The eldest members of Generation Y, today’s “it” demographic, were born in the early 1970s – about the same time that the Honda Civic first arrived in the U.S. As they have grown, the Civic has grown. As they have matured, the Civic has matured. And now that they are becoming one of the dominant forces in our nation’s economy – with deep-rooted preferences for distinctive, high-tech, sophisticated goods – one of the most revolutionary redesigns of the iconic small car they grew up with is occurring for 2006, taking the Civic upscale with more advanced technology than ever and a futuristic European look.

Note that we called it a small car, and not an economy car. New from the rubber to the roof, the 2006 Honda Civic adds a premium appearance, equipment, and amenities – if not price. And unlike Civic revisions for 1996 and 2001, the 2006 model looks far into the future, making available to its technologically-astute target buyers the kinds of features they want in a daily driver.

Fun-to-drive, fuel efficient, comfortable for four full-sized adults, engineered for occupant safety, and incredibly refined, the 2006 Honda Civic should prove a segment leader – if not a segment buster. It still faces stiff competition from the exceptional Mazda3, and it doesn’t make a stability control system or leather upholstery available to consumers who don’t mind paying more than $20,000 for an entry-level set of wheels, but otherwise it’s hard to fault this terrific new Civic.