Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 17
Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 23A
Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 12
Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 13
Bruce Newton20 May 2016
REVIEW

Honda Civic RS v Mazda3 SP25 GT 2016 Comparison

Honda's 10th-generation Civic challenges Mazda3 for sporty small sedan bragging rights

Honda Civic RS v Mazda3 SP25 GT
Comparison Test

Honda has launched its 10th-generation Civic, saying it's back in the small-car fight with what is fundamentally an all-new car. There’s only one way to truly test such a claim and that’s to go head-to-head against the opposition. And there’s no better rival to pick than the Mazda3, the small car from the brand that now arguably out-Hondas Honda.

Honda used to be the Mazda of the Japanese car industry. It was the nimble, engineering-driven car company that produced a stellar line-up of entertaining, innovative, interesting and high-quality cars. Remember the original NSX? Hell, remember the original Accord? Or most pertinently the original Civic?

Launched here in 1973, the little bumblebee hatchback was a sensation, combining unique style and high-tech (independent suspension and power front disc brakes!) to capture the public’s attention and cash.

Through the first nine generations 325,000 Civics were sold in Australia. Some were good, some not-so. Most recently, poor management decisions, including the short-sighted cull of R&D spending during the GFC of 2009, condemned the last Civic to being well off the pace.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 12

Fast forward to 2016 and Honda is spruiking the 10th-generation Civic as the rebirth of a car that has gone back to its roots and rediscovered its mojo.

If so, what better car to test that claim against than the Mazda3. Not only is it Australia’s most popular privately purchased passenger car, it’s lauded for its dynamics, style and engineering based on the one-concept-fits-most-models SKYACTIV architecture and drivetrain.

The third-generation Mazda3 has been around since 2013, so it’s not the newest kid on the block. There was a minor update in early 2015 but there’s every chance a far more significant overhaul isn’t far away. So just keep that in mind.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 13


The rules
OK, some ground rules first. So far Honda has only launched the new Civic sedan (the hatch is due early next year) and the range is only offered with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). That’s right, no manuals. Therefore, our opposing Mazda3 is a sedan and a six-speed auto.

The new Civic line-up really gets interesting from the midpoint, where the new direct-injected VTEC 1.5-litre 127kW/220Nm turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine is introduced. The closest donk in the Mazda3 range in terms of outputs is the SKYACTIV-G 138kW/250Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder.

Check down the two price lists and the sporty Civic RS (a new model badge for Honda in Australia) has a manufacturer’s retail price of $31,790. And guess what? So does the Mazda3 SP25 GT auto. It’s a match made in comparo heaven.

And the similarities don’t end there. Both cars are front-wheel drive (of course), have a matching MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension concept, a combination of vented front and solid rear disc brakes, electric-assist power steering and even claim an identical 6.0L/100km fuel consumption average (on the cheapest 91 RON fuel).

And it continues… The cars sit on the same 2700mm wheelbase, have similar turning circles of around 10.6m and even similar fuel tank sizes (51 litres Mazda versus 47 for the Honda) and a significant level of equipment in common.

Plusses and minuses
But it’s the differences you want to read about. And despite being the older car the Mazda does score a couple of significant wins. There’s a head-up display for the driver and fuel-saving ‘i-stop’ for the engine. The alloy wheels are an inch larger at 18 inches and satellite-navigation is standard, whereas you have to plug it in via your smartphone in the Civic (if you don’t have a smartphone then you don’t have nav). But that also leads to an important connectivity advantage for the RS which offers both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring via its 7.0-inch touch-screen. Mazda conversely has Pandora, Stitcher and Aha apps as part of MZD Connect system.

Most of our testing took place with CarPlay and it was a superbly easy system to access. Other Civic plusses included a standard sunroof (our Mazda was fitted with one optionally), sculpted LED headlights (versus bi-xenons), a smart key with a walk-away locking function, digital radio, the likeable LaneWatch function that shows the left-side of the car in the media screen when the left indicator is activated, front parking sensors and a tyre deflation warning.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 16

Those differences overlay important common items including safety essentials such as six airbags, stability and traction control and a reversing camera. A suite of advanced driver assist systems are offered optionally on both cars.

Important standard comfort items include dual-zone climate-control, a powered driver's seat (eight functions for the Honda, six for the Mazda), black leather seating and trimmings, heated front seats, Bluetooth and cruise control – which ran away excessively downhill in both cars. Neither has adjustable rear air-con outlets but both have temporary spares loaded in their boots.

The Mazda has a three-year/unlimited km warranty, the Honda’s is three years and 100,000km. Both brands also offer capped-priced servicing, but check the detail for what is and isn’t included.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 23A

Which brings us to packaging. If you think an identical wheelbase means these two are peas in a pod when it comes to space and practicality you could not be further from the truth.

At 4644mm, the Honda is 64mm longer than the Mazda. And it shows. Its packaging is outstanding. Sit inside and it really does seem like a car from the next segment up. The most obvious advantage is in the rear seat where a 180cm passenger sitting behind 180cm driver gets exceptional legroom clearance. In the Mazda, the rear-seat passenger’s knees are just pressing into the front seat.

Headroom goes the Mazda’s way marginally, because of the Civic’s fastback roofline and more intrusive sunroof.

Is it just me or does the Civic look a bit like an original Opel Monza in profile? (Ed: the what, Bruce? Oh, you are showing your age.) In fact, let’s digress to styling for a moment. I don’t mind the Civic’s profile at all, but what was Honda thinking with the front-end? The RS gets a particularly heavy piano-black look that isn’t sporty nor sexy; or even appealing. The GT, by contrast, is a classy cab-back design with a prominent but not offensive grille. Styling is subjective, of course, so you may disagree.

Back to the interior
The Honda scores a clear victory in the boot thanks to its longer rear overhang. The claimed size is a huge 517 litres compared to the Mazda’s acceptable 408 litres. The Civic’s load height is also lower, but both cars do have some rear wheel-arch intrusion and little in the way of storage pockets. Both also have a 60:40-split folding rear seat that grow the boot space enough to fit a mountain bike with the front wheel removed. In both cases the bootlid is closed by intrusive gooseneck hinges.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 21

The Honda also clearly accounts for the Mazda when it comes to incidental storage around the cabin. It has substantially bigger door bins, a huge central lidded bin between the two front seats and a two-tier centre console.

In part, this spaciousness is made possible by the swap from a traditional parking brake to an electronic unit and also the development of a slimmer air-con unit. There is a single seat-back pocket on offer in both cars and both gloveboxes are roughly the same size – although the way the Civic’s clangs open un-damped is poor and cheap.

Overall though, the Honda’s interior presentation shades the Mazda for cohesiveness, attractiveness and simplicity of design. Perceived quality based on the feel and look of materials, the tactility of controls and their ease of use also goes just slightly the Thai-built Honda’s way.

Honda Civic RS 506 q3bv

The Mazda’s MZD Connect system is comprehensive but an educational challenge to navigate combining some touch and some dial controls. The more we used the Honda’s ‘Advanced Display Audio’ touch-screen with its powerful NVidia graphics chipset, the more we liked it.

Where the 3 fights back is the positioning of its 7.0-inch touch-screen, which sits bolted at the top of the centre stack -- much closer to the natural eye-line than the Honda’s unit embedded lower down in the stack. The Mazda’s HUD also helps keep eyes closer to the road.

160517 Mazda3 GT 04

But the Civic’s instrument panel is a vast improvement on its multi-level predecessor, eschewing geometry for simplicity and clear visibility, incorporating a speedo inside the digitally-rendered analogue tachometer and trip computer that includes a turbo boost gauge.

For the driver, both cars offer comfortable bucket seats and reach- and rake-adjustable steering wheels with plentiful but not an overwhelming number of controls. The Honda’s steering wheel has a volume function on the left spoke. Trouble is you can also accidentally graze it when cornering.

You feel like you sit lower and more separated from your passenger in the Honda thanks to the partitioning provided by the centre console.

The driving bit
If your presumption is that ‘RS’ means this is a seriously go-fast Civic, then prepare to be disappointed. There is nothing ultra-sporty here. Instead the Civic rides beautifully, rolls along quietly and accelerates to overtake with purpose. It is a nice front-wheel drive small car that would suit a life of commuting and touring.

It is definitely quieter than the Mazda and has a more compliant ride. Engine-for-engine the Honda’s turbo performance is almost as good as the 3’s larger atmo four. It lacks a little for throttle crispness and has a preference to be revved to produce its best form.

In practice, just as in theory, fuel economy tuned out to be a lineball. The Honda managed an on-test average of 9.4L/100km, while the 3 came out at 9.3L/100km. The Civic could probably do better than that if you chose to drive it in ‘Econ’ mode, but the throttle response is particularly dopey and unenjoyable.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 13

Speaking of enjoyment, the SP25 was a clear-cut winner when it came to driving for the fun of it. Its steering tune is crisper and more accurate, it has better body control and less body roll, benefitting from the taut suspension tune for which current Mazdas are renowned. The Civic isn’t bad at all, just not quite as well defined.

The Mazda’s torque-converter auto also meshed far better with its engine than the Honda’s CVT. While the latter is happy enough pottering, it feels sluggish and slow-witted when being manipulated manually through its seven computerised steps or when whacked in Sport mode, which does little except add more revs at any given throttle point.

The CVT won’t hold gears in manual mode either, which is also annoying. Gee, this thing would be so much better with a dual-clutch or manual transmission. Surely an RS should get that sort of spec? Even the way the Mazda clacks through the gears via its paddles is more precise than the Honda. That’s symptomatic of the 3 simply being a more communicative and involving car to drive than the Civic.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 14


The verdict
These are two of the finest small cars you can buy and they are pitched extremely close together on pricing, equipment, performance and economy. Despite that, each of them also offers distinctly different characteristics.

If you are attracted to them on the basis of their sporting badges then it’s the Mazda that offers the more dynamic driving experience and more cohesive drivetrain.

But if it’s a day-to-day liveability you’re looking for then the packaging, space, refinement and ride quality of the Honda gives it the edge. And because the bulk of small-car buyers are surely interested in those latter qualities, the Civic gets the nod over the Mazda3 by a narrow margin. It’s a welcome return to form by Honda.

But with an upgraded Mazda3 not far away, we’re sure there’ll be a rematch and who knows what will happen then.

Honda Civic vs Mazda 3 11


Honda Civic RS pricing and specification
Price: $31,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Outputs: 127kW/220Nm
Transmission: Seven-step continuously variable
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 140g/km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: TBC

What we liked:
>> Interior space and packaging
>> Up-to-date tech
>> Quiet and comfortable to drive

Not so much:
>> RS badge not appropriate for this car
>> Wishy-washy CVT when pushed
>> Optional driver assist safety items

Mazda3 SP25 GT pricing and specifications:
Price: $31,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Outputs: 138kW/250Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 140g/km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

What we liked:
>> Sharp drivetrain
>> Involving dynamics
>> Classy looks

Not so much:
>> Taut ride
>> Noise in cabin
>> Optional driver assist safety items

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