It began way back during the oil embargo several decades ago.

Americans came to the realization that if they were going to have enough money to buy food, they could no longer drive vehicles that got horrible gas mileage and cost an arm and a leg to maintain.  The door was open, suddenly, to the makers of compact cars that were dependable and cost very little to operate.

With the door open one of the first to enter was the Honda Civic, and over the years the Civic has not only filled every need of a hungry America but it has also made it very hard for competitors to enter the same room.  In the world of compact cars, and there are a great many competitors, the Honda Civic has to be consider the king or darned near the king.

Chief competition comes from the Ford Focus, the Kia Forte, the Mazda 3, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf, but just like Edmunds.com top rating of the Honda Civic, we believe the Civic to be the pick of the litter in a very crowded field.

The 2015 Honda Civic is offered in coupe and sedan styles, and the trims include the LX, the EX, the EX-L and the Navi trims.  There is also an SE, HF, Hybrid and Natural Gas trim for the sedan.  In other words, more than enough to choose from.

Standard features on the base models include 15-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, air conditioning, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, rearview camera, fold down rear seat and cruise control.  The features just continue to be added on from there as you move up the trim list.

The 2015 Civic is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine good for 143 horsepower and that is paired with a five-speed manual transmission with a CVT as optional.  If it’s gas mileage you are interested in then know that the Civic family is EPA rated at 33 overall with 39 on the highway.  It can go from 0-60 in 9.0 seconds, about half a second slower than the class average.  The Civic Si has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 205 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission for those looking for a little zip in their drive.

Safety features include stability control, antilock brakes, front side airbags, side curtain airbags, and a rearview camera, and in the braking test the Civic stopped from 60-0 in 115 feet, much better than the class average.

For the best in Honda Civic used parts, shop at All Import Auto Parts.