A high-rated small sedan, the Honda Civic is refined and economical, with fairly nimble handling and a relatively comfortable ride. We have tested several flavors of the current-generation, including the natural-gas-powered GX, hybrid, and Si coupe, and most recently, the EX sedan with a manual transmission.

Honda Civic sales have skyrocketed this year, propelled by increased shopper focus on fuel economy. The last Civic sedan we tested turned in impressive fuel economy, though overall it didn't cross the 30 mpg threshold that separates the most frugal, fuel-sippers from the crowd. To find out how this and other recently tested small cars would perform with a stick shift, we bought several cars this summer to repeat our performance tests. The results are published in the October issue and available online. (See the full "Manual vs. automatic" story.)

Here, Consumer Reports Senior Automotive Engineer Jake Fisher presents a video review of the Civic, bringing our formal road test to life with the highlights. (Full details can be found in the model overview, available to online subscribers.)

The bottom line on the Civic: Expect 31 mpg overall for the EX with the manual (vs. 28 mpg for automatic).

—Jeff Bartlett and Desiree Calamari