Slowly but surely, the Civic reached its eighth generation in 2005, and the U.S. customers got it in a coupe shape, leaving the Europeans with tears in their eyes again.

By 2005, the Civic Coupe was already a phenomenon. It attracted young buyers and teenagers. It was reliable, agile, and comfortable enough for two people. Also, its fuel efficiency made it an excellent commuter car. Besides, it offered a usable trunk good enough for K-Mart but not that good for Home Depot.

The coupe featured a narrow front end with slim headlights and grille. Its bumper was extended downwards with a broad trapezoidal grille flanked by fake side-scoops. Its raked windshield and arched upper window line enhanced the car’s dynamic look, while the raked-forward rear windscreen made the connection with the trunk lid. At the back, the Civic Coupe featured corner-mounted taillights placed high on the quarter panels. The wrapped-around rear bumper sported a heat shield underneath and a tailpipe.

Inside, Honda installed a similar dashboard like the one from the four-door Civic with the speedometer placed in an individual cluster at the bottom of the windshield, and the tachometer was in front of the driver. Strangely though, each of the four vents from the dash featured a different shape. On the center stack, the carmaker placed the infotainment unit. Its low-mounted front seats provided small bolstering areas, while in the back, there was a bench for two passengers with limited legroom and headroom due to the sloped-down ceiling.

The Civic Coupe was available with only one engine option, a 1.8-liter unit that provided 140 hp. For those who asked for more performances, Honda offered the Civic SI.