Thanks to its versatility, practicality, and pricing, Honda Civic has been crowned the best-selling car worldwide year after year. It has a firm footing in the US automotive market as it is known for its reliable nature, impressive fuel economy, and pleasant driving experience. After a significant makeover from the ground up, the 2012 Honda Civic, in its 9th generation is ready to win hearts again. 

Besides its all-important 40 MPG fuel economy milestone in the HF variant, the 2012 Honda Civic has various quirks up its sleeve. In terms of comfort and practicality, Honda has a great brand value in the market. Honda Civic is often compared with the likes of Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda 3. So let’s put the 2012 Civic against these popular rivals, and discuss how the interior compares to them.

2012 Honda Civic Interior Design, Dimensions, and Comfort

Despite the gen upgrade, the 2012 Honda Civic received only some mild styling updates. However, it now offers more interior room. While the exterior dimensions were not altered much, the cabin now offers 3-inches of additional shoulder room up front and another 1.6-inches of rear legroom. Coming to the dashboard, if you pick either the coupe or the sedan, the steeply angled windshield results in a deeper extended dash. 

But the use of cheap plastics all over the cabin has ruined the overall feel. However, the Civic offers remarkable seating position and visibility; a huge credit goes to the thin A-pillars. And you can also get a leather-wrapped steering wheel in EX-L trim. Coming to the seats, as standard, the 2012 Civic can seat 5 people in two rows. Honda offers 3 different upholstery color options with the Civic 2012 which include beige, black, and gray. 

As standard, you get cloth upholstery while leather is available once you climb up on the trim ladder. At the front, you get manually adjustable seats while the heating function is available in the EX-L trim. Coming to the rear, the Civic is as comfortable and roomy as the front row. And it now offers more legroom compared to the previous MY. As standard, you get a one-piece fold-down seat back in the base trim but that can be upgraded to 60/40 split-folding seatbacks from EX trim onwards. 

Models	2012 Honda Civic	2012 Toyota Corolla	2012 Mazda 3	2012 Hyundai Elantra
Seating capacity	5	5	5	5
Interior Passenger Volume (cu-ft)	94.6	92.1	94.1	95.6
Front Row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in.)	39.0/56.6/42.0	38.8/54.8/41.7	38.9/54.9/42.0	40.0/55.9/43.6
Rear Row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in.)	37.1/53.3/36.2	37.2/54.7/36.3	37.5/54/36.2	37.1/54.8/33.1

Since it’s a Honda, there are a lot of expectations, and the 2012 Civic doesn’t offer much when it comes to interior. Rivals like the Corolla, Mazda 3, and Elantra feel more premium. The 2012 Civic has also received complaints about a relatively high level of wind noise, which can make any trip less pleasant. In terms of interior space though, Honda does better than most of its rivals with the Corolla and the Mazda 3 following the Civic. 

2012 Honda Civic Infotainment

2012 Honda Civic comes standard with a 5-inch i-MID display, AM/FM radio, a CD player, USB, and AUX ports. The two-tier dash display provides various information like the economy, music connectivity, and maintenance reminders. It also guides the driver to use the throttle most economically, especially once you press the ECON button. The menus can be surfed through with physical buttons and a small joystick stuck in the bottom right corner.

Optional features include Bluetooth connectivity, a touch-screen navigation system, and satellite radio. It isn’t easy to use due to its small buttons. For your music needs, you get a 4-speaker sound system as standard but that can be upgraded to a 7-speaker premium sound system.

Key Infotainment Features

• 5-inch i-MID display
• Satellite radio
• Bluetooth connectivity
• 7-speaker premium sound system
• Satellite linked navigation with voice controls

2012 Honda Civic Cargo Capacity

The 2012 Honda Civic has an adequate amount of trunk space, 12.5 cu-ft to be exact. And this is slightly better than the previous-gen 2011 Civic. Even the hybrid models don’t have compromised cargo space, thanks to a smarter and compact structure.

If you need more space, you can fold down the rear seats. The base trim offers only a one-piece fold-down seat back and it does not fold flat. But from EX trim, you get 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks to maximize the use of space.

Models	2012 Honda Civic	2012 Toyota Corolla	2012 Mazda 3	2012 Hyundai Elantra
Standard Cargo Capacity (ft³)	12.5	12.3	11.8	14.8

Among the rivals, Hyundai Elantra offers the largest trunk space with 14.8 cu-ft of cargo space. This is because it traded interior space for stuffing cargo at the back. Corolla is marginally close to the Civic in terms of cargo space. However, the trunk space in the Civic can be easily accessed through a light liftgate, and the trunk opening is quite wide to push big bags with ease.

Additional Interior Storage Spaces

2012 Civic lacks amenities, like bottle holders in the front and rear doors, but there’s a good amount of space in the center console. There are cup holders at the front and rear, a cubby in the bottom part of the center console, and a glovebox on the front passenger side. However, the cubby in the center console lacks a rubber mat to prevent your phone or other accessories from sliding. 

2012 Honda Civic Creature Comforts

The base variant of the 2012 Civic is scarce in creature comforts. As standard, you get cloth upholstery, manually adjustable seats, power windows, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, and a one-piece fold-down rear seatback. But as you get ready to spend a little more, you get some premium features. LX trim adds keyless entry and air-conditioning. Leather upholstery comes as an option. EX trim adds a sunroof, and a 60/40 split-folding rear seatback. The EX-L trim adds leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and heated front seats. 

Verdict

The 2012 Honda Civic hasn’t undergone a massive change as far as the interior is concerned. For 2012 MY, you get more space on the inside and a few gimmicks owing to a generation upgrade. And that’s about it. You can still find extensive use of hard plastics and it lacks proper insulation against ambient noise. However, appreciable additions like the intelligent multi-information display make it more desirable. 

 

Also Read:

• What do the previous owners of the Honda Civic have to say about it?
• 2011 Honda Civic Price, Review Ratings, and Pictures
• Check out the 2022 Honda Civic!