Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Yeah, but MY number was with 90% highway driving...my commute is i84 to i684 to exit 2. I spend about 52 miles on the highway and 2 miles on "other" stuff, each way. Actually, maybe that's 95%....
I have not heard anyone complain about the new Corolla's A/C temperature either.
I'm in Brooklyn and use the car mostly on weekends so I am sometimes in traffic during the day but come home late at night so there is no traffic on the highway then so half my trip is at a steady 60 mph.
Down here in South Florida a small econocar is a good thing but if I still lived up north, I'd definitely want a 6 cylinder car at least.
The Sandman
As far as pricing, the Civic EX was $18,900 and the LX was about $17,700. The Corolla XLE was the same as the Civic EX but with NAV that went up to $19,900.
We liked the XLE but in the end went with the Civic because my wife liked the Royal Blue Pearl color. The interior of the XLE was really light either gray or beige. :shades: Probably should have waited for the traction control on the 2009 model but needed the car right away.
Good luck shopping.
Oh and the Civic is $260 more a year insurace vs. the Mazda $150 more a year than what i'm paying now.
I'm not a fan of the fad to include the keyless remote buttons with the keys. That tends to make the keys bigger and more expensive to replace. With a separate key and fob, it's no problem geting a replacement key at your neighborhood hardware store for a couple of bucks, and a replacement fob at a low price on eBay etc. Where can you get the fancy keys with integrated remote control except from dealers?
I like the integrated key; back in my last house all I carried was the key. I had a garage door opener and a spare back door key in the car. No need for a keychain.
To be honest, I usually just carry a car key on the keyfob chain. But one of my keys is a $1.75 copy from the hardware store (DW lost the other one). And one of the keyfobs is a $22 job I got from eBay (DW lost the other one). Over the past five years I've had to replace half a dozen car keys and keyfobs. Keeping track of those things is just not one of DW's priorities.
Does your key have an immobilizer chip? $1.75 is CHEAP!
Also, notice I said a spare door key was in the car too.
Also, if one looses their key, the fob is most likely with it, so both are in need of replacement. I am a fan of the all-in-one key and fob. Takes up less room in my pocket!
I am not a fan of computerized keys either. If I lose a regular key and fob, it's a couple of bucks per key (if I am smart and have a house key on the ring also) plus around $20 or so for the fob in eBay land. Some are user-programmable, some are not.
If I didn't have this domestic problem of having keys/fobs lost on a regular basis, I might like the integrated fobs more also. But such is life.
Conversly, I really like my 08 Altima keyless fob key. It is slightly larger than other manufacturer fobs, but it has no key attached, and can simply saty in my pocket the entire time.
I've owned a couple of Hondas and my wife has a Mazda 6 that she loves. I'm down to the Civic and the Mazda3 although I will have to say the price of the Focus was very tempting. But, as Warren Buffet said; "Price is what you pay, but value is what you get."
After driving the above 3, I'd add that I've eliminated the 09 Corolla because of the steering. It felt like it would "hang" slightly when trying to correct for drift, resulting in a slight over-correction - very disturbing.
Right now I'm leaning toward the Honda but that could change after I do a little more research.
Insurance
1. Corolla is the cheapest in Insurance compared to the Civic. The Civic is ranked #1 as the most stolen car in North America, and secondly it is considered as a sport sedan. The Corolla is one of the least stolen cars, and it is classified as a family mid-size sedan now. The insurance for a driver that has a clean driving record for 6 years continuously, has completed a governement certified driving school, and advance snow driving schools, University Grad, Engineer, does not smoke and is 33 years old, will be paying $150 a month for the Civic, in turn the same person would be paying $130 a month for the Corolla. All terms and benefits are exactly the same.
GAS
2. Gas economy is almost identical, but with the Corolla, instead of racing down to the red light, let it cruise down to it by slapping it down to neutral. Saves at least another 30% gas, where the civic only saves 10%.
Passengers,Luggage,and Packages.
3. It can fit all 5 people and at least 6 peices of fullsize luggages. In addition It can fit 3 child car seats in the back perfectly.
4. Would be able to haul a full kingsize mattress on the roof and the un-assembled bed frame inside the car with the seats folded down, but allowing only 1 passenger.
MODIFICATIONS
5. Many aftermarket products available for both products.
6. Police would check civics more than Corollas.
7. Corolla's is like an appliance, where it is gauranteed to turn on.
8. A Corolla has more survivability and drivability after low velocity accidents compared to Civics. You can drive a damaged front end corolla at least 25km to a repair location with fluids dripping (just as long it is not the gas) safely.
I have been driving Corolla's since 1998-2008. Driving my friends Civic for the least 4 years on and off.
Based on what? You think more criminals drive Honda vs. Toyota? That's nonsense.
Corolla's is like an appliance, where it is gauranteed to turn on.
The Corolla IS like an appliance. It is as fun to operate as a Washing Machine. Both Civic and Corolla are reliable.
A Corolla has more survivability and drivability after low velocity accidents compared to Civics. You can drive a damaged front end corolla at least 25km to a repair location with fluids dripping (just as long it is not the gas) safely.
You mentioned the Corolla is better compared to Civics... this must mean you've driven both a Corolla and a Civic with wrecked front ends from the same speed and angle, with fluids dripping along the way; how else would you know?
Gas economy is almost identical, but with the Corolla, instead of racing down to the red light, let it cruise down to it by slapping it down to neutral. Saves at least another 30% gas, where the civic only saves 10%.
Another silly notion, that a Corolla saves 20% more gas idling than a Civic does. I hope you are talking about a manual transmission going into neutral. Dropping an automatic into neutral while driving = bad idea, for several reasons.
Based on what? You think more criminals drive Honda vs. Toyota? That's nonsense
Want the mega list of the internet websites that describe why?
www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071219/stol...71219/20071219?hub=- Canada
www.canadiandirect.com/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=72
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071219.wstolen1219/CommentStory/Na- tional
www.cisnb-srcnb.ca/downloads/WordOnTheStreet-V06.pdf
Would you like to be educated more?
There 2 major reasons why civics are checked.
1. They are the most stolen vehical
2. Illegal Modifications
The 2 major reasons why Corolla's are checked.
1. Why they turn on like an applice by pushing a button.
2. If they are doing the speed limit, there must be something wrong. :P
A Corolla has more survivability and drivability after low velocity accidents compared to Civics. You can drive a damaged front end corolla at least 25km to a repair location with fluids dripping (just as long it is not the gas) safely.
You mentioned the Corolla is better compared to Civics... this must mean you've driven both a Corolla and a Civic with wrecked front ends from the same speed and angle, with fluids dripping along the way; how else would you know?
Actually It was not me driving the civic at that time, but my friend did rear end a bus, after seeing a red 68 Mustang Convertable doing the same thing on the otherside. He couldnt turn on his car after that.
Gas economy is almost identical, but with the Corolla, instead of racing down to the red light, let it cruise down to it by slapping it down to neutral. Saves at least another 30% gas, where the civic only saves 10%.
Another silly notion, that a Corolla saves 20% more gas idling than a Civic does. I hope you are talking about a manual transmission going into neutral. Dropping an automatic into neutral while driving = bad idea, for several reasons.
Well it did actually work for me. But I would like to hear your reasons for not to? That I would need to educated on.
+Dropping an automatic transmission into neutral while in motion puts unnecessary wear on your transmission, and simply cannot be good for transmission life.
+If going to a stop light, your car being in gear will help you slow down with engine braking, while still allowing you to coast and use little fuel. In neutral, your brakes must do more work to slow your car, causing the pads to wear quicker, the rotors to be hotter (especially in stop and go traffic), and could warp your rotors if you use the brakes a lot while they are hot.
+In neutral, if you needed to make an emergency maneuver involving acceleration (a car coming too fast behind you, or an emergency vehicle perhaps) you couldn't promptly accelerate out of its way, and would instead waste precious seconds moving the car into gear, and waiting while the transmission electronically shifts from N to D. By then it may be too late; most emergency maneuvers don't allow for an extra 2 or 3 seconds; they are typically now-or-never.
The 2 major reasons why Corolla's are checked.
1. Why they turn on like an applice by pushing a button.
You imply that a Civic is relatively unreliable compared to a Corolla. I disagree, and say that both are reliable on the long-term, but the Civic is much more fun to drive, without the "appliance" feel. Also, a Civic that looks like a street racer may be checked. :
But tell the truth; most Civics don't look like this.
Your average Civic that looks like this won't be a blip on a policeman's radar.:
You mentioned the Corolla is better compared to Civics... this must mean you've driven both a Corolla and a Civic with wrecked front ends from the same speed and angle, with fluids dripping along the way; how else would you know?
Actually It was not me driving the civic at that time, but my friend did rear end a bus, after seeing a red 68 Mustang Convertable doing the same thing on the otherside. He couldnt turn on his car after that.
Two different accidents = different parameters, bumper heights, speeds, angles. You can't compare two different crashes in this manner, which is why we use standardized crash tests.
The current Civic received a score of Good in all categories in the frontal crash test from the IIHS. For the Civic, they can be quoted as saying : Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity.
The new 2009 Corolla did not receive a Good across the board (although it got it overall), receiving only "Acceptable" in the head injury category, saying: A high head acceleration occurred when the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag, indicating that head injuries would be possible.
Personally, I'll take the safer car over the one that might be driveable after an accident (but not for long if you're leaking toxic chemicals everywhere you drive, as you said you were leaking fluids).
I think some of the sad things about the corolla are the very cushy driving feel and the damn 4 speed auto still. I can't believe a brand new 2009 redesigned car would still have a standard 4 speed. Honda is purely 5 and 6 speeds now, how come Toyota can't even compare on that? I'd most certainly recommend a Civic or Mazda3 over a corolla to anyone for any need. And if you want a non-sporty car with 4 speed auto like a Corolla, an Elantra is a better choice with a $2k+ savings.
Also the lack of standard features is a pretty big turnoff as well. Honda also gets a negative on that regard though. And what's up with having an engine that's still 8hp less than the Civic that was designed a few years earlier? I thought Toyota was supposed to make good engines. :confuse:
There's just nothing great about this vehicle at all. And reliability isn't a good reason with Elantra taking the CR reliability away and most other car makers being nearly comparable in recent studies. Toyota is sitting on their reputation of the past...and not catching up to the cars of the future. A Civic blows it away in every category and doesn't even cost more.
I can't believe a Corolla XLE (the top model besides the sporty XRS) doesn't have Cruise standard. It has been standard on the mid-level Civic LX since something like the late 80s.
How come Honda can make a 5 speed fit and still keep it affordable?
And also the Corolla gets exemplary FE with the 1.8L engine (32 mpg overall on CR's recent tests), but that's not all that much better than the Civic or Mazda3i.
Other than that, I don't see any big plus for the Corolla over the Civic or Mazda3i. The Corolla probably has a smoother/quieter ride than those cars, but at the expense of handling, and as you said, if you want a non-sporty small car the Elantra is a less expensive alternative.
I'd like the Corolla more if it had a higher-quality interior with a more comfortable driving position, less vague steering, and a bit more rear seat room. Standard VSC (ala the Elantra SE) would be nice too, but VSC does seem pretty easy to get on the LE trim.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=126610
Have a great weekend everyone!
And while Ford owns a chunk of Mazda, mazda still does whatever they want with the cars...their engineering for driving dynamics is just plain better. Also only the european focus uses the same platform until redesign.
At least the Corolla offers all the latest safety technology--unlike the Civic and Mazda3i. And Focus.
All great cars in this segment though.
The Sandman
Also checked out the Optima, Spectra, Rio, G5 and the G6. Now back to the topic at hand.
The Sandman
(The above parameters are non-negotiable. I tried. If I had my way, I'd buy a 3i with Katzkin and a $200 TomTom.)
That said, I've now had two cars with stability control, and personally, I don't get what all the fuss is about, especially for FWD oriented cars.
Best Regards,
Shipo
And the 2009 Civic EX-L with nav and VSC will meet all of those requirements easily.
Toyota Prius?
Prius: Good suggestion. I'd rather drive a Corolla.
2009 Civic: I hope, hope, hope the '09 has stability control. Any official word? I never thought I'd be so excited about the prospect of driving a Civic, but yeah...
It may be a race against time for the '09 Civic and TDI. Thanks for the suggestions.
The 2009 Civic WILL have VSC, it was announced by Honda a long time ago. Just not sure yet in which trims. But certainly the top-end leather + nav trim will have it. Did you know the 2009 Fit Sport will also offer VSC (have to get nav too)? You could put aftermarket leather in it, and there you go.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Fine, if reliability isn't an issue....
Thanks