Honda Civic: not just a pretty face What did Honda do to follow up that triumph? It replaced the CRX with a targa-topped miscarriage of a car called the CRX Del Sol. The replacement had so few of its predecessor's magnetic qualities that the two bore almost no discernible connection. It was almost as if Honda was a stranger to its own genius. Now here comes the new Civic. The reason its approach makes me anxious is that the last Civic was extremely good. The eighth generation Civic (2006-2011) was so radically original in its looks that it shook up the entire market for Golf/Focus-size family cars. Its continuous, aggressively curved line from front bumper to back was more the catwalk style that you might expect from Citroën; and, in its high performance Type-R form, that Civic became the number one choice among hatchbacks for drivers who fancied themselves. What, then, has Honda wrought upon such an admirable piece of work? Answer: it has actually improved it. Instead of binning that excellent design, it has mildly muted its shape. An inch here, an inch there, a shorter wheelbase - and the car emerges that bears a recognisable connection with its forebear but is also distinctly different. Gone is the continuous line of acrylic glass that stretched around the nose from headlight to headlight. Gone, too, are the jelly bean hues of the instrument display along with the plethora of bar graphs and readouts that made you feel that you might be sitting at a Wall Street trader's desk rather than a driving seat. Instead, we now get simplicity, clarity and a sympathetic recognition that we have better things with which to occupy our minds than mastering a car's information system. In its dynamic set-up, the previous Civic was not as radical as it looked - an unusual imbalance for a company that has never gone for the fur-coat-no-knickers approach. This new one corrects the balance with a six-speed gearbox, sharper handling and a neater ride. Contrary to their long-established traditions, then, Honda seems with the new Civic to have taken a very good car and made it better. Phew!