1987 Honda Civic CRX

Honda introduced the first generation CRX in 1984 at the same time they were launching the third-gen Honda Civics. That first year, Motor Trend magazine awarded the Honda Civic CRX the 1984 Import Car of the Year. The following year, Car & Driver magazine included it in their Ten Best list for 1985. Two years later, on the verge of a second generation, the 1987 Honda Civic CRX was one of the bestselling imports in North America and essentially the same car that Motor Trend and Car & Driver had lauded.

The front-wheel-drive 1987 Honda Civic CRX was a 2-door vehicle marketed as an economy sport hatchback. However, the sport element was minimal. Honda would begin to build the CRX’s sport reputation with the second generation 1988 model and the larger engines. The 1987 Honda Civic did accentuate economy and this coupled with its functionality is what Motor Trend and Car & Driver had appreciated about the car.

The 1987 Honda Civic had an aesthetically pleasing and futuristic style that really distinguished itself from the other options on the market. In addition, Honda aggressively priced this car that offered nimble handling and superior fuel performance. The first generation CRX’s available in the European and Japanese had the more powerful engines that North America would not get until the 1988 model.

However, while lacking the power, only 78 horsepower, North America’s 1.5-liter HF (High Fuel economy) engine produced unheard of fuel performance. Perhaps most amazing was the fact that Honda offered it at no premium over the 1.3-liter engine that was included with the base model of the car. One has to put it into the perspective of a 1987 auto consumer to appreciate it fully, but there really was no other option on the market that compared to the 1987 Honda Civic CR-X.