I just bought one of these. I've actually been pretty impressed with performance and how it rides. The transmission shift points seem a little strange (early), but that's in comparison to the
4-speed I had before. I'm getting about 24 mpg in town, but I do a lot of short hops, and that's hard on mileage. I suspect on the road you can drive all day before a refill. The air conditioner is kick-ass. 104 degrees here today, and it was cool enough in about 5 minutes after being out in the sun. My old Accord wouldn't do that. By the way, this Civic is the same size as my old Accord. Same length anyway, maybe a hair narrower. I love the sure-footed Honda ride.Are there any weaknesses or shortcomings that I should know about? And do I understand correctly that the little 1.8L no longer has a timing belt?