The 2001 Honda Civic boasted a new design. With a wider base, Honda created a larger cab with more comfort, more cargo space, greater safety features, and more powerful engines. The major drawback is that the old rear suspension did not support the new design as well as it should have. 2001 was also the year Honda discontinued the very practical hatchback design. Users find that the 2001 Civic provides excellent gas mileage with city driving, offering as much as 33 mpg (and 40 mpg for highway driving). Consumers have also noted that the 2001 Civic has surprisingly good pickup for an economy car. Owners of the manual transmission find that the 2001 Civic is a really fun car to drive. Lastly it has been noted that the car's back seat is quite spacious, offering comfortable seating for two. On the negative side, numerous owners have noted problems with the 2001 Civic's suspension, specifically the front suspension. After 35k miles, many have noted that the car begins to creak quite a bit. Others have noted that the CD player in 2001 Civics was of poor quality and didn't last much longer than the car's warranty. Despite these drawbacks, however, most consumers have found the 2001 Civic a great value and a very reliable car.