Honda Motor Co.'s newest version of the Civic, a model that has been a foundation of the automaker's U.S. sales for decades, flopped in tests by Consumer Reports, failing to win the magazine's coveted "recommended" status.
The 2012 Civic scored 61 in Consumer Reports' evaluation, down from 78 for the previous Civic, according to a review in the September issue published Monday.
The car, on sale since late April, scored poorly because of a decline in agility and interior quality, choppier ride, longer stopping distances and more road noise compared with the last Civic, the magazine said.