A popular consumer magazine known for its automotive road tests says it can no longer recommend the Honda Civic compact sedan. The Civic, which has been a top finisher in comparisons with rivals in the small-car segment for decades, finished second from the bottom in a 12-car shoot-out in Consumer Reports.

The magazine’s announcement, which coincides with distribution of its latest issue, marks “the first time in recent memory” that the Civic has not received its stamp of approval, a magazine spokesman says.

Summing up the Civic’s performance in its small-sedan evaluation, Consumer Reports says, “The Civic, long one of our top-scoring small cars, has slid backward with its latest redesign and no longer scores high enough in our testing for us to recommend it. The new Civic dropped a whopping 17 points — from a very good 78 to a mediocre 61 on our 100-point scale.”

The statement continues: “Compared with its predecessor, the 2012 Civic has lower interior quality and suffers from a choppy ride, long stopping distances, and pronounced road noise. Vague steering impairs its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel.”

Among the positives, the magazine says, are the car’s rear-seat room and fuel economy of 30 mpg overall, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Honda released the following statement:

“In a broad sense, we disagree with Consumer Reports’ findings. Without question, the small sedan segment is more competitive than ever. In virtually every way, the completely redesigned 2012 Civic is a step forward. The new Civic excels in areas that matter to small-car customers, including fuel efficiency, safety, and reliability. Among the Civic’s greatest competitive strengths, is a smooth and efficient powertrain that, in Consumer Reports testing returned, “… an impressive 30 mpg overall on regular fuel and 47 mpg on the highway.” Also noted in Consumer Reports findings, the Civic excels in the area of safety, with a long list of important features standard on all trim levels, and a class-leading ‘Top Safety Pick’ rating from IIHS. Lastly, the Civic has a stellar reliability history with Consumer Reports, and we are confident that the new Civic will be a reliability leader as well.”

Here is the finishing order in the Consumer Reports test:

1. Hyundai Elantra GLS

2. Nissan Sentra SL

3. Subaru Impreza 2.5i

4. Toyota Corolla LE

5. Kia Forte EX

6. Mazda Mazda3 Touring

7. Chevrolet Cruze 1LT

8. Ford Focus SE

9. Chevrolet Cruze LS

10. Mitsubishi Lancer ES

11. Honda Civic LX

12. Volkswagen Jetta SE