The City is a good solo car. Costs less up front, costs very little to maintain (10,000 kilometer service intervals, small engine uses little oil, etcetera...) and costs very little to gas up. Interior space is very good. It's now wider than before, so it's easily on par with most mid-90's and up compacts, despite being a subcompact.

The Civic is a great car. Powerful 1.8 (faster than the CR-V 2.0, as quick as the CR-V 2.4), great interior space, great fit and finish. Stiff ride and seats. If that last part is okay with you (test drive, first), then you'll be happy with this car.

On paper, the Tucson's engine specs are better than the CR-V's. We haven't driven them side-by-side yet, though.

The CR-V is a better car. Wider, more interior space, bigger trunk, better interior materials. But the Tucson is pretty nice for the price... just 1m... and already comes with a sophisticated 6-speed automatic (versus the CR-V's 5-speed). Seats are also softer than the base CR-V's (which are stiff). Whether the CR-V's seats are too stiff for you, you won't know until you test drive. (They're not as stiff as Civic seats, so if you don't mind the Civic, CR-V seats will be good).

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Carnap problem: Have you ever been carnapped? I haven't. I drive three Crosswinds (which are also supposedly "takaw-carnap"), one CR-V and I've driven numerous test units by Toyota (which are supposedly "takaw-carnap"). I've never had problems in this regard. Biggest issue I've ever had is being caught for coding. The best way to prevent this: 1: Mirror-tints, 2: Don't drive alone late at night in out-of-the-way areas... whether you're a guy or a girl, that's something that really helps.