2012 Honda Civic

...creature comforts like power windows with driver's one-touch up and down, a one-touch open and close power sunroof, a 350-watt audio system with six speakers and an eight-inch subwoofer, an auxiliary input jack for an iPod or other portable music equipment, and red ambient lighting for the center console -- just like in a BMW.

This Honda Civic Si is a slick piece of work for less than $20,000.

...for larger adults, the Civic Si's rear quarters should be used only for short distances.

...more power and more standard features than before...But there's also a higher pricetag...

The 2006 Civic is more than competitive, with a nicer interior than the Mazda3; more refinement than the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla; and better fuel economy -- as a model line -- than all.

Trunk capacity...in the coupe...actually shrunk a bit this year.

Whichever model you choose, it's pretty hard to go wrong with the Civic.

...loaded like Tara Reid on Ibiza...

...it's packed with safety features, everything from compatibility-minded body structures (helping to protect occupants in collisions with heavier, higher vehicles such as SUVs) to an energy-absorbing hood to help lessen impacts to pedestrians.

Such a car was the stuff of science fiction 10 years ago.

It has a sleek new aerodynamic body with a sweeping roofline, rakish windshield angle and low, wide stance. Interiors are blessed with more style and function.

My test Civic was pretty much a fuel miser, delivering an estimated 30 mpg in the city and 40 on the highway with the automatic transmission -- or 30 and 38 with the manual gearbox.