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It was a decade ago that I purchased my first car - a bright red, two-door Honda Civic.I was fresh out of university, just got my first job, and the Civic was a car that fit my budget and offered everything I was looking for at the time.

Two model generations later, a lot has changed in terms of how the Civic looks and functions, but it remains Canada's best-selling vehicle, although competition in the compact segment has certainly picked up recently.

After a week of testing the redesigned 2012 Civic EX, it became evident to me that a few things remain the same with Honda's compact sedan. It still delivers good value for the money and it still offers a good driving experience.

The Civic comes in either a coupe or sedan format, and an SI variant of either body shape.

The Civic sedan was my tester for the week, and the DX base trim has a starting price of $14,990 - a price point that, in part, explains why the Civic remains Canada's best-selling car. That trim, however, is available only with a fivespeed manual transmission and does not include air conditioning. Other trim levels include the LX, EX and EX-L, and of course the SI.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/cars/...#ixzz1eHAevywH