Honda introduces an improved Civic, following harsh reviews

It's rather unprecedented for a car company to launch a mid-cycle freshening after merely 18 months on the market. But that's exactly what Honda did after our criticism of the 2012 Civic.

Shortly after Honda launched the 2012 Civic, we tested it. The resulting overall test score, based on more than 50 individual tests, was too low to meet the threshold for being recommended. The 2012 redesign was a measured step back, and, unfortunately came at a time when many competitors stepped up their game. (And we weren't the only media outlet to notice.) We've now driven the freshened model back to back with the 2012 one and can say that it's a marked improvement.

What bugged us about the 2012 Civic? Here are a few criticisms:

• Choppy ride made the car jumpy and nervous.
  

• Lackluster handling produced reluctant response in corners.
  

• Vague steering, especially when Hondas used to have such good feedback.
  

• Elevated road noise created a loud, fatiguing cabin environment.
  

• Low-rent interior with drab materials and cheap plastics.
  

Normally, a model gets a freshening about halfway into its life cycle, typically four to six years. The Civic's freshening and the prominent announcement at a major auto show indicates how critical the Civic is for Honda. More motivating for the company, we think, is the fact that the Civic didn't qualify as being a recommended model by Consumer Reports.