When I decided to buy a new sedan I did a lot of research into a range of cars. I eliminated the Focus and a few others early on in my research for various reasons, such as price, built quality, and various other issues.

In the end I favoured the Civic VTi-L over the Mazda 3 Maxx Sports and new Toyota Corolla Conquest because of the 5 speed auto and better fuel economy, but it wasn't an easy choice. I was very impressed with the Mazda, and got to do a lot of test driving in it as I have a relo with one.

If I could have afforded an SP23 with the 5 speed auto, it would have made it an even more difficult decision. Then my choice would have been Civic Sport v Mazda 3 SP23. Then it would come down to grey leather v black cloth trim, as the fuel economy of these 2 is quite similar in the real world.

I am happy with the Civic, but there are a few thinks I would change. The A pillars are a problem, but it does enhance the shape and I assume the aerodynamics. I bit more low down torque would be useful, as would a sequential shift automatic transmission. I'm not sure if that would match up well with the 1.8L engine though, as most cars that have sequential shift autos have 2L engines at least.