Simplicity. In a word, that's the Civic's interior story. This is a basic car, particularly in its base editions. It has few accessory controls and no confusing design features to intimidate the driver. A new dashboard, looking very much like the one it replaced, accommodates a passenger-side airbag, which complements the existing driver airbag ensconced in the steering wheel hub. Directly in front of the driver are the essentials - gauges for speed, fuel level and engine temperature; a tachometer on the EX; and a couple of stalks for lamps and wipers. That's about it. Easy to use and sharp-looking. The front seats are well-designed and supportive, though slightly short on thigh support, and are trimmed in handsome and durable fabrics. All materials used, whether plastic or cloth, are of better quality than you might expect in a car in this price range, and they seem to have been installed with maximum care. Even though there's abundant space for the driver and front-seat passenger, there's less for those riding in back. This is, after all, a coupe, though it's significantly better than many others like it on this score. Shorter (less than 6-foot-tall) riders will find brief trips on the back bench endurable. One practical aspect of the civic's makeup is an already large cargo area (11.8 cu. ft.), which can be made even bigger by folding back the rear seat.
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