The Honda Civic has been one of the best selling compact cars in the American market for over 30 years. The car is offered in sedan, coupes, and hatchback body styles. Known for reliability and great fuel economy the 2000 Honda Civic remains true to its ancestry and is offered in a great selection of body styles and trim packages. Notable features for the model year include a lengthening of all body styles. Sedans and coupes were increased by 2.3 inches, while the hatchback was elongated by about 4.3 inches. Road noise is the only area where the Civic probably should be improved a little more.
Trim packages available include the CX, DX, LX, EX, HX, Si, and GX. Both the CX and DX are basic trim levels for the sedan and coupe body styles. Standard features they come with include a bare bones stereo system, tilt steering wheels, and manually adjustable driver seats. Moving up in refinement is the LX which comes with full power accessories, AC, sun roofs, and CD players. Finally for the standard lineup there is the EX model which comes with just about everything a driver could want including full power accessories, a CD changer, power adjustable driver seats, and much more.
Going further up the ladder in price there are the HX, Si, and GX models. The GX was introduced as the first vehicle that runs entirely off of natural gas. It gets superb gas mileage and can be outfitted similar to the LX with a lot of extra amenities. Si models come with their own special engine and get a little bit more power than most of the standard models. HX and hatchback models have been made larger and come with most of the high-end features the LX has as well.
Engines available include the basic 1.6 liter 4 cylinder that puts out 106 horsepower. HX models are equipped with a 115 horsepower engine, while the EX sedan comes with an impressive 127 horsepower engine. Most of these engines are offered with a 5 speed manual transmission as standard equipment, or a 4 speed automatic for a little more money. Si models are equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission with no option for an automatic. Overall the combinations of engines and transmissions are what essentially make the 2000 Honda Civic one of the most fuel efficient vehicles on the market.
Compared with vehicles like the Nissan Altima and Toyota Corolla, the Civic is able to hold its own. Only the Corolla has been in production longer, but it's price tag and only comparable features make the Civic the best choice. For safety the Civic is actually quite good for a car of its size. Most crash test ratings show it to be one of the safest in the class, while larger cars obviously do better.
