2016 Honda Civic vs Mazda3 Sedan Comparison

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2016 model year pricing for the two competitors compare as follows:

2016 Civic sedan:

LX 2.0L w/ manual - $18,640
LX 2.0L w/ CVT - $19,440
EX-L 1.5T (fully spec'd) - $24,700
Touring 1.5T (fully spec'd) - $26,500


2016 Mazda3 sedan:

2.0L 155hp model w/ manual - $18,665
2.0L 155hp model w/ auto - $19,715
2.5L 184hp model w/ auto - $25,615


Honda Civic 10th gen 2016 Honda Civic vs Mazda3 Sedan Comparison 2016-civic-vs-mazda3





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Honda Civic 10th gen 2016 Honda Civic vs Mazda3 Sedan Comparison 6


 
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RobbJK88

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The Mazda3 is definitely the civic's closest competitor in terms of power, features and price point. The touring is the only model that doesn't undercut the mazda, but i also think the civic touring has features that the mazda doesn't have standard. It'll be interesting to see the auto magazine comparisons between these two when they do their big tests. We haven't seen what Hyundai has in store with the new elantra yet either, though i don't expect it to perform as well as the mazda or civic, but in terms of price and features it might be a close competitor.
 

M1160

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Enjoying these comparisons you guys are putting together :thumbsup: The Mazda3 sedan is really not a good looking car. The hatch is much better but the 2016 civic is still better looking. And why does it ride so high?
 

RobbJK88

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Enjoying these comparisons you guys are putting together :thumbsup: The Mazda3 sedan is really not a good looking car. The hatch is much better but the 2016 civic is still better looking. And why does it ride so high?
While i think the Mazda3 is a good looking car, the civic definitely has an elegance to its design the mazda doesn't have. And the mazda doesn't really ride all that high, the roofline is kind of high however, and the hatchback in person actually comes off as more of a small crossover than a car, which is odd to me, i think because the back end specifically is pretty high up off the ground.
 

mvance30

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one thing I wanted to point out with the Mazda3 is the arm rest position on the door was rather crappy. It comes to a point right where my elbow would sit. Not an issue on my SI sedan I currently have.

also if EPA MPG is to believe, is that MPG for the turbo or the 2.0?
 
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RobbJK88

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one thing I wanted to point out with the Mazda3 is the arm rest position on the door was rather crappy. It comes to a point right where my elbow would sit. Not an issue on my SI sedan I currently have.

also if EPA MPG is to believe, is that MPG for the turbo or the 2.0?
Turbo is rated at 42 hwy and 2.0L is rated at 41 hwy
 

ZAMROAINC

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I really love this comparison, when my wife was in the market for a new vehicle we actually test drove the 2015 Civic, 2015 Mazda 3, and the 2015 Corolla. I was so disappointed in the civic because I always had "HONDA" as the better make. But the Mazda really blew me away with is handling and power compared to the Civic and Corolla. I do think the Mazda was a pretty good looking car and honestly thought that's how the new civic was looking. I cant wait to test drive the new civic so I can give my own two cents when comparing the two.

I wasn't really a huge fan of the civic "rear" lights, but they're growing on me, and seeing this comparison of two makes the civic look that much better and well put together.
 

cae

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Credit Mazda with shaking up the segment at least. I can't see how the Mazda3 wouldn't have played some role in Honda stepping up their game with the Civic. That said, I think the Civic uses its lines a lot better, appearing wider and lower in comparison to the Mazda3's upright mound-like shape. While the Mazda3's interior seems like a nice place to be, its poor NVH betrays any feelings of luxury one might have had.

I'm really interested in a handling and driver engagement comparison between these two, as well as real world MPG figures.
 


benjaminh

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Here are the top 10 in sales for this segment for September of 2015:

Civic 28,278
Corolla 26,636
Elantra 20,724
Sentra 14,196
Cruze 14,032
Focus 13,437
Mazda3 7,757
Jetta 7,746
Dart 7,244
Impreza 5,555
 

benjaminh

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As you can see from the sales figures above, even though the 9th-generation Civic got mixed reviews, it was still the best selling car in the segment. Since the 10th generation is better than the 9th in pretty much every way, and amazingly holds the line on prices, it seems possible that this generation will be the most successful Civic ever.

The Mazda3 is not a threat in terms of sales, but the automotive press puts it up on a pedestal—and for good reason. The Mazda3 is an excellent car that's sporty, fun to drive, and functional. And yet I think the 2016 Civic tops in in most ways. And for 0-60 times the 2016 Civic beats it with ease. Motor Trend tested the highest mpg Mazda3, the 2.0 manual, as going from 0-60 in 7.8 seconds. The price of their test car almost two years ago was $24k. For less than that, you can get a turbo Civic, the EX-T, which list for $23k with destination, gets slightly higher mpg ratings, and, most importantly, gets to 60 mph a full second faster:

http://www.motortrend.com/new_cars/04/mazda/mazda3/

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-honda-civic-sedan-15l-turbo-test-review
 
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G26okie

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The Mazda3 is definitely the civic's closest competitor in terms of power, features and price point. The touring is the only model that doesn't undercut the mazda, but i also think the civic touring has features that the mazda doesn't have standard. It'll be interesting to see the auto magazine comparisons between these two when they do their big tests. We haven't seen what Hyundai has in store with the new elantra yet either, though i don't expect it to perform as well as the mazda or civic, but in terms of price and features it might be a close competitor.
If you spec the mazda 3 out like the touring civic, its about the same price. You would need to Grand Touring S model Mazda 3 which clocks in at $26,495(hatch) currently, with the auto.
 
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10thG

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This quote from a recently posted review sums it up I think:

The 2016 Civic is a more complete package and a greater value proposition than all of its rivals. It can’t touch the Mazda3 on fun-to-drive-ness or the Volkswagen Golf on build quality, and the Nissan Sentra has it beat in the base price department, but the Civic is a jack of all trades that outclasses its current competition.
 

takemorepills

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I like the 3's interior, between the CivicX and 3 I think they have equally nice interiors. But I have seen lot's of 3's in traffic, something is wrong with the proportions of them. The rear window rises up too suddenly and in person, the car design feels like it is par-baked. Having not seen a CivicX in person yet, the pics do seem to make it much nicer looking. I can see the CivicX looking better, longer than the 3 for sure.

Glad to see that Mazda is no longer polluted by Ford. We had a Ford era Protege5, great driving car. HORRIBLE reliability, the only car I have ever driven that left me stranded. On I-5, in rush hour traffic, in the fast lane, in Seattle. F you Ford/Mazda!
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