The compact class remains one of the most competitive in the new car market, in number of entries as well as price. Honda in 2006 re-staked its claim to the head of the class with the introduction of a completely reworked and updated Civic. And not just in the mainstream, family-car niche, but in the sporty subcompact arena, too, with the return of a hopped-up coupe, the Si, the latest reincarnation of the late, lamented CRX.

For 2007, everything pretty much remains the same, with one notable exception. Civic buyers with families may now have their cake and eat it, too. Honda has expanded the four-door sedan line to include an Si version, in almost every measure save the number of doors the equal of the Si coupe. It has the same 197-horsepower engine, the same six-speed manual transmission, and the same four-wheel disc brake setup. Honda's engineers tweaked its suspension to compensate for the sedan's longer wheelbase. Front-seat passengers get the Si coupe's sport seats. And both Si editions come standard with an electronic stability program for added control in emergency maneuvers.

Honda also continues offering a natural gas-powered sedan, the GX, which the company introduced during the 2006 model year. Availability is limited to residents of New York and California and fleets there and elsewhere.

The Civic Hybrid sedan uses a 1.3-liter four-cylinder coupled with a permanent magnet electric motor and a continuously variable transmission. This reduces emissions dramatically, while improving fuel economy.

The 2007 Honda Civic is available in coupe and sedan versions. The DX, LX, and EX models share a 140-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder with a standard five-speed manual transmission and an optional five-speed automatic. The base coupe with a 140-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission starts at $14,810 MSRP. Other cars in the class may undercut the Civic on pricing, but the Civic includes important safety features, including side-impact airbags that others leave on the option list.