Now familiar, the Civic's basic wedge profile rises from front to rear, with a low, abbreviated prow and high, curt tail. The hood sits amazingly low. Civic's flanks are interrupted only by a single crease that dashes from the front wheel opening to the taillight; there are no body-side moldings. Windshield pillars arch into the rolled roof to meet narrow C-pillars. Bold tail lamps dominate the blunt rear panel. Overall, both the sedan and the coupe remain conservative in appearance, but contemporary in design.

For 2005, the new Special Edition features a prominent rear-deck spoiler, unique alloy wheels and badges that quickly distinguish it from other Civics. These features follow more significant styling changes introduced last year, when most models where fitted with redesigned bumpers, grilles, hoods and lights at both ends. The changes are subtle, but suggest the total re-style given big brother Accord in 2003. The family resemblance is obvious.

The same shared blood is even more obvious between the Civic sedan and coupe, yet the two cars are clearly different. While they share the same wheel base and inner structure, most of their exterior panels are not interchangeable. The coupe features a more aggressive windshield rake, intended to create a sportier look, and its tail lamps light up in a signature pattern. The appearance of the Civic Hybrid sedan is also subtly different from other four-doors, with a deeper spoiler under the front bumper, a small spoiler on the lip of the trunk lid and Hybrid-specific lightweight alloy wheels.

The Civic Si hatchback seems to polarize people. Its huge, flat windshield is steeply raked, and its nose slopes radically downward, generating excellent aerodynamics and allowing great visibility outward. The Si is slab-sided, without any sculpture in the sheet metal, though in 2004 better proportioned 16-inch wheels gave the car more character by better filling the wheel wells. Some think the Si is ugly; others love it and are quick to defend it.