The Honda Civic LX has historically done well when tested by our cohorts at Consumer Reports, often coming out among the highest rated small sedans. It’s also been listed as one of the magazine’s Top Picks in five of the last 10 years. But following a highly anticipated redesign, the latest Civic LX now scores so low that Consumer Reports can no longer recommend it.

The previous Civic LX had scored a very good 78 in Consumer Reports, but the score for the newest model dropped an alarming 17 points to a mediocre 61, scoring second-to-last in CR’s ratings of 12 small sedans, followed only by the recently redesigned Volkwagen Jetta.

Among the issues with the new Civic LX, testers found it to be less agile and with lower interior quality than previous models. Choppy rides, long stopping distances, and pronounced road noise didn’t do anything to help its score either.

Testers did note that it provides decent rear-seat room and the second-best fuel economy (30 mpg overall) in its class, losing out to only the Toyota Corolla’s 32 mpg.

“While other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category,” said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center.

The full report on small sedans and hatchbacks is available in the September issue of the magazine, on newsstands August 2 and to subscribers of ConsumerReports.org.

2012 Honda Civic LX: Scores too low for Consumer Reports to recommend [Consumer Reports]

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