For the 2012 model year, the US-market Civic enters its ninth generation.

The Civic was once the choice of performance-seeking enthusiasts on a budget, due to its reliability, durability, and ample supply of aftermarket performance parts. But the Civic has lots much of its edge as of late, and the ninth generation, little more than a rehash of the eighth, is getting less than stellar reviews. Nevertheless, it is still reliable and very economical, and also because of the reputation of the Honda brand, will continue to sell well.

With this Civic, Honda is pulling a trick that American manufacturers were infamous for. This Civic is for North America only; Europe gets a completely different Civic, and Japan gets yet a different Civic. Other Japanese compacts, such as the Toyota Corolla (now withdrawn from Europe) and Nissan Sentra, are pulling similar tricks, at a time when American models are being unified across the globe while incorporating concessions to local tastes and regulations.

The HF trim is a standard gasoline-powered Civic that is tuned for fuel efficiency, getting up to 41 miles per gallon. It has some of the improvements of the Hybrid version (such as the special wheels) without the Hybrid's costs.