2019 Civic vs. 2019 Mazda 3

[silverrascal]

Throttlehouse just published this video this morning.


You really need to sit in Mazda 3 before you make your decision. It is so cramped inside that I can't stretch my knee and elbow, and I'm just 5'11".
The interior also is nice, but I agree with Throttlehouse that it is more of the "skin-deep" kind of nice.
The one I sat in has scratches all over the piano black and look super cheap.
If I were you I would definitely wait till late 2020 and see what Honda has to offer in the next gen Civic.

Good vid but I don't agree with those guys about the exterior styling. The Mazda, to me, is just plain boring. There's no "muscle" to the lines. The front end to me is meh and the back? Forget it. The proportions just seems off. That's not saying the Civic hatch is perfect. It isn't but I believe the styling - though polarizing - is better.

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[jred721]

Throttlehouse just published this video this morning.


You really need to sit in Mazda 3 before you make your decision. It is so cramped inside that I can't stretch my knee and elbow, and I'm just 5'11".
The interior also is nice, but I agree with Throttlehouse that it is more of the "skin-deep" kind of nice.
The one I sat in has scratches all over the piano black and look super cheap.
If I were you I would definitely wait till late 2020 and see what Honda has to offer in the next gen Civic.

For sure. My lease ends in 2021 since my car is a 2018 and it's a 3 year lease, so I got a lot of time before I have to make a decision, i'm just thinking ahead lol. By the time 2021 comes around, the 11th generation Civic should be out on the market which is perfect timing for the lease to end. This new generation Mazda 3 came out in 2019 versus 2016 for the 10th gen so it is obviously going to feel a little more modern, so when the 11th gen comes out i'm assuming Honda will have caught up in terms of infotainment/interior by then, then i'll be able to cross shop the two. I haven't actually sat in the 3 and interior space is important to me so i'm definitely going to have to see how cramped the interior is, I have heard a lot of people complain about that. I have thought about just buying out my current Civic but I opted for a lower trim Civic this time around since i'm primarily using it as a secondary commuter car and didn't see a need to upgrade, but now i'm missing things like leather and heated seats so when 2021 comes around, it's either going to be the 11th gen or the 3 most likely.

 

[jred721]

Good vid but I don't agree with those guys about the exterior styling. The Mazda, to me, is just plain boring. There's no "muscle" to the lines. The front end to me is meh and the back? Forget it. The proportions just seems off. That's not saying the Civic hatch is perfect. It isn't but I believe the styling - though polarizing - is better.

As far as hatches go, the Civic hatch looks miles better than the Mazda 3 hatch, there's no doubt about it. However with the sedans, i feel it's a different story. I find the 3 sedan to look pretty damn good and just as good as the Civic sedan if not a little better.

 

[LegendaryElite]

Good vid but I don't agree with those guys about the exterior styling. The Mazda, to me, is just plain boring. There's no "muscle" to the lines. The front end to me is meh and the back? Forget it. The proportions just seems off. That's not saying the Civic hatch is perfect. It isn't but I believe the styling - though polarizing - is better.

Look is subjective so I never care what others say about the styling.

 

[hoodlum]

This is the most details review that I have come across for the new Mazda3

 

[jred721]

So I watched a couple more reviews between the cars including the one posted above and the one that compares the Sport touring hatch to the 3 and I can finally see how more more cramped the 3 is compared to the Civic. The comparison between the Civic Hatch and the Mazda hatch made that pretty clear in the video. That and the fact that the Civic is overall much more engaging to drive than the Mazda. I think the analogy that was made between the Camry vs. Accord and the Mazda 3 vs. Civic makes a lot of sense, the Mazda's interior is certainly on a whole other level compared to the Civic and the ride is probably a whole lot smoother, but the Civic is a more fun car to drive and the interior is much more spacious. Also, the 1.5 in the Hatch is FAR superior to the 2.5 in the Mazda, hell even the 2.0 in my Civic EX is probably quicker from the looks of it because my car has never felt under-powered like the reviewers are saying for the Mazda, especially with the tune. The conclusion of the comparison video between of the Hatch was to just get a Golf GTI or even a Jetta GLI, and at some level I agree with that (especially the GLI). I'm not going to go on about the GLI since its about the 3 vs. the Civic but I'd honestly have to drive the 3 myself to really get the full picture.

 

[IDriveACivic]

Reviews practically write themselves these days; based on the brand in subject. In the eyes of reviewers:

Toyota: Reliable and predictable, but no matter how hard they try, they will always going to be "boring".
Mazda: Everything they touch is some sort of magical handling machine. Styling rivals $50K luxury cars. Exaggerations everywhere.
Honda: Good value blah blah, but nitpicks like styling or infotainment bring the cars down a notch.
Hyundai: Killing it!

 

[NotSerious]

From what I have read, it seems that Mazda wants to make their cars more like Acura than Honda. The Mazda 3 has gone upscale. Quieter, smoother, more luxurious interior but less sporty. It sounds like a good place to be when commuting, but not at home on the racetrack or canyons.

With the aging population, there may be a market for this. Retirees.
Traditionally this market bought German cars, but the Germans have dropped the ball on reliability and cost to own.

 

[ablueSI]

There is one thing that Mazda objectively does better styling-wise than Honda on the Civic - panel gaps! I also think the Mazda is a bit more dramatic and interesting than the Civic overall, while not being overwrought,

But, they continue to use the skinniest tires ever on all Mazdas and honestly, it ruins the stance for me. They look great from the side but from some angles it looks like it's on ice skates.

 

[87elco]

Reviews practically write themselves these days; based on the brand in subject. In the eyes of reviewers:


Hyundai: Killing it!

literally

 

[IDriveACivic]

Exhibit A: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a27073458/2019-mazda-3-awd-hatchback-by-the-numbers/

 

[alias Igme]

I personally haven't owned nor driven the new Mazda 3, but one factor why I scratched off Mazda from my selection for a car (a month ago) is because I am having doubts about its reliability. I am definitely not saying that they are unreliable (i mean 2019 consumer reports have a Mazda near the top), but both my sister-in-law and brother-in-law got a Mazda (Mazda 2 and that pick-up truck, a year and 2-3 years ago respectively) and both had a not-minor problem within the first year of ownership.

I did not dig deeper what was the problem, but I did remember that the truck had to be towed.

 

[ablueSI]

I personally haven't owned nor driven the new Mazda 3, but one factor why I scratched off Mazda from my selection for a car (a month ago) is because I am having doubts about its reliability. I am definitely not saying that they are unreliable (i mean 2019 consumer reports have a Mazda near the top), but both my sister-in-law and brother-in-law got a Mazda (Mazda 2 and that pick-up truck, a year and 2-3 years ago respectively) and both had a not-minor problem within the first year of ownership.

I did not dig deeper what was the problem, but I did remember that the truck had to be towed.

I had a 2011 3 that ended up having many issues. I sold it by 40k miles and got the Civic.

 

[hoodlum]

Here are the performance comparisons of the Mazda3 AWD hatch to the Civic hatch from Car and Driver. Considering the small difference between these results I would think a lighter FWD Mazda3 would close that gap.

Civic Hatchback
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 18.5 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 30.7 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 7.3 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 4.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.4 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 127 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 166 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.90 g

Mazda3 AWD Hatchback
Zero to 60 mph: 7.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.6 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 32.1 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.7 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g

 

[ablueSI]

Here are the performance comparisons of the Mazda3 AWD hatch to the Civic hatch from Car and Driver. Considering the small difference between these results I would think a lighter FWD Mazda3 would close that gap.

Civic Hatchback
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 18.5 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 30.7 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 7.3 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 4.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.4 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 127 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 166 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.90 g

Mazda3 AWD Hatchback
Zero to 60 mph: 7.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.6 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 32.1 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.7 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g

It is likely. Again, I don't think the 2.5 is a match for Honda's 1.5 turbo. Even though it has decent power, it doesn't at all feel performance-oriented and I think Honda's motor is much better in terms of feel, usability and NVH. For anyone having trouble making a decision, I definitely recommend test driving both.

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