Civic four-door sedans come in three different trim designations and two different powertrains. Models include the base Civic DX sedan ($12,960); LX ($15,010), which adds power-operated controls and luxury features; top-of-the-line EX ($16,910), which gets a more powerful engine, body-colored power mirrors and a remote entry system. A four-speed automatic transmission ($800) is optional with every trim level.

Civic two-door coupes add a thrifty fuel-economy HX edition ($13,560) along with the DX, LX and EX trim levels listed above. The HX is equipped with an efficient lean-burn engine capable of 44 miles per gallon when teamed to the standard five-speed manual transmission. A continuously variable automatic ($1,000) also works with the HX.

Three engines are available for 2001; all are four-cylinder aluminum engines and each earns the government's ultra low emission vehicle, or ULEV, certification. The mileage-leading Civic HX coupe edition uses a lean-burn engine that achieves 117 horsepower; DX and LX coupe and sedan come equipped with a 115-horsepower 1.7-liter engine; the deluxe EX coupe and sedan get a 127-horsepower engine.

Sedan and coupe differ in appearance; in fact, fewer than one-fourth of the body panels are common to both body styles. The coupe comes with a more aggressive windshield rake than the sedan for a sportier look. Sedans and coupes measure identically in wheelbase and share a common structure, although the coupe has steel reinforcements for bulkheads, the floor pan and the front and rear roof pillars to compensate for the absence of the sedan's center side pillars.