Look - From a quick walk around, the car doesn't look half bad, especially for an economy car. It has a sporty, yet refined look that separates it from the boring and often ugly look of your average economy car.
Interior - The interior of the Civic is surprisingly roomy. I myself am a little over 6' 3", and yet I can drive with good leg room and over all comfort. I would not however, recommend this car to taller people of old age; it may be difficult to get in and out of.
The seats are of pretty good quality, and feel pretty good for a small car; not luxury, but not bricks either. The back seat is pretty small, but is not too bad to ride in either, as long as your passengers aren't too far over six feet, or if they don't mind slouching.
Handling - I cannot really tell you what a Civic would handle like straight out of the factory, because my car came with a sport spring kit, which alters the handling as well as the ride.
Economy/Performance - I average about 33mpg with my 4spd slopomatic (auto), but can get as high as 38 on longer highway trips. As far as performance, don't expect to be winning any races (damn racers), as they aren't super fast cars, but the EX does have the get up and go for passing adequately, and those quick off the light jumps.
On a side note, while the engine doesn't exactly send you rocketing down the road, it does give off a very satisfying roar when put to the floor (not a vacuum cleaner sound either, a nice smooth, clean sound). This combined with the low end peppiness of the vehicle make it quite entertaining to drive day to day.
Reliability - NEVER had a problem with starting to fail of anything, and as it's a Honda, it will probably outlive me.
Other - The A/C in the vehicle is not super strong. Tires are quite cheap (about 50-60 per tire installed and balanced).
