Honda Civic 2012 HD Wallpapers:Honda sells so many Civics that if the car were counted as a brand, it would be the 12th largest in the United States. More Civics went to new homes in the U.S. last year than did Volkswagens or Mazdas. With sales numbers like that, it’s not too much of a surprise that Honda is playing a conservative hand with the redesigned 2012 Civic.With the exception of the performance Si model and the fuel-sipping hybrid, every Civic sedan and coupe (DX, LX, EX, and EX-L) will have a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 140 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. (The natural-gas-burning GX also uses the 1.8.) Essentially a carry-over from the previous generation, the engine does enjoy a few changes that add a bit more torque down low and reduce internal friction. The four-cylinder still spins happily, but less of the noise enters the cabin. Without that noise, the engine doesn’t seem to be working as hard as it did in the ’11 Civic.
Another carry-over part is Honda’s five-speed automatic transmission, an $800 option on the lower two trim levels, DX and LX, and standard on all others. A few updates like reduced friction and more-eager torque-converter-lockup programming help boost fuel economy to 28 mpg city and 39 highway for automatic models. (Last year’s automatic returned 25 city and 36 highway.) Meanwhile, purists will be a little disappointed that the five-speed manual can only muster 28 city and 36 highway, up from 26/34.
