2012 Honda Civic Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by justin_t_wang

Past personal experience

We owned a 2000 Civic EX sedan for 13 years and 130K miles, which gave us very dependable service at a moderate running cost. Based on this we traded it in for a 2012 model. So far it has continued to provide solid, reliable transportation.

Fuel economy

Delivers good fuel economy, even better than the old model despite having a larger displacement engine. About 27-28 mpg in mostly stop and go driving, and 33-35 mpg in highway.

Warranty, maintenance cost

Goes about 6200-6500 miles between oil changes thanks to the Maintenance Minder feature, an improvement over the fixed 3000 mile oil change interval. Saves time, money and the environment if one doesn't have to change oil as often.

Materials & workmanship

Compared with earlier Civic models, the interior trim looks cheaper/lighter, "de-contented". To be fair, other vehicle makes also have been doing the same to control costs, but it still looks a bit disappointing.

Controls and instruments

The digital speedometer readout, fuel gauge & economy meter in the top cluster is difficult to read in glare conditions.

Continues to be a solid, reliable car for no-nonsense commuting. However, it is no longer heads and shoulders above competing models in terms of interior appointments, handling and styling.