I have a 2012 civic EX. I bought it at the beginning of 2019. It had 66,666 miles. (I always remembered because it was just all 6’s) now it’s got a little over 97,000.
It’s always been a little bit slower when accelerating.
For example, passing someone on the highway, it always seems to take a few seconds of the pedal being pushed to really start going and getting really sped up and actually passes.
I had another car a few yrs before this one (Toyota matrix) it was the same exact way, while highway driving and accelerating. I was told back then, it was fine, and normal.

So when I realized this car was the same
way, I didn’t really think too much about it. I definitely can tell though, that the past few weeks, my car started getting really hesitant feeling, it is just driving so sluggish, especially at slower speeds, while speeding up.
Then once your going probably 40-50 or more, it’s all good. It’s like when I’m cruising, and have to stop at a red light, or stop sign, to me it just feels like something is wrong with the car while accelerating and getting back up to speed. I have also started to notice, it
feels like it drives a lot more, ”normal” feeling when I start it up to go to work after it’s been sitting. But it’s like once it’s been driving and warmed up, it doesn’t like to take off.
I thought maybe the engine is misfiring? I thought maybe that might be what I’m trying to explain, it just feels like something is wrong. It doesn’t really
vibrate or shake, it just is sluggish, but I can feel the engine like skipping or doing something weird.
While the cars accelerating. I can just feel it’s not doing something right.

I wanted to include this info also, to see if maybe it could help narrow it down.

If I’m at 70mph the rpms were right around 2000. 70 is usually the fastest I ever get my car up to, recently It was up to 80 something twice within a few days. Both times, I smelled something, not oil, or
tires, but the engine? Just a burning type smell maybe?
I didn’t know for sure if it was my car the first time, I was surrounded by semis and trucks at the time, but the second time I was going 80 I smelled it again.

Would this be because, the engine never normally goes past 70-75? Maybe, burning something off inside or
something like that?
I only ever smelled it those two times, never at normal speeds, and I probably have gone 80 or more only 5-6 times.
Last thing,
Since I’ve had the car there has been a total of maybe 5-6 times since I’ve had it. Always way spread out months apart, but when I get in, and turn the key nothing happens, I turn the key back off, and turn it again starts right up instantly like normal on second try. After googling earlier I was finding a lot of stuff people were saying it could be, thought maybe this might have something to do with the the sluggishness, in some way, because I don’t even remember the last time, I had to turn the key twice it’s been atleast 6 months probably longer. After my car sitting yesterday at work for 12 hrs, it did it twice in a row. It’s never not worked the second time until then. I’ll turn the key, no lights light up, nothing just a
click.
Then starts like normal instantly after trying again the third time. I’ve read it could
be from weather and letting the key turn and turn it off again before trying to start, but it wasn’t very cold or anything, it was chilly but even this past winter I don’t remember it ever making me turn it twice to start. Just thought maybe it could be connected since it happened again.
Sorry for the long post. Thanks
(Obviously I know nothing at all about cars)

 

If you know ABSOLUTELY nothing about cars, I would suggest a mechanic... It is always good to have a check up now and then. It can be a LOT of things. My opinion is that it will be multiple things. When was the air filter replaced the last time? Is your engine oily? Etc. But whatever is wrong with your car, you will not fix it, based on what you just wrote. Your best bet is a mechanic.