I looked at a new Civic yesterday, more out of curiosity then anything else since my 88 Volvo is still running nicely at 195k miles.
Engine compartment(!): Cramped, cramped, cramped. In its quest for an additional 0.25 mpg, Honda has seen fit to move the front edge of the windshield over most of the rear engine accessories (PS pump, throttle body, et al). Looks like you can only get to them from the bottom, or may even have to pull the engine (unless the engine rolls forward like in some GMs).
What good is an additional 0.25MPG if the economical service life of the car is reduced? Remember that more than 50% of the energy expended by a car is spend building it.
No electric power steering on anything but the Si and hybrid. Sigh.
Gauges: The digital gauges are neat. However, there does seem to be a lot of wasted space on the bottom cluster around the tach. Why not put gauge blanks for optional gauges there (or an optional NAV screen in front of the driver's eyes)? True, there are warning lights and an auto trans shift quadrant beside the tach, but there's still wasted space there.
Trunk: Pleasantly huge for a car of that size. The rear seat folds 60/40. Unfortunately, the folding mechanism seems to be only in the trunk - I'd prefer to be able to fold the seat from the *INSIDE* of the car!
Si/Hatchback: What happened? The Si is now a coupe. I loved the little square hatchbacks made from the 80s to the 90s. Good mileage, practical, and a bit different from everything on the road. I guess Honda has a "sporty" image to maintain in the US and hatches just don't fit into that mold.
Honda, give us a new CRX please. I wonder if building a sporty version of the Insight with better tires, suspension, and gearing at the expense of a few MPG could be justified. Call it the first sports hybrid. Maybe even make it AWD using a 15hp pancake motor driving the rear axle. (The new Lexus RWD hybrid sedan is more of a luxury touring car.)
I guess if you want cargo room, you have to go to one of Honda's SUV-esque vehicles like the Element (which has its own problems in its narrow rear seat - why can't Honda offer 3-person rear seating as an option?)
-Andrew