The Honda Civic has always been the compact sedan of choice here in the United States but as of recent, the segment has introduced some other strong competitors including the new Chevrolet Cruze and the Hyundai Elantra. There is no doubt that the new Civic is struggling here in the United States. But how about in Europe.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the Civic has always lived in the shadows of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus – but now there is a new model that keeps its torsion beam rear axle and space-craft looks. Can the new 2012 Euro Honda Civic finally take the top spot? Our friends over at AutoCar took one for a spin to find out.

Check out more news on the Honda Civic.

Follow the jump for the video.

Refresher: The 2012 Honda Civic in Europe is offered with three engine options: a 1.4 l i-VTEC gasoline unit, a 1.8 l i-VTEC gasoline unit and a 2.2 l i-DTEC diesel engine. All the engines are combined with a 6-speed manual gearbox, ECO Assist, and Idle Stop. They are also equipped with Hill Start Assist. The 1.8 l engine can be paired with a specially designed 5-speed automatic transmission.

- By: Omar Rana