value, and a wide range of available body styles, powertrains, and trim options to meet the needs of most drivers.
It delivers comfortable seating for up to five, with trims ranging from the basic to bordering on luxurious. With different body styles, most people would be hard-pressed to not find a Civic they like.
Exceptionally Efficient Performance
From the top of the roof to the bottom of the tires, the Honda Civic delivers a diverse range of options to fit almost any urban lifestyle. Available in a sedan, hatchback, or coupe, it provides a compact exterior with a roomy interior, featuring 95 cubic feet of passenger volume or more in the sedan body style.
The Civic sedan in the EX and EX-L trim levels have a turbocharged 1.5L dual-overhead-cam inline-four engine that is paired with Honda’s LL-CVT transmission to achieve fuel economies of 32 MPG city and 42 MPG highway, while still reaching 174 hp and delivering 162 lb-ft.
By comparison, the Sport trims in the sedan features a 2.0L i-VTEC inline-four engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission that can achieve somewhat lower fuel economies of 25 MPG city and 36 MPG highway while still achieving 158 hp and delivering 138 lb-ft.
Honda’s M-CVT transmission is available with the 2.0L engine to deliver 30 MPG city and 38 MPG highway in the LX trim, while the Sport trim delivers 29 MPG city and 37 MPG highway.
When equipped with the turbocharged 1.5L engine, the Honda Civic has a zero to 60 time of 8.6 seconds, a quarter-mile drag speed of 16.3 seconds, and a 180-foot braking distance in all trims.
However, where it really stands out is in its NHTSA rankings, where it receives a five-star safety rating.
This probably isn’t surprising, given the many safety features the Honda Civic brings to the table, including adaptable cruise control, collision mitigation autonomous braking, lane keeping assist warnings, road departure mitigation systems, and forward collision warning all being part of Honda Sensing technology, which is standard at all trim levels.
Other Key Specs for the 2020 Honda Civic
Of course, there’s a lot more to the 2020 Honda Civic than what’s under the hood. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are integrated into all but the base-level LX trim, while heated front seats chase the winter chills away in EX and higher trim levels.
Wheels include a range of 17- and 18-inch alloy, and a multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines is standard on Sport and higher trims.
Bluetooth hands-free link and audio are standard on all trims, as is speed-sensitive volume compensation.
Sport trims and higher include a 180-watt or better audio system, seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 1.0-amp USB audio interface, in addition to an SMS text functionality and a separate 1.5-amp USB smartphone and audio player charging interface.
Stepping up to the EX and higher trims brings you SiriusXM satellite radio and HD radio, while the Touring trim provides you with Honda’s satellite-linked navigation with voice recognition and a 450-watt premium audio system including ten speakers with subwoofer.
Sport and Touring trims include sport pedals, while EX-L and Touring trims have leather-trimmed seats, HomeLink remotes and auto-dimming rearview mirrors are standard. Sport trim and higher have leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
Benefits and Drawbacks of the 2020 Honda Civic
Do you need help deciding whether the 2020 Honda Civic is the right vehicle for your situation? We know that buying a new or new-to-you vehicle is a hard decision, and you shouldn’t make it without knowing what you’re getting and what other drivers have discovered.
Here are some pros and cons to help you through your decision-making process.
Pros:
- It’s easy to park almost anywhere with a small exterior
- It features a roomy interior for easy comfort
- It provides solid reliability from day one
- It holds resale value well for a low initial price point
- Available in a wide range of body styles, powertrains, and trims
Cons:
- The busy styling may not be your style
- It doesn’t feature any all-wheel drive options
- The higher trims can become pricey for some drivers
- It doesn’t come with a small diesel engine option
- Non-CVT transmission options are limited
The 2020 Honda Civic has plenty of bells and whistles to make your daily commute a more enjoyable one, but only you can decide whether it’s the right vehicle for your situation. As with any car purchase, we always recommend that you check the Vehicle History before buying.
