The reworking of a car with a forty year history is bound to cause as much pleasure in some quarters as it disappoints in others, but Honda has obviously decided that one way to win over new Civic buyers is by packing the new 2012 Honda Civic with gadgets.

Of course, gadgets may not be at the top of your priority list, but how many people had heard of a satnav a decade ago, and just how popular have they become since then? For most people, they’re almost essential to get anywhere new cash loans.

In the Civic 2012, there’s Honda’s intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) which comes as a five inch colour screen sitting in the centre of the dashboard. It’s right next to the digital display speedo and pretty much all in-car information is displayed on the i-MID screen.

You get info about the journey, how the car is performing, what song is playing on the audio system and your phone info can be patched in too.

All models except the basic DX sedan have USB ports and Bluetooth, as well as an auxiliary-input jack and MP3 playback as standard. On the EX-L, Si and Hybrid models in the States the sat nav has bilingual voice recognition and an XM radio.

The dashboard is set out in two layers, which works well, although some critics don’t like the mix of digital and analogue displays. Although it takes a minute to get used to, it’s an attractive layout once you have understood where everything is.

Another added gadget option you can add in on the EX-L sedan is an eight-way setting power seat, so you can be assured of a comfortable ride.

So, if you like the Civic 2012 for its mileage and general performance, the gadgets might be a welcome bonus to give your new car a great finishing touch.