Auto News 5

Any time there's a new Honda Civic, it's a big deal in the small-car market. The Civic, together with the Toyota Corolla, is one of longest-running nameplates in the field, and it regularly vies with the Corolla for the top spot in sales. This year, however, the new Civic is hardly the only big news in small cars. The past few months have also seen the introduction of an all-new Hyundai Elantra and an all-new Ford Focus, both vastly improved over their predecessors and both coming from companies that have been on a roll lately. It seemed natural to get the new Civic together with these upstarts to see how the freshest entries in the field compare.

I attended the media launch of the original Acura MDX way back in April 2000, and I've always liked the vehicle since. This second generation is getting on in years but has aged well. The overall demeanor of the vehicle is very satisfying. It's luxurious and well-built and comfortable but not ostentatious. It is only as big as it needs to be, as compared with, say, the Audi Q7 that we had in the office at the same time, which carries a ridiculous amount of mass.