Dandy at low and moderate speeds, less-so in unusually demanding situations, such as bumps in the middle of a corner. Then, it bobs and skitters instead of tautly holding its heading. On undulating pavement, the car feels bouncy and not as well-controlled as you'd like. As always, the cowl is low for good forward visibility. Gauges are big and easily read.
Controls are logical and operate smoother than in some luxury cars.
What Honda has wrought is a small miracle. The '01 Civic is an improved version of an already good small car, an improvement that mostly retains the nimble practicality that's been Civic's hallmark while growing it up a bit. And get rid of that front-end clunk, please. Trunk is 12.9 cubic feet. Automatic transmission cuts 1 to 2 mpg.