Here's How the 2020 Toyota Corolla Could Dethrone the Honda Civic As The Best-Selling Compact Car

xbbnx

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2017
Threads
60
Messages
882
Reaction score
914
Location
Houston TX
Vehicle(s)
2022 Si, 2017 Si (past), 2015 Si (past)
Country flag
So it's not a competition solely because of the powertrain? The Corolla will definitely outsell the Civic until we get the 11th gen.
Okay then tell me exactly where the Corrolla competes favorably against the Civic. Powertrain? Mpg? Interior quality? Cabin and trunk space? Handling? Tech? Looks? The only thing it might have on the Civic is reliability, and even with that the Corolla has already had some issues that needed a recall..
Sponsored

 
First Name
Saïd
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
46
Reaction score
15
Location
Montreal
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Touring White Pearl
Country flag
check out this comparison, they are two very different cars but both of them are pleasant to drive and to own. It comes down to personnal preferences, I dont think it will dethrone the civic, especially the corolla sedan.
 

Dis4Damion

Senior Member
First Name
Damion
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Threads
13
Messages
298
Reaction score
81
Location
MA, USA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Country flag
Okay then tell me exactly where the Corrolla competes favorably against the Civic. Powertrain? Mpg? Interior quality? Cabin and trunk space? Handling? Tech? Looks? The only thing it might have on the Civic is reliability, and even with that the Corolla has already had some issues that needed a recall..
In no way trying to argue with you...

The Civic has also had it's fair share of issues throughout the years. Don't get me wrong, I love the Civic and definitely prefer it over the Corolla. My sister has a 2015 Corolla S (I think that's the fully loaded version?) and it's pretty packed for the price despite not having things like apple carplay or android auto. Definitely agree that it's underpowered though, but she paid so much less for the Corolla.
 
Last edited:

jred721

Senior Member
First Name
James
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Threads
36
Messages
1,491
Reaction score
1,137
Location
Northern Virginia
Vehicle(s)
'20 Accord Sport
Country flag
Okay then tell me exactly where the Corrolla competes favorably against the Civic. Powertrain? Mpg? Interior quality? Cabin and trunk space? Handling? Tech? Looks? The only thing it might have on the Civic is reliability, and even with that the Corolla has already had some issues that needed a recall..
Only areas where Corolla beats Civic is the standard LED headlights, the optional 8.0 inch infotainment which is bigger and more modern than the Civic's, and JBL sound system which sounds way better probably. However in the rest of the catagories, Civic beats it.
 

Dis4Damion

Senior Member
First Name
Damion
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Threads
13
Messages
298
Reaction score
81
Location
MA, USA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Country flag
Only areas where Corolla beats Civic is the standard LED headlights, the optional 8.0 inch infotainment which is bigger and more modern than the Civic's, and JBL sound system which sounds way better probably. However in the rest of the catagories, Civic beats it.
If you build and price a 2020 Corolla, it's less than the Civic at MSRP, historically, that has been the case however.
 


gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,671
Reaction score
24,356
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
I'm interested to hear why you think so.

Sure Toyota and Honda differs slightly on their target market, but I feel that those target market are close together or even overlapping - which is very different from the target markets of Rolls Royce (luxury), Ferrari/Lamborghini (super/hyper cars), or even Tesla (techies). Both Honda and Toyota appeals to the cost-conscious (initial cost, maintenance, resale).

I have a Fortuner (and it has been a while since I had a Corolla) so it may not be a good stand-in to a comparison with my Civic, but in my opinion, both brands have their strengths and weakness. One is more conservative on the technology that they use (meaning lower chance of things going wrong), while the other is a little more (and I mean a little) sporty.

I'm sorry if I accidentally offend some people - I like my 2019 Civic, but I personally would not categorize Civics as enthusiast's car as some people's post. I am not an enthusiast myself, but I don't think that Civics nor Corollas will ever require as much dedication (and headache) as say maintaining a 15-year old Alfa Romeo (by comparing to how my dad used to maintain a 1979 Toyota Sprinter).

Again, my apologies if this post offends some people.
I agree with some of what you mentioned. Honda and Toyota do cater to similar but slightly different markets. And I do agree that generally Honda is the somewhat sportier choice.

But, to say that the Civic isn't an enthusiasts car is way off base. Sure, many buy a Civic as a point A to point B vehicle, just like the Corolla. Just look at the aftermarket performance market for the Civic. It's big. The Civic is one of the most modded cars around. Just look at this forum. The Civic Si and Type R are excellent sport machines right out of the box.

Your premise that an enthusiast's car needs to be a headache to maintain like the 15 year old Alfa you mentioned, doesn't hold water in 2019. For $25,000 the Civic Si does 0-60 in around 6 seconds. No, that's not sports car territory but excellent for the price. It also can do 0.97g on a skidpad. It's no Ferrari but it's an inexpensive enthusiasts car for sure.
 

alias Igme

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
241
Reaction score
114
Location
Bangkok
Vehicle(s)
Alfa Romeo 156, Honda Civic (1.5t hatchback)
Country flag
I agree with some of what you mentioned. Honda and Toyota do cater to similar but slightly different markets. And I do agree that generally Honda is the somewhat sportier choice.

But, to say that the Civic isn't an enthusiasts car is way off base. Sure, many buy a Civic as a point A to point B vehicle, just like the Corolla. Just look at the aftermarket performance market for the Civic. It's big. The Civic is one of the most modded cars around. Just look at this forum. The Civic Si and Type R are excellent sport machines right out of the box.

Your premise that an enthusiast's car needs to be a headache to maintain like the 15 year old Alfa you mentioned, doesn't hold water in 2019. For $25,000 the Civic Si does 0-60 in around 6 seconds. No, that's not sports car territory but excellent for the price. It also can do 0.97g on a skidpad. It's no Ferrari but it's an inexpensive enthusiasts car for sure.

I stand corrected - You brought up good points in there. My apologies I let the POS name calling get the better of my judgement.
Deleting my previous post.
 

bbeem

Senior Member
First Name
Ben
Joined
Nov 10, 2018
Threads
38
Messages
1,131
Reaction score
617
Location
Iowa
Vehicle(s)
19 si sedan, FZ1, CR450R, Shadow 750
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
I drive rentals most every week. I got to beat the 2020 SE cvt 2 weeks ago in LA national Forest and I guess you can say it tolerated it. I drive em like I stole em. Always. The week before I had a 530i on the same canyon that was fun. The SE was not. While the brakes hung in there the chassis and suspension were soft and twisty. Puny motor but the most off-putting thing was the disgusting noises the motor made. Sounds like hollow metal. Both the motor and exhaust sound like hollow cans vibrating. Every time you get on it the motor sounds so cheap. It's so off-putting I can't get past it. If there was anything good about the car it was completely overshadowed by the crappy hollow metal vibrating noises screaming at me when WOT (always with 1xx hp). The other things I didn't like was the A Piller visibility and the cheap shoddy a Piller window they stick in there. It's 2020 and Toyota can't build a strong enough A without sticking a window in it? And the doors and especiall trunk shut so shabby. It just bothers me when you can tell how cheap a door is by they way it opens and shuts. Something you never think about untill you feel the disapointment evey time you shut yourself in the camery. The trunk was really nasty to shut. On a good note at least it was nice and clean with 300 miles on it and comes with decent tires. And people praising the headlights? They are definitely among the worst of any new car I drive. I drive Hertz 5 star cars about 4 times a month for reference and it seems most cars have bad light IMO. Camery SE was one I couldn't tolerate in the canyons.
 

Wickedsprint

Senior Member
First Name
Tony
Joined
Aug 11, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
85
Reaction score
68
Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
Looking
Country flag
I test drove a 2020 Corolla SE 6m before buying my civic hatchback sport. I fully intended to get the corolla UNTIL I drove it.

Weaker brakes, mushy handling with body roll and engine had zero personality. I felt like I was driving a brand new car from 1995.

The Civic Hatchback sport 1.5t is on a different planet in terms of driving dynamics and even with cvt, is significantly more fun to drive than the Corolla SE.
 

civicmanic

Banned
Banned
Joined
May 21, 2016
Threads
7
Messages
799
Reaction score
598
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
2016 Civic Touring ; 2020 CR-V Sport(wife)
Country flag
Seeing I drive a Touring I would have to compare options. Not sure the Corolla can match the Touring options?
Power Seats
Auto Dim Headlights
Subwoofer

Nothing is perfect. But I refuse to not have the above after having them.
I have the touring and I had a '14 Si, in both vehicles the subwoofer was absolutely useless! The sound is the same no matter what level you put the subwoofer on. It was just added to look good on paper, but doesn't function.
Sponsored

 


 


Top