Civic, Altis or Mazda 3

[boychikot]

Hi Guys,

I need you help in deciding which car suits best for me. I'm planning to buy a new car this May (supposing the 9th gen Civic, 2012 Altis and 2nd gen Mazda3 arrives).

I want a car that is fun to drive, comfortable, has spacious cabin and trunk, easy to maintain, and is fuel efficient. It will be used daily for short commutes to the office and out of town trips over the weekends (once or twice a month).

I have narrowed down my choices to three.

1.) Honda Civic 1.8S - for its sporty look. Paper says has excellent trunk space. Nice interior although too futurustic.

2.) Toyota Altis 1.6V - for its quite luxurious feel inside the cabin (auto climate control, steering wheel audio controls and push button start). Fuel efficiency? I just find the look a bit boring compared to the other two.

3.) Mazda 3 1.6V - for its sporty look and the cheapest of the bunch with almost equal specs of the first two.

Which of them is the better car?

Do you have any idea when are the newer model coming?

Thanks a lot.

[basti08]

I dont know what's excellent trunk space in paper. But my eyes says, it's shalow. And seatbacks, don't fold.

I love Mazda 3, but resale sucks. Ford Motor Phils, confirmed mid 2012 release of the MkII Mazda 3, that's gonna hurt your resale for sure once the all new model popped. But still, Mazda 3 makes me smile wih every mile. I can't believe that it has only 105hp in all its slickness and peppy-ness on the road. It's not as fuel efficient as the others though. I hope they'd introduce the SKY-activ-G engine soon.

The Corolla, as always, will be a safe choice.

I'd take the Civic though, especially that its successor as so talked about, is a failure.

[mda]

I don't think the new Civic will be too bad. It's just doesn't improve much on the current generation FD.

My suggestions/comments:

1. Drop the Mazda 3. It's a 7-8 year old car, and it's successor (released elsewhere but not here in ~2008) is already through it's mid life cycle at this time. Paglabas ng NEXT generation, patay resale value mo, and psychologically, it will make your car feel that much older. The Mazda3 is quite thirsty for gas because it weighs as much as its 2.0L competitors but packs a weak 100+hp 1.6L engine.

2. Consider the Elantra 1.8 GLS. It's a great car at a great price. What remains to be seen is if Hyundai can support it's customers at a level Toyota/Honda have for the past 10 years (granted, Toyota's and Honda's service isn't that great. But it's still notches above the level of service from other manufacturers. Hello Suzuki, Chevy, et al.)

3. We have an FD. The interior is great, but the seats are a bit on the hard side. Riding in a friend's Altis, I felt that the interior space was that much smaller. (This may not really be the case, but it certainly felt that way!)

4. Regardless, you can't go wrong with either the Civic (*Can't speak yet for the next gen Civic) or the Altis, reliability wise, but it's best to note that the current Civic is at the end of its lifecycle, and that the Altis has already passed its midway mark sometime a year or a year and a half ago (Para hindi ka ma surprise when the replacement of your new-ish car is launched).

[boychikot]

I agree with you Basti. The trunk of my cousin's civic looks narrow. I think the newer City has a bigger trunk than the Civic.

Anyway, I need space since I have two little kids who need lot of things especially during out of town trips.

I like the Civic but my wife likes the Altis.

[boychikot]

Thanks mda,

Yun din ang naririnig ko, a new civic is coming soon. Sabi nila within the year, kaya I'm a bit hesitant. Hopefully, first quarter of the year sya irelease.

[cripple_rooster]

The trunk of my cousin's civic looks narrow. I think the newer City has a bigger trunk than the Civic.

Anyway, I need space since I have two little kids who need lot of things especially during out of town trips.

I like the Civic but my wife likes the Altis.

Not just the trunk but also the cabin is larger in the City than in the Civic.

The Altis would also be more suitable for your family than the Civic, not just because your wife likes it more but also due to its higher comfort for longer trips.

[mda]

I agree with you Basti. The trunk of my cousin's civic looks narrow. I think the newer City has a bigger trunk than the Civic.

Anyway, I need space since I have two little kids who need lot of things especially during out of town trips.

I like the Civic but my wife likes the Altis.

Well, your kids will appreciate the larger interior space more than your belongings appreciating the larger trunk space!

Thanks mda,

Yun din ang naririnig ko, a new civic is coming soon. Sabi nila within the year, kaya I'm a bit hesitant. Hopefully, first quarter of the year sya irelease.

I'm hearing Feb/March. Some dealers are allowing reservations na. I believe refundable naman, so if you have a few Ks sitting around, maybe you could consider...

Not just the trunk but also the cabin is larger in the City than in the Civic.

The Altis would also be more suitable for your family than the Civic, not just because your wife likes it more but also due to its higher comfort for longer trips.

Cabin of the City larger than the Civic? Not so sure of that. I don't think that's physically possible either.

But yes, the ride of the Corolla is a lot softer than that of the Civic.

Not yet considering the Elantra? Best to go give it a look hehe

[basti08]

Thanks mda,

Yun din ang naririnig ko, a new civic is coming soon. Sabi nila within the year, kaya I'm a bit hesitant. Hopefully, first quarter of the year sya irelease.

Altis na yan! Since wifey likes it too. Effective na pampalakas yan pag nag-agree ka sa like nya. hahaha

[boychikot]

Altis na yan! Since wifey likes it too. Effective na pampalakas yan pag nag-agree ka sa like nya. hahaha

Hahaha... Actually, Atlis was our first choice last year until the news of the 9th gen civic broke loose. So might as well wait for it.

Takot din ako for altis kasi baka may major facelift na mangyari this year kaya I decided to wait na lang muna.

[airolynx]

my vote goes to the Altis. It's a Toyota. Cheap maintenance, parts available everywhere.

[cripple_rooster]

Cabin of the City larger than the Civic? Not so sure of that. I don't think that's physically possible either.

But it's real. A friend of mine recently bought a City, and it's really bigger inside than the Civic. Not just due to the higher and more forwarded Jazz-based cab...

[boychikot]

Well, your kids will appreciate the larger interior space more than your belongings appreciating the larger trunk space!



I'm hearing Feb/March. Some dealers are allowing reservations na. I believe refundable naman, so if you have a few Ks sitting around, maybe you could consider...



Cabin of the City larger than the Civic? Not so sure of that. I don't think that's physically possible either.

But yes, the ride of the Corolla is a lot softer than that of the Civic.

Not yet considering the Elantra? Best to go give it a look hehe

I will give an Elentra a look but I'm afraid it will just add up to my confusion. :praning: hahaha!

[mda]

I will give an Elentra a look but I'm afraid it will just add up to my confusion. :praning: hahaha!

More viable options are always better. Kesa sa brand A ka lang naka lock forever. Boring naman nun ;)

[airolynx]

Sir you may also look at the new Kia Forte or the Ford Focus TDCI.

[ghosthunter]

My options would be:
Altis - safe choice.
Civic - you might reconsider given the new model coming out.

Drop the Mazda3. Too old and it's long overdue replacement is going to be launched soon.

[GTi]

Among the three I'd still be getting the Civic, that is because I don't care about resale value, the new Civic is almost the same as the old one, and the new one is already condemned as a box office flop even before it came here. If you do care about resale value though, go and get the Altis. Best would be getting the top of the line 2.0V which comes with a 7 speed CVT. There's also a 2010 unit with 10k mileage for 895k at sulit id 4242316 should you be interested. Since the Altis holds its value for so long, I believe the difference of a little less than two years and 10000kms should factor too much. And you get to save 200-300k too with the car still under warranty.

But then, I encourage you to check out the Elantra before you make your choice.

[boychikot]

But it's real. A friend of mine recently bought a City, and it's really bigger inside than the Civic. Not just due to the higher and more forwarded Jazz-based cab...

Would you consider City a better choice than Civic?

[boychikot]

Among the three I'd still be getting the Civic, that is because I don't care about resale value, the new Civic is almost the same as the old one, and the new one is already condemned as a box office flop even before it came here. If you do care about resale value though, go and get the Altis. Best would be getting the top of the line 2.0V which comes with a 7 speed CVT. There's also a 2010 unit with 10k mileage for 895k at sulit id 4242316 should you be interested. Since the Altis holds its value for so long, I believe the difference of a little less than two years and 10000kms should factor too much. And you get to save 200-300k too with the car still under warranty.

But then, I encourage you to check out the Elantra before you make your choice.

Will do check on Electra. Is its fuel consumption good?

[niky]

The City has good headroom and legroom, but the Civic's cabin is still wider and longer. It doesn't look much bigger because the City's cabin is more upright.

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If you're concerned about resale, forget the Corolla 2.0. Not even Toyota's resale bonus can help you recoup the resale value lost on the 2 liter engine because of the "gas-guzzling" connotations. (It's not as bad as the old four-speed 2.0, but it's still a 2.0)

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The Corolla 1.6 AT is a good choice. Great economy for an automatic, reasonably good ride comfort (not as good as pre-facelift, but still good) and an okay cabin.

The Elantra and Cruze are more comfortable, though. The Elantra has the better automatic... the Cruze's AT is too hesitant.

Actually, a 1.6 AT Elantra, except for the lack of sound insulation around the doors, is just about perfect. Soft ride, large interior, soft seats and a great engine and transmission.

[GTi]

Will do check on Electra. Is its fuel consumption good?

I am not so sure about that but it shouldn't be far off from the gas mileages of 1.8L sedans in this segment though I'm pretty positive that it should be somewhat better than the Civic's due to the 6 speed tranny and dual CVVT (Civic's SOHC engine only allows valve timing and lift on the intake, tama po ba mga gurus? ) You can check out the Elantra threads for more info.