First Drive: 2022 Honda Civic Stands Out Among Compact Sedans

Honda gets back to basics, giving the car a simplified interior and enjoyable handling, but one key safety feature isn't standard

Jon Linkov, Consumer Reports Autos Editor.

By Jon Linkov
Autos Editor

Updated June 16, 2021

Update: Since this first drive was originally published in June, 2021, we finished testing the Honda Civic.

Read the complete Honda Civic road test.

SUVs may be the best-selling vehicles out there, but there is still significant demand for small, fuel-efficient sedans. The redesigned 2022 Honda Civic sedan proves why these cars are appealing.

The 11th-generation Civic (it first arrived in 1972) accounts for a significant portion of Honda’s yearly sales, with more than 261,000 sold in 2020. That was more than half of all the Honda cars sold in the U.S., according to the Automotive News, an industry news outlet and data source. Suffice to say, it’s important that Honda gets this redesign right.

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Jon Linkov

Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.