Brand new Honda Civic vs Mazda3

[RED3VIL]

Well i gotta say this has been a great read ... with some very interesting views opinions etc.

Well here it comes from a Mazda point of view ...even if you have decided, funny enough i never actually took Honda into account when i was looking for a brand new vehicle

- Yes road noise is a bugger .. but you cant have everything .. once you start lowering and making engine mods etc to ANY vehicle, road noise is gonna increase
- Both Mazda 3 and Honda Civic are great cars ... i havent driven a Civic but know a few ppl who have one
I dont know the Civic well enough to know how many models they have .. and this is where i want to raise a point:

As far as i know Mazda have 3 or 4 versions:
( This may have changed to 3 versions now )

- neo
- max
- maxx sport
- SP23

If the Honda is the same then there is NO POINT comparing the BASE MODEL Honda OR Mazda to a higher model Honda or Mazda because they are different in so many ways !!!

EDIT: Just checked now and they do have 3 different models aswell ...

SO when your all throwing opinions round are you refering to Honda civic and Mazda 3 in general ?? Or are you actually comparing even models ??

Next point:

Why is, ( and this happens across alot of forums ) a majority start bring up quarter mile specs/ more powerful car etc. and which car should beat the other car ??!?!

I will admit i got the SP23 because it had the bigger engine and yeah i do like abit of competition but that was the last thing on my mind when i bought this car

Finally: Servicing

Well if your gonna go by the warranty and do it through the dealership thats the cost that comes with a new car .. theres nothing in the warranty saying you CANT service it somewhere else - you just hav eto make sure hte workshop uses geniune parts

Consider this my point of view, im happy for a debate/discussion

[MZ3]

Civic VTi
Power 103kW @ 6300rpm
Torque 174Nm @ 4200rpm
Kerb Weight 1180kg

Mazda 3 sp23
Power 115kW @ 6500rpm
Torque 203Nm @ 4500rpm-4500rpm
Kerb Weight 1312kg

As if compare top end power spec to spec. If you went to Jap, the same sp23 model would have 130kw @ 6500 rpms all because of the ecu tune.

Also, another thing, how often are you really going to hit 6000+ rpms to hit max power? Most "normal" who dont go around saying "Vtec yooo". or "POWA" will stay under 4000 rpms MOSt of the time. Maybe once in a while, give a Vtec scream to 7000 Rpms.... But its about the everyday experience

I think you should testdrive both cars. My parents use to own a Civic FD VTI and i bought my Mazda 3 Neo [base model] around a year ago. I HAVE driven both and i have to say, they are great cars. The civic is quieter.... and it does look pretty good modded witha mugan bodykit etc etc.

However, i bought the mazda for a couple of reasons.
1. WAY more fun to drive. As people have said, civic is like a family car. I've heard is almost as big as the euro.

2. I got the hatch. If Honda made a hatch, i may have bought that instead.. depending onhow it drove

3. servicing would be the same as price as i cant be stuffed taking it to the dealer. Also want to say, i've had 2 warranty claims and Mazda have fixed it imediately. This includes my ATX replacement, and rear Wheel hub. This was mainly a 1 off.. No-one else had this problem except me.. oh well =P

4. The 2.0L in the mazda 3 neo/maxx/maxx sport feels more powerful than the civic. Granted, it is a DOHC and has larger displacement....

So overall, i think its all up to the person wanting to buy the car and personal preference. Honda and Mazda both make great cars...We can all say.. Oh.. civic is better.. or the 3 is better... Its all up to the buyer to decide on which.

Also.. kinda bias putting this on the ozhonda forum. Try ozmazdaclub.com if you want to know more about the 3 and how much people have really modded it =D

[markCivicVti]

Some fair arguments about both cars... but i'm astounded that someone said the mz3 looked better than the civic... lol


Congrats on the purchase anyway.

[fitvpower]

anyone got both cars as stock, race and youtube it

[Limbo]

MZ3, i redline almost everytime i start in an NA car. Even when i drove the corolla
I just don't now cos i don't feel the need to do that to hit boost (maybe getting old...)

But everytime i drive i just gotta hit vtec at least once

[viperx]

At the end of the day you will very likely not care about the kilowattage, the power band or the power-to-weight ratio or whether you are likely to beat the car next to you or not.

What you will only care about eventually is (excluding the obvious non-car related stuff like warranty/insurance/servicing/price/exterior looks)

The comfort of your seat
How the layout of the car sits with you, including the driving position, yes some cars do not fit some people
The way the car spins up, eventually you do prefer a type of engine and develop some sort of respect for others. I personally do not like the way power is delivered in an SP23, but that's just me. Seems stupid to compare it to the econobox Honda 1.8, with a SOHC VTEC designed for economy (a detail interestingly left out a lot).
The sound of your engine when you do want to gun it a bit
Handling, the 3 and the civic handles quite differently.

the only way you will figure out all this is to go and drive everything you can get your hands on, power figures on forums are useless, they vary even if you run in your car well or badly.

[viperx]

Thanks everyone for all the input!
So far from what I gathered...

- SP23 is the superior car in its price range (vs Sports and VTI-L)

- Civic VTI vs Mazda3 Neo/Maxx (which is the price range I'm looking at)
- Mazda has a problem with its sound deadening
- Civic has a better selection of mods
- Mazda's black interior looks better then Honda's grey. (Honda's dash is better though )
- More Mazdas on the road.

Seems like before everyone got carried away there was a good question asked

For the VTI/3 Neo/maxx:
Seems like official fuel consumptions figures for civic much better than mazda 6.9/7.2 s 8.2/8.4
Seems like you get EBC (or VSA or whatever you want to call it) on the 3 but NOT the civic
Alloys on the neo, not the vti

as i understand, s-vt (mazda) is valve timing on the intake cam only, no lift.

[yorrick]

If you put the models side by side - which you could compare by price, it would be as follows:
$22K-$24K - Civic VTi vs Mazda3 Neo
1.8L vs 2.0L engine (Honda is better on fuel consumption)
5sp man/auto vs 5sp (man)/4sp(auto) (Honda better for auto)
ABS on VTi and Neo, EBD+EBA Neo only (Neo better on active safety)
driver and passenger air bags standard on VTi and Neo
side/curtain airbags optional on Neo, no option for VTi (Neo can option up on interior safety)
cargo room 355L Civic (Sedan only) vs 300L/416L Mazda3 Hatch/Sedan (Mazda has a wider choice of body shapes)

$25K - Civic VTi-L vs Mazda3 Maxx
1.8L vs 2.0L engine (Honda is better on fuel consumption)
5sp man/auto vs 5sp (man)/4sp(auto) (Honda better for auto)
ABS on VTi-L and Maxx, EBD+EBA Maxx only (Maxx better on active safety)
driver and passenger + side air bags standard on VTi
driver and passenger + side + curtain air bags standard on Maxx
cargo room 355L Civic (Sedan only) vs 300L/416L Mazda3 Hatch/Sedan (Mazda has a wider choice of body shapes)

$29K - Civic Sport vs Mazda3 SP23
2.0L vs 2.3L engine (Honda is better on fuel consumption)
5sp man/auto vs 5sp auto / 6sp man (Mazda better for manual)
ABS + VSA + TCS on Sport
ABS + EBD + EBA + DSC + TCS on SP23 (SP23 better on active safety)
6 airbags on Sport and SP23
cargo room 355L Civic (Sedan only) vs 300L/416L Mazda3 Hatch/Sedan (Mazda has a wider choice of body shapes)

The only things which I haven't compared are the following:
1) Interior
Both a similar in interior creature comforts and it really boils down to preferences. The layout and ease of use are good in both cars.

2) Handling
On paper, it looks like the Mazda3 will outperform the Civic at the cost of higher fuel consumption. But day to day traffic means it is the preference of the driver and how they drive. Both drive quite nicely and handle quite well for day to day driving. The prevailing opinion is that the Mazda3 is more fun to drive whilst the Civic gets you from A to B competently

3) Exterior and looks
Again - down to preferences and tastes. Mazda and Honda have some nice colours and others we can live without!

4) Performance
There are enough threads on upgrading and modding your car. It's your car, it's money! Once a car is modified, then a side by side comparison is no longer worthwhile.
Comparing SOHC VTEC versus DOHC S-VT engines are difficult at the best of times. You need to consider drivetrain, gear ratios etc etc etc. Additionally, VTEC and S-VT are two different technologies which implement power delivery in very different manners. Then again, we are talking about day to day driving in traffic...

The original discussion was laying down a limited amount of money to purchase a stock vehicle.

[viperx]

Indeed, from my initial post I understood it is quite likely that there would be biased replies. So I was well prepared for it.

Just so you know, I ended up purchasing the civic vti over the weekend.
In the end, the only real thing that the Mazda3 Neo/Maxx had up over the Civic VTI was that it was quicker on the road (but hey its not everything). I didn't actually know that you could get the civic interior in black as well haha so thanks for all the help guys and girls!

whoops missed this must have been tired. haha

[yorrick]

Me too. When did this occur!

Glad you made a choice. That's the only important opinion that counts for you (and your parents ... and your partner/spouse ... and your children...)

[dmx]

[QUOTE=yorrick;1810277]If you put the models side by side - which you could compare by price, it would be as follows:
$22K-$24K - Civic VTi vs Mazda3 Neo
1.8L vs 2.0L engine (Honda is better on fuel consumption)
103 kw vs 104 kw (only 1 kw diff at 0.2L diff engine)
5sp man/auto vs 5sp (man)/4sp(auto) (Honda better for auto)
cruise control vs none
ABS on VTi and Neo, EBD+EBA Neo only (Neo better on active safety)
driver and passenger air bags standard on VTi and Neo
side/curtain airbags optional on Neo, no option for VTi (Neo can option up on interior safety)
cargo room 355L Civic (Sedan only) vs 300L/416L Mazda3 Hatch/Sedan (Mazda has a wider choice of body shapes)
power window vs optional (as 2006)
Electric mirror vs optional (as 2006)
Forgot about Audio control
Digital and dual speedo vs conservative

[Slow_Dan]

[QUOTE=dmx;1811954]

If you put the models side by side - which you could compare by price, it would be as follows:
$22K-$24K - Civic VTi vs Mazda3 Neo
1.8L vs 2.0L engine (Honda is better on fuel consumption)
103 kw vs 104 kw (only 1 kw diff at 0.2L diff engine)
5sp man/auto vs 5sp (man)/4sp(auto) (Honda better for auto)
cruise control vs none
ABS on VTi and Neo, EBD+EBA Neo only (Neo better on active safety)
driver and passenger air bags standard on VTi and Neo
side/curtain airbags optional on Neo, no option for VTi (Neo can option up on interior safety)
cargo room 355L Civic (Sedan only) vs 300L/416L Mazda3 Hatch/Sedan (Mazda has a wider choice of body shapes)
power window vs optional (as 2006)
Electric mirror vs optional (as 2006)
Forgot about Audio control
Digital and dual speedo vs conservative

Interesting point you brought up there, coz that was exactly what i noted when i bought the 3, having sold the VTi, the price was the same or less after the upgrade to include cruise control, audio control, and the power windows. An upgrade of cruise and audio control bumped the mazda 3 prices to $21,500 when i bought mine that was in 2006. I do think its a smarter move by Honda to have it in the specs, as many people do not know what is available as accesories or add ons, and the lack of visibility over what the prices are for things that are optional or non-standard.

i did own both, and really liked the m3 in terms of power and pull throughout the revs. the website also seems to say that the M3 havin 108kw, and not 103kw. n i had more confidence going around the twisties when i had the m3