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The Honda Civic sedan and coupe get subtle styling revisions for 2004 that give them a bolder look. Up front, the bumper, grille, engine hood, and headlights are all new. Most immediately noticeable is the new grille: The horizontal bar is gone, leaving just a blacked-out opening, framed by a character line that flows smoothly into the new hood. The opening under the grille has been re-shaped into a shark-like smile and now incorporates two downward-slashing struts. The headlights are still triangular, but stretch out more diagonally as they flow around the car's front corners. These changes are small, really, but subtly suggestive of the total re-style received last year by big brother Accord. The Civic's rear bumper is reshaped as well, a little crisper now than before.

Unchanged is the Civic's wedge-shaped profile, with a high, curt tail and low, abbreviated prow. The hood sits amazingly low. Relatively flat flanks are interrupted only by a single crease that dashes from the front wheel opening to the taillight; there are no body-side moldings. Windshield pillars arch into the rolled roof to meet the narrow C-pillars. Bold tail lamps dominate the blunt rear panel. Overall, both the sedan and the coupe remain conservative in appearance, but contemporary in design.

While they look like they're from the same family, the sedan and coupe differ in appearance. In fact, more than three-fourths of their body panels are not interchangeable. The Civic 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 inner structure.

The appearance of the Honda Civic Hybrid sedan is also subtly different, with a deeper spoiler under the front bumper, a small spoiler on the lip of the trunk lid, and unique, lightweight aluminum-alloy wheels.

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 which, like those of the coupe and sedan, have been updated for 2004. New taillights lend a custom appearance, with oval amber turn-signal lenses behind a contoured clear cover. The Si is slab-sided, without any sculpture in the sheet metal. In the past, critics have suggested the wheels and tires do not look big enough for the bodywork, but Honda has taken care of that for 2004 with new and better-proportioned 16-inch alloy wheels, and a new sill molding that suggests a slimmer profile. The Civic Si features a subtle roof spoiler and 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 we find harder to operate than the kind you stick your hands through.

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The Honda Civic is ergonomically excellent, making this an easy car to operate. From the driver's seat, the 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 for the sedan were upgraded for the 2003 model year, and the quality of the new materials and trim is excellent. Visibility when driving or parking is excellent as the driver is surrounded by glass and looks over a very low hood line.

The interior of the Hybrid is a bit more posh than even that of the EX sedan, with automatic climate control and a classy two-tone finish.

Honda Civic coupes have front seatbacks that stretch broad and deep with headrests that 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 Si hatchback's 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 center. The seating position in the Si is a bit strange with its big dash and sharply raked windshield, reminding us of the Beetle.

Rear-seat accommodations in all of the Civic models are not the best. They are neither roomy nor comfortable by class standards. The rear bench is low and hard and does not support the thighs well. The Toyota Corolla is better on this score than the Civic sedan. That said, the Civic's flat floor lets rear-seat passengers spread their feet out, as there's no center tunnel to get in the way. Also, the outboard rear-seat head restraints are adjustable. But three in back is a crowd.

Getting into the back seats of the two-door coupe isn't easy. The coupe's front seats cooperate for rear entry by gliding forward when the seatback tilts forward; a memory function then returns the seat 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. A sporty, four-spoke steering wheel provides a comfortable grip. Round analog instruments include an oversized speedometer and tachometer in the center, flanked by smaller fuel and coolant gauges. In the sedan, the gauge graphics are the traditional white-on-black. In the coupe, the gauges show silver highlights and glow with amber light at night. The Hybrid's instruments are blue-lit and include a digital fuel mileage display and other indicators that monitor the automatic functioning of its auxiliary electric motor. The Honda Civic 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. Sound quality has been only mediocre in the past, but has been improved for 2004 thanks to redesigned speakers.

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 that of other compact sedans. The rear seat is split 60/40 and folds down for increased cargo space. The hatchback is practical with a big cargo compartment that opens up further when the rear seats are folded. The Honda Civic Hybrid, on the other hand, loses nearly 3 cubic feet of trunk space to its batteries, making its luggage capacity nearly the smallest in the compact class. Another disadvantage of the Hybrid is that its rear seat backs cannot be folded down for increased storage.

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 on all models, and standard on the Hybrid.