I test drove a Civic Coupe EX with a manual transmission this afternoon. I agree that the steering is a little loose, but it's better than prior generation Civics in my opinion. Road noise was extremely low, but the EX comes with additional sound dampening material under the hood and quieter tires, so lower trims may be a bit louder. I loved the engine! Finally a Civic with good low-end torque. You no longer have to rev it high to get it a little spirited. Couldn't fault the engine anywhere. Some people will complain it's too quiet, even at 4500-5000 rpm, but most of those people will gravitate towards the Si anyway. On the other hand, the interior is impressing me less and less. This was my third visit to see the new Civics, and I was a little dazzled by the interior the first time around, but now the hard plastic is beginning to get to me. The hard plastic on the shift knob feels chintzy and calls attention to the hard plastic on the dash. I miss the chrome ring around the shift boot that the last generation Civics had. Now it's just a hard plastic panel with a silvery colour. Also, the seat material has a "design" on them that looks like someone scribbled on a piece of paper with magic marker and then that drawing was used for the upholstery. The driver's seat was already beginning to look a bit worn. That said, having the seat height adjustment on all trim levels is very nice.
All in all, I think it's a much better car than the last generation Civic on all counts except the interior materials which are a step backwards.
