retained its family character through several redesigns, inluding the wholesale

1996 overhaul.

Three body styles are offered in a variety of trim levels: The 3-door

CX Hatchback is the least expensive (from $10,945), followed by the DX

coupe (from $12,675) and DX sedan (from $13,030).

From the windshield forward, the trio shares sheet metal; a sloping

nose and low cowl give the driver excellent visibility, and the front end

is made more distinctive by the new headlight treatment that went with

the 1996 redesign. From side and rear, links to Civics past are more pronounced,

but the current soft-edged contours seem a bit more anonymous than equivalent

Honda shapes from earlier years.

Nevertheless, the new cars look clean and uncluttered.

The dictates of style have not compromised functionality. All three

Civics have large doors, and offer good access to well-shaped stowage space

in back. It's also worth noting that Honda claims significant increases

in structural rigidity for the current Civics, an assertion borne out by

our test Civic's smooth, quiet behavior on rough pavement.

Civics coupes and sedans share a basic but acceptable DX trim level.

Amenities on the order of dual outside mirrors, an AM/FM radio, and tilt

steering are supplied. All sedans and automatic transmission coupes and

hatchbacks also get power steering. The Hatchback CX is somewhat plainer,

doing without the radio. A mid-grade LX sedan adds air conditioning, cruise

control, power windows and power locks, while EX sedans and coupes come

with just about everything one might reasonably want in a Civic and the

option of the family's most powerful engine (127 hp), a power moonroof

and ABS.

But the most intriguing version for innovation-seekers is the HX coupe,

which is available with a continuously variable belt-drive transmission

(CVT). The CVT--as installed in our test Civic--goes one step beyond an

automatic gearbox in simplicity and ease of use.