2021 Honda Civic

Both the Civic hatchback and sedan come in several different trim levels. The entry-level LX has 16-inch steel wheels and LED running lights. Stepping up to the Sport gets you 18-inch alloy wheels, a gloss-black decklid spoiler, keyless entry, and a center exhaust outlet. The EX adds a power moonroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, and it also has a spoiler. Bump up to the EX-L for some upgrades in the cabin or to the Touring for LED headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, 18-inch wheels, and chrome exterior trim elements.

The Sport Touring also has LED headlights and rain-sensing windshield wipers, while the sporty Type R comes with an adaptive sport suspension and a limited-slip differential.

The base engine for the Civic sedan is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine with 158 horsepower. It works with Honda's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The EX and Touring sedan trims and every hatchback model have a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder gas engine that puts out 174 horsepower. The sedan and hatchback come standard with the CVT, and the hatch offers a six-speed manual as an option. The Civic Type R has even more power with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers 306 horsepower. It comes with Honda's six-speed manual.

No matter which engine you have under the hood of the 2021 Civic, it provides peppy performance. The turbo is an excellent engine that accelerates quickly from a stop and has plenty of merging and passing power. The six-speed manual offers quick and light shifting, while the CVT is one of the best on the market.

The Civic has room for five people. The cabin features high-quality materials and soft-touch surfaces throughout. In the back, the sedan has 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and the hatch has 25.7 cubic feet of space. Standard cabin features include automatic climate control, a height-adjustable driver's seat, and cloth upholstery. The EX adds a power-adjustable driver's seat, while the Sport has a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Stepping up to the Sport gets you a 7-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an upgraded stereo system. The ES adds satellite and HD radio, and the Sport Touring has a 12-speaker stereo system.

Every 2021 Civic comes with the Honda Sensing suite of safety systems. It includes forward collision mitigation with automatic braking, lane departure warning with mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. The group of safety systems also includes automatic high beam headlights. The EX adds Honda's LaneWatch system that features a blind-spot camera that displays an image of the blind-spot when you activate the turn signal.