What are you guys basing some of your claims on? I drove the Sport about a month ago and to be quite honest, I was disappointed. Very nice car, decent handling, quiet and smooth but it just seemed soo slow (there was 4 onboard). Performance wise, my money is on the Mazda. Haven't driven the SP23 but judging by the numbers, its slightly more powerful, more torque and is also lighter(?).
Some of you are saying that the Civic easily handles better than the SP23. Are you kidding me? If its one thing that the 3s been praised for ever since its arrival, it's its handling. I drove a Mazda 6 one week after the Civic and it was definitely better. Handling was much nicer and it was also noticeably quicker over the same road despite being a much heavier car (this time, 3 onboard). A few people have also told me that the 3 infact handles better than the 6, so I don't see how the Civic can handle better unless you're extrememly biased.
It might sound like I'm bagging the Civic, but I've actually chosen to get a Vti-l over the 3. Just seemed like a lot of misinformation floating around. Both are great cars and you can't go wrong with either of them.
Also, heres a short review between the Sport and the SP23 from The Sunday Telegraph:
Civic takes on mighty Mazda
19 March 2006
Honda's Civic has been an iconic hatchback since the early '70s. In each of its seven previous incarnations, there has been that familiar shape.
But not in generation eight. Well, at least not in Australia.
As we noted last Sunday, Honda Australia has instead chosen to focus squarely on a small sedan variant and take on the market-leading Mazda3.
The Civic Sport iteration, which we drove last week, climbs into the ring with the champion in the affordable sporty-sedan stakes, Mazda's SP23.
The Civic yields its opponent a displacement advantage — two litres versus 2.3 — but it delivers a healthy 114kW at 6200rpm. That's just one kilowatt shy of the Mazda, whose peak power arrives at 6500.
But the Civic does bring to the table Honda's proven VTEC performance, which has never disappointed in any sports-oriented model.
VTECs have never been afraid to rev freely — take the high-spinning S2000 — and the Civic Sport's engine is no different. When it's being wound out to its 67000rpm redline, only the VTEC's concerto of old is missing.
Styling boffins have given the Civic yet another new face. Externally, it looks nothing like its forebears, with a heavily raked windscreen and unusual glass inserts in the pillars (presumably to get around the chunky A-pillars).
Short overhangs give the appearance of a large, fat body. From the driver's seat, you can't help but feel as though you're in a small people-mover.
On the inside, this feeling is carried over when sitting behind the low, oversized dashboard. Among its mix of modern gadgets, such as a digital speedometer and gauges, the analogue tachometer almost looks out of place.
Driver information is also split, with atop and mid-dash displays another departure from convention.
Sound is taken care of via a six-disc, in-dash CD player with MP3 and WMA playback that — to these ears — only just makes the grade.
The Sport cops leather upholstery (a pricey option on the SP23, along with BOSE sound) with slightly bolstered front pews that do a more than adequate job of holding you in place.
The SP23 doesn't get the Civic's tilt- slide sunroof at any price.
There is also automatic air-conditioning that is constantly at work, keeping occupants cool, especially when the sun is coming through the huge windscreen. For a "Sport"
model, the Civic looks conservative. It runs only 16-inch wheels with 205/55/16 rubber, as opposed to the SP23's 205/50/17, that are also of a higher grade in the
Bridgestone line-up.
The Civic Sport does get front fog lights and nice indicator inlays on the back of its vast wing mirrors.
Aside from these, there's not much to set the various new Civic models apart, unlike the SP23, which flaunts different light clusters on the rear and unique fog light and bumper arrangements to the lesser Mazda 3s.
During a 250km loop out to Wiseman's Ferry, the Sport showed youthful enthusiasm with nice body control on sweeping bends and changes of direction.
Steering is very direct for a front-wheel drive car, and feel via the very sporty small diameter wheel is nicely weighted for all types of driving. What let the side down somewhat is still under-sized shoes rolling about on the rims when hard pressed. This is most noticeable through a set of quick bends, when the chassis is always waiting for the rubber to catch up.
The gruntier Civic variant has grown up and out over the years, moving on its early '90s boy-racer constituents to bring the choice of those more likely to listen to U2 than hip hop.
The Sport is a nice balance between small luxury sedan and Sunday racer, but for my money, the SP23 has its measure.
It is just more rewarding when driven hard, but can dawdle down to the shops for milk and bread.
Just make sure the shops are at the end of some nice curved black top.
