Impromptu faceoff: New Honda Civic vs. Mazda 3

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Impromptu Face-off: Civic 1.8 S squares off against Mazda 3 1.6 V
Does the new Civic reclaim the sporty throne from the Mazda 3?

By Marvin Tan

Note: This isn’t a full test or review. Definitely not a comprehensive, definitive evaluation. Take it as it is: a collection of driving impressions from brief test drives on public roads.

My cousin has a problem: she can’t choose between a Honda City and a Mazda 3. She asked me about it, and I said that she should consider the new Civic, if only by default. But does the Civic indeed have the right stuff to topple the mighty Mazda 3?

It’s obvious from the waiting time to book a test drive for the new Civic at the Honda booth at the Auto Focus People’s Choice show at the Fort that interest in the Civic is reaching a fever pitch. The Civic is of course all-new, and with the car market hopelessly prone to the flavor-of-the-month syndrome, that alone should arouse some curiosity. But more than that, the Civic is a make-or-break model for Honda. It’s Honda’s best-selling model. It brings home the bacon to daddy Honda. And lately, the Civic has been eclipsed by such smashing entrants into this extremely competitive segment as the Mazda 3 and Ford Focus.

Fortunately, the Auto Focus show allowed back-to-back test drives the Mazda 3 and the new Civic along the same roads. So with brief seat time in these two fine steeds, does the Civic knock the Mazda 3 off the sporty throne?

Second Place
Mazda 3 1.6 V



There are just two things about the Mazda 3 1.6 V that makes it lose to the Civic: engine and price. With only a piddling 105 horses to show from its 1.6-liter engine, the Mazda 3 is hopelessly outgunned. You’ll need to rev it like mad to get it going, and even then, velocities climb more gradually than in the Civic.

Which is a pity, because the Mazda 3 is otherwise easy to fall in love with. The handling is superb and grip feels abundant. The steering wheel feels great in your hands and turns a rack that is free of slop. Your fingers rejoice at marvelously direct steering that is weighted agreeably firmly. Very European in feel. The controls feel very good: the brakes, the transmission, the throttle… all are smooth and gratify the senses. The car doesn’t clomp over bumps and surface irregularities and there’s a sense of solidity to the structure. No creaking or groaning or cheap-sounding noises.

European also describes the Mazda 3’s fabulous styling. Two years on, the shape is still as dashing as ever, and it feels like the car will be beautiful forever. Such timelessness is the mark of a car that is truly beautiful. Quite unlike the Civic, which is handsome but in a trendy, faddish way. And fads go away quickly.

The interior of the Mazda 3 is exemplary and appropriately sporty. Knobs and switches are easy to reach, and the tunneled gauges with red lighting fits the zoom-zoom theme perfectly. Space is quite generous front and back, with perhaps rear headroom for tall passengers the only potential problem.

It’s therefore easier to appreciate the Mazda 3 with it sitting still in the garage. But too bad that motoring is about being on the move, and the Civic offers more car for less money.

First place
Honda Civic 1.8 S



Honda walked the wild side with this new Civic. The shape is controversial. The instrument panel is straight from Picard’s Enterprise. Even the interior hue is blue. This is a bold design, and frankly, Honda needed one. With car makers unleashing more and better cars to fight for a slice of the pie, Honda needs a car that stands out from the crowd instead of trying to be everything to everyone like it did with the last Civic.

And stand out it does. The engine is superb and all 140 horses are on call with Honda’s trademark i-VTEC song. With five forward gears in its auto box, the power flows smoothly and potently to the road. This one’s got the drivetrain to back up the snarling look. I still think the Mazda remains the sportier car, but the Civic isn’t about to give up without a fight. The steering is lighter but just as fluid and precise. The floor-hinged throttle pedal and the fat steering wheel respond instantly to input. My only complaint with the controls is a brake pedal that was too sensitive at the top of its travel.

There’s only one thing that’s truly disagreeable with this Civic, and that is the appallingly gigantic dashboard. It stretches a mile away like a minivan’s. It blocks your view of the road. It makes jockeying for position on the road dicey. It feels decidedly un-sporty, exactly the opposite of the Mazda 3’s forward view where you can feel in total control of the road. With the Civic, placing the corners of the car takes guesswork and a Hail Mary. The newfangled instrument panel will reliably draw oohs and aahs, but I prefer the straightforward classic layout of the Mazda 3’s gauges. And finally, the buttons and knobs on the console takes a long arm reach to actuate.

The Mazda 3 feels like the sportier drive, but the Civic is the better package. There’s more power. There’s better quality to be felt, the doors slam more solidly for example. It’s roomier, and the rear seat boasts a completely flat floor. At resale time, the Civic would certainly command a higher price. And the clincher: this Civic is less expensive than the equivalent Mazda 3, although Mazda dealers would surely be happy to give discounts to close sales. Until the Mazda 3 finds more power, it takes only a long and sharp prod of the accelerator to know who’s boss between these two heavyweights.