The Honda Civic sedan and coupe are conservative in appearance, but contemporary in design. They present a wedge-shaped profile with a high, curt tail and low, abbreviated prow. The hood sits an amazing 2.6 inches lower than the hood of the previous-generation Civic.

The front is clean and conservative with a discreet horizontal grille set between large, triangular multi-lens headlamps that curve around the corners. A wide air intake stretches across the body-colored bumper, and a low front spoiler has been added for downforce. Relatively flat flanks are interrupted only by the moldings. Windshield pillars arch into the rolled roof to meet the narrow C-pillars. Bold tail lamps dominate the blunt rear panel, underscored by a body-colored bumper. The sedan's tail lamps have been revised for 2003.

They look like they're from the same family, but the sedan and coupe differ in appearance. In fact, more than three-fourths of their body panels are not interchangeable. The coupe features a more aggressive windshield rake for a sportier look, and its tail lamps light up in a signature pattern. The sedan and coupe do share the same wheelbase and structure.

The styling of the Honda Civic Si hatchback seems to polarize people. Some think it's ugly; others love it and are quick to defend it. It's edgy and wedgy. The huge, flat windshield is steeply raked. The nose slopes radically downward, giving the car excellent aerodynamics and driver visibility. Its unique mesh grille is framed by huge triangular headlamps. The Si is slab-sided, without any sculpture in the sheet metal. Also, the wheels and tires do not look big enough for the bodywork. The Si features a subtle roof spoiler, a dual tipped exhaust, and comes standard with a moonroof.

Honda is known for its space-efficient design, and the Civic packs its engine into a condensed engine bay, leaving more space for the interior. The door handles are the lever kind, which I find harder to operate than the kind you stick your hands through.

The Honda Civic is ergonomically excellent, making this an easy car to operate. From the driver's seat, the Honda Civic is a comfortable car. From the back seat, it is less so. As in most Hondas, the passenger compartment feels airy and open.

Front-seat accommodations in the Civic are superb. The sedan's front seats provide excellent support, thanks to a rigid structure with aggressive side bolsters. High seat cushions make entry and exit easy. Seat fabrics have been upgraded in the sedan for 2003. The quality of the interior materials and trim is excellent and the interior design is ergonomically superb. Visibility when driving or parking is excellent as the driver is surrounded by glass and looks over a very low hood line.

The coupe's front seatbacks stretch broad and deep, and the headrests are open at the center like a doughnut. Front seatbelts attach to a side anchor bar that slides out of the way when someone climbs into the back seat.

The Honda Civic Si front seats are excellent, comfortable for long drives, and supportive for hard driving. They look and feel upscale. Alcantara-like trim adds richness to the side bolsters while red stitching accents the sporty fabric in the middle. The seating position in the Si is a bit strange with its big dash and sharply raked windshield, and reminds us of the Volkswagen New Beetle.

Rear-seat accommodations are not the best. They are neither roomy nor comfortable by class standards. The Toyota Corolla is better on this score. That said, the Civic sedan offers more rear legroom than pre-2001 models, and the coupe offers some improvement there as well. The flat floor lets rear-seat passengers spread their feet out; there's no center tunnel to get in the way of the center occupant. But three in back is still a crowd. The rear bench is low and hard and does not support the thighs well. The coupe's front seats cooperate for rear entry by sliding forward under power when the seatback tilts forward; a memory function then returns it to its original position. The seat's forward movement creates the largest possible portal for rear-seat entry given the design, but it's still not an easy matter to fold your body into the rear seat of this (or any) coupe, much less haul yourself out. Bottom line: The Civic is happiest with two people, but can haul additional passengers when called upon.

In all Civics, the cockpit looks clean and efficient, with the instrument panel tucked beneath a barrel-shaped cowl. Round white-on-black analog instruments include an oversized speedometer and tachometer in the center, flanked by smaller fuel and coolant gauges. In the coupe, gauges show silver highlights and glow with amber light at night. The Si features black numbers on white gauges, for a sporty appearance; while a bright red Si badge adds color.

HVAC controls are wonderfully designed, with large rotary dials for heating, ventilation, and fan speed stacked just to the left of the audio system controls. Separate buttons for air conditioning, recirculation, and rear-window defrost are arrayed just below the audio system. It's a clean design that's very easy to operate. Audio controls are close at hand, but the system suffers from small buttons and knobs. Worse, the sound was only mediocre.

The Si sports a shifter that sprouts at an angle from the upper console, as in a mid-1960s Alfa Romeo or some of the latest rally cars. Though it looks odd at first, the lever turns out to be perfectly located for quick and easy shifting, almost reminiscent of a formula car. Its close proximity to the steering wheel keeps it handy. It works really, really well and we instantly liked it.

The Civic sedan's trunk space is comparable to other compact sedans. The hatchback is very practical with a big cargo compartment that opens up further when the rear seats are folded.

Safety equipment includes pre-tensioners for both lap and shoulder belts in front, two-stage front airbags, three-point safety belts for five seating positions, child seat anchor brackets for the back seat and an emergency trunk release lever inside the trunk. Optional side-impact airbags are available.