trying to be quicker than Ash

Hondas realy grow up when they become older

America: This is your future.

Butt weight; we need ABS, stability control, more airbags than Mongolfier, 5mph bumpers, power everything, and a 'commanding' seat height.

Maybe I'll just have to keep my mk1 Miata forever, since no one builds a standard car anymore.

Wow, its been a long time since Ive heard one of those Burgess Meredith Honda voiceovers.
Hey Honda, how about trying to 'make it simple' again?

To compete with yesterday's Honda-engined Mini, this needs the backseat replaced with the drivetrain from an MGF.

....if I'm not mistaken, most of those features are added due to competitive pressure and increased safety regulations from the government. It's not a Honda thing, it's the auto market in general. I don't think there are any cars that haven't had this happen with most car models in their stable.

HENCE the reason that Honda has the Fit and why Toyota has the Yaris.

@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: Hondas realy grow up when they become older

And the scary part is that the new Civic is larger than the 1st Accord. And I'm sure the Fit is larger than the original Civic. I wonder what's next...

1708/3009 = 0.5676 of 1 Ferarri Enzo.

And it fits more shopping bags.

What amazes me is that the logo and tagline shot of Honda ads has remained relatively static for 30 years.

@StimulusCheckAsh: The new Civic is also more expensive than the first Accord.

@StimulusCheckAsh:The Fit, I believe, is larger than the Civic of about 15 years ago.

The next-gen Civic will be full-size, and the Accord will require a CDL.

2 kids and just 4 shopping bags, and I thought to be a good parent, you had to drive a 4-ton SUV with a capacity for at least 30 shopping bags.

Of course, its doubtful any American children, no matter how young, could even fit in the backseat of a '78 Civic these days.

Now that I just posted a comment, I remember a while ago parking my 05 Impreza next to a 1st-gen Legacy, and the Impreza was a little bigger (though still had less rear legroom). WTF.

I don't understand why cars have to keep getting bloated. Does everyone that participates in focus groups insist on buying the same model over and over for 30 years, and expect it to move upmarket with them? Why not just move up a model when you buy a new car, like you're supposed to?

Even a 91 civic is tiny compared to today's civic. The bloat was pretty rapid.

Eh mah Bruddas, 1978 be da firs year fo da Onda Speceeal X release as a '79 model. Me name dis one Malcolm...

@StimulusCheckAsh: The really scary part is[comment has been censored due to heart attack warnings. This comment will resume when it is sufficiently legible.] with a cheese grater! I never thought that the ghost of Hubert H. Humphrey would do such a thing.

@101 POLAЯ FOLLOWEЯS CAN'T BE WЯONG... WHO DID THAT??: Does Malcolm smokes NO²X shit?

Needs more jet engine.

They are just building what the American public wants. Something big enough for their fat asses to get into loaded up with every "convenience" known to man. Surprised nobody has a dash mounted can opener or a feeding trough for the kids in back.

And I say that as a fat American.

I miss my old '78 Civic. It went like stink, tucked in anywhere, and sipped gas like it was Dom Perignon.

I also miss the voice of The Penguin, hawking teeny cars from Japan.

Food, vegetables, milk, bread.... who eats that shit anymore? No wonder the Civic has ballooned in size and weight.

/fat American fixin to hop in his truck and head to Wendy's for lunch. Spicy Baconator, anyone?

These Civics were so cute, actually I think that time was the best for Honda design.. and for all the supersizing...it is (hopefully was) a trend that destroyed commonsense...
People were happy with smaller and lighter and less powerful... now they think they need minimum a V6 to drive out of their driveway if it has a 5% incline.

Guess Honda just quit "Making it simple."

Maybe they need to start making the cars cheaper. Anyone seen the price of groceries* lately?

*American translation: Unprepared food purchased at centralized repository

I remember riding in a Civic in about '75 or '76. It "fit" 2 adults and three kids. I was about 7 or 8 at the time and remember thinking "this is cool, bur really cramped".

the cars keep getting bloated because no one would want to buy a brand new car that was smaller, slower, and less safe than the one before it. close your eyes for a second and imagine the new Fit re badged as a civic, would you buy it? did you buy a Fit?

Dad's loading the groceries, and then meekly enters the passenger side, while mom commands the wheel. I guess we know who wore the pants in that fictitious family! Way to emasculate America Honda.

@BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ: Nitrous-coated Rizla, braddaman!

If some company came out with a car like this today, half of you would be complaining about how you'd fear ending up flat after a car crash.

@TPSreports: FEAR is the best instrument to convince people basically anything.

I miss shopping bags.

Ah, MM. I Remember those cars well. It was my wife's first car. We bought it used from a dentist. It was a color which can only be described as shit brown. We called it the Little Brown Shoe. Unfortunately, Honda still was in a learning curve on rust proofing back then. It was a great car in its time. But @mytdawg: has a point; the new Civic reflects what consumers want -- room and creature comforts with decent gas mileage. The Civic, like the Corolla are all time best sellers because they appeal to that great mass of people who don't really want to think too much about cars. I can remember back then wondering if one of these would ever show up at an antique car show in the future. The future is now.

@boofighter: Honda Fit sales are up 54% in April. Yay!

am I totally sexist to have thought -- "why is the guy getting in and driving on the right side if this is an American ad?"

I owned a '77 CVCC for a while. Great car. Wish I had it now with my 75 mile commute I do every day. :-(

I had a 79 red Civic CVCC. It is still my favorite car. (Unfortunately, someone hit me from behind a year after I bought it in 1985 and had it almost totally fixed up.)

I now own a 99 Civic. Nice, but not as fun as that 79. I will say it's more reliable though.

@harumph: Yeah, Civics did pretty well in the bloat department up until about '95, then there was a massive jump to the '01, and again to the current model.

I just wish it was possible to get a "low" small car again. I feel like I'm sitting on most cars these days, instead of in them. If I wanted to sit up high, I would have gotten a tupping SUV (frig, I tupping hate using that term).

What about when they downsized the Cougar to that 4 banger?

@TPSreports: You've hit the nail on the head. If there WAS a car like this, it would get derided to no end by journalists and thus consumers as well.

Why? Because it's too small, too cramped, too unsafe, too itchy, too stinky, too portable... the engine's too small, it doesn't use enough gas, where are the power windows, why no heated seats, no cupholders...

no power mirrors, the nav system consists of your spouse and a map... no rear-seat entertainment for the kiddies forcing the family to interact... can't fit 24" Dubs... backup sensor consists of squeaky-toys on the four corners.. HVAC controls are "windows-up/windows-down"... cruise control consists of getting in a larger vehicle's slipstream...

And I'd try and buy one, and the wife would tell me not to go near that "death trap".

@graverobber- Same great taste, new low price!: Dad's loading the groceries, and then meekly enters the passenger side, while mom commands the wheel.

That's probably because they couldn't find any American male teevee actor who could gracefully get behind the wheel of one of those. My mother had one of those in the mid-70s and I used to love to borrow it and fling it around, but man, was it ever tight getting in and out, like it is getting in or out of my Miata if the top's up. Once I managed to wiggle behind the steering wheel it was adequately comfortable, for me at 5'-11" at least. If I were two inches taller though, I doubt I could have fit in my mom's Civic back then or in my Miata today.

@Pope Dearthair the Awesometh ...the wife would tell me not to go near that "death trap".

My wife thinks that a Miata is an unsafe car. However the Ford Explorer that rear-ended and totalled my previous Miata ended up in worse shape than my car did. Besides, one doesn't live forever, after all.

Man, this makes me wish I had my parent's old 74 CVCC or 78 Colt to play with right now. = /

My sister had one of these or maybe a 76. The thing needed a brake job but the parts cost more than the car was worth at the time.

Four grocery bags? Ok, so where's the sack of spuds and the 8 pack of Coke? Did they have to circle back for the cat litter and toilet paper?
And how are they going to save money at Costco and Sam's? The shopping carts there are bigger than this thing.

We have a new Mini, a new Beetle, and now a new Fiat 500. What about a new Civic?

I mean a revival of the real Civic . . .

I bought a 78 civic 5spd off the lot in 1978. I loved it. We lived in a apt complex up a hill and I could bottom out the mud flaps on the bottom if I hit the hill at anything over 30, which I did every day.

Fast forward to 1984. The red paint had turned dull pink, the clutch had turned to shit, and anything made of rubber or fabric was disintegrating fast. So I got myself a 1985 RX7.

It reminds me of the first Police Academy movie (only movie for which they actually did effort to be funny!) in which an 8 foot officer tries to drive the little civic and rips out the front seats to be able to sit at all... 4 shoppingbags? No way it would fit!!

You can find the clip here:

+ Watch video

I had a 75 CVCC 4spd 2 dr, I wanted the 5spd but you had to buy the hatchback and it only came in Yellow or Orange. Not good colors for me to drive in my younger days.