"Sometimes," Gen. George Patton is reported to have said of his World War II British colleague, Gen. Bernard Montgomery, "he seems more concerned with not losing a battle than he does with winning it."

Patton could just as well have been speaking of the 2012 Honda Civic sedan.

The best-selling Civic has been the gold standard among compacts for so long, Honda seems utterly risk-averse in this redesign of the 2012 edition.Consequently, there's no bold styling statement (too much to lose with a mistake) and — though hybrid and natural-gas niche models are offered — no drivetrain breakthrough in the standard sedan (no sense committing an unforced error).

In other words, this new Civic seems more concerned with not making a mistake than pushing the envelope. The attitude seems to be: We've got a successful little car here. Let's not screw it up.

It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with the new Civic. It's just that there's little to arouse passion. The look is updated so conservatively it's hard to spot as new. Meanwhile, the drivetrain, save slight tweaks to enhance fuel economy, is pretty much carried over whole cloth from 2011.

Thus, we get Civic's familiar 1.8-liter, 140-hp four-cylinder and, in a segment offering more and more six-speeds, a pair of five-speeds in Civic, manual and automatic.

Inside, the story is much the same. Switchgear is sensibly laid out, the two-tier gauge display is cool and room is fine. But the cabin is awash in hard plastic — clearly a money-saving move.

This is not the way Honda typically does things, and the company seems ready to concede a mistake. According to industry publication Automotive News, Honda plans quick action to address this redesign's overabundance of caution: "Honda," the magazine reported in its Jan. 2 issue, "is moving a mid-cycle freshening (of Civic) ahead a year, to 2013, to make changes."

What we're left with for 2012 is a perfectly competent compact sedan with a well-deserved reputation for bulletproof quality. Yet it's overshadowed by such upstart competitors as the Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, all of which offer six-speed automatics — and all but Focus offer six-speed manuals, as well — and each boasts a more athletic driving experience.

Speaking of which, a lot of sound and fury comes from Civic's four-banger under full throttle, but acceleration is just average.

Of all Civic's changes, Honda seems most proud of the new instrument display — and justifiably so, I think. It offers a two-tier layout that puts frequently checked items like the speedometer high atop the dashboard in the driver's line of sight, with less frequently checked sources low behind the steering wheel. Also, a new wheel-mounted multi-function keypad allows easy access to a variety of display screens and features.

In the final analysis, this new Civic offers all the infotainment features modern car buyers expect, good interior room and decent fuel economy — 28/39 with the automatic. It is, in other words, a prudent, if unexciting, choice.