Gojirra99

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 12:18 a.m. ET
By DAVID RUNK Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) -- The Honda Civic, which in its latest incarnation offers drivers a more sleek and upscale take on the popular compact car, has claimed the honor of 2006 Car of the Year from Motor Trend magazine.

All four new Civic models _ a sedan, a coupe, a high-performance model called the Si and a gasoline-electric hybrid _ were given the award.

"Honda deserves a standing ovation for not playing it safe again," Motor Trend's editor in chief, Angus MacKenzie, said in a statement Tuesday. "The engineering passion that Honda ... was founded on radiates from these new Civics."

Motor Trend editors put the Civics through two weeks of track testing, performance drives and walk-around appraisals. The magazine chooses its top car based in part on value, standing in its class and significant developments.

"With their bold, contemporary styling and innovative technology, the new Civics are primed for success in one of the most competitive market segments in the country," Motor Trend said in its announcement.

Motor Trend picked its Car of the Year from a field of 28 new models, including the Audi A3, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet HHR, Dodge Charger, Ford Fusion, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Pontiac Solstice, Toyota Avalon and the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat.

Last year's winner was the Chrysler 300, the uniquely styled sedan that attracted buyers from rappers to grandmothers. Last month, the publication named Nissan's Xterra its sport utility vehicle of the year.

Motor Trend plans to announce its truck of the year in December.

source : lycosnews.com

GFerg

Well, I should have known.

Not trying to show my Toyota/Lexus bias here, but I do think the Avalon was a more significant entry than the Civic. Heck, to a certain extent, I also think that Fusion or Solstice were more significant than the Civic. Good car with futuristic styling, but I think some of its competitors deserved this award over it.

Bercasio

iTrader: (1)

Motor Trend + Honda = What's new?....

LexusLuver

Honda won it, deserves it too. It was a bold move and I take it Honda is back with some serious design and flair. Considering how disappointing the last Civic, current Accord and Ridgeline are, I'm certainly glad to see it.

The Fusion is garbage and shouldn't even be compared to an Accord.

There is no domestic worthy of this yr's award. The C6 Z06 is great but too far out of this scope. The Solstice is nothing new and offers nothing more than the Miata besides better exterior style.
It will join the rest of GM's lineup and become a lame duck in 3yrs.

The domestics deserve an award when they earn it, not just because the media suddenly decide they need recognition for attempting to build a decent car.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I really don't think that the Civic brings anything great or new to the compact class, and I certainly don't think that it deserves this award. The styling is awkward and yet not that much different from the current car, the interior is terrible if you ask me, the engines aren't class leading, and the car is VERY expensive in comparison to the competition. I'l also disagree with you saying that there is no domestic worthy of this years COTY award because the domestics brands made some significant strides this year with the Milan, Fusion, Zephyr, Charger, Z06, Solstice, Torrent, and others. Also, how familiar are you with the Fusion? It has been getting pretty rave reviews, and even significantly beat out the Camry in a MT comparo. THe car has a decent interior and competitive engines, slick styling, pretty good looking quality, a 6AT, and it's very competitively priced.

I think that the Fusion or Charger should have taken this award.

Anyway

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

As much as I hate to admit it, Honda did a good job in redesigning the new Civic. It truly is a good car at a great value, with room for whatever personalization a person can think of.

Congratulations.

Damn, the Civic won over the 3-Series...

Does this mean that it beat out the IS, or is the IS under contention for next year since it just came out?

Incendiary

So MT and C/D are in bed with Honda. Are there any mags that you don't think love Honda? Maybe that says something about their cars, eh?

mmarshall

Frankly, guys, It's no secret that I am not a big fan of Motor Trend. They are somewhat better now then they used to be, but still not in the same league as CAR and DRIVER, ROAD and TRACK, AUTOMOBILE, or AUTOWEEK. That is why you don't often see me quote them or post stuff from their publicaions.

Now...having said that, I strongly disagree with the Civic choice as Car of thr Year. Yes, It handles well, is well-built,and has an efficient powertrain in the Civic tradition but really isn't that big a jump over its predecesssor. in addition, IMO it is ugly, geekily-styled, has an awkward-looking two-tier dash, and STILL has kept the ubiquitous McPherson Strut front end instead of going back to a double-wishbone setup like it should have....and USED to have.

Just for the record, what would I have picked for the COTY? ..... IMO the Infiniti M35 / 45 deserves it this year more than any other single new design. The new M series is not only light-years ahead of the last design but offers vastly improved interior ( not exterior ) fit-and-finish and the choice of AWD as well.

Bercasio

iTrader: (1)

Nothing against Honda. They have quality and reliability written all over, but as for this years' designs???....let's say it's taking a "New Approach" and it will take time getting used to(it looks better now, when compared to the previous designs but they could have done better) And considering the term "aerodynamic" it's making today's designs somewhat the same to the naked eye. My naked eye sees better than what Honda has to offer today.... so yes Motor Trend is bias(an opinion about the mag not the car) and always remains to be. Used to collect Motor Trend for a few years and do see some unfair trials in the past, just don't get the feeling to be authentic. And the end results would always be the same..... "Honda" for whatever reason. For what it has to offer, it is really nothing new but a exterior and interior design to get used to. Oh and by the way, not only I have a LS400, RX300, and a Corolla XRS. Also a mint condition Turbo Charged Civic and Supercharged Accord tucked away in my garage as "Keepers for life" so yes it definitely says something about Honda.....so tell me something I don't know. Cheers...Eh!!!

-J-P-L-

The Fusion beat out the Camry in both a "Car and Driver" and "Road and Track" comparison test this past month. Granted, the Camry is at the end of it's cycle, but a strong offering from Ford nonetheless.

Incendiary

I agree, the new designs are ugly, but that seems to be the trend in car design now. Maybe they read the JD Power poll that showed that "love it or hate it or detest it worse than an Asstek" designs were actually drawing more press attention and traffic in showrooms. I dunno.

As for MT and magazine biases, I don't think the magazines ever disagree that strongly with each other. They pretty much get all the same test cars, write all the same articles, and have opinion results/rankings within 1 or 2 spots of each other. Example, the Fusion vs Camry vs Sonata vs Accord test done last month. Fusion 1, Accord 2 in both Automobile and MT, and those were the only two I picked up from the rack. My RT and CD subscriptions are so redundant, they always have the same feature stories and tired rumors to tell. The MB S500 has been making its rounds through all the magazines, and it's outdated. It's going to be called the S550. That's the problem with print, though. Always a day or week or month behind.