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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3
879 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM
You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: beantown (Aug 16, 2006 4:34 am) |
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Replying to: beantown (Aug 16, 2006 4:34 am) As manufacturers add components and features they tend to make vehicles heavier resulting in lower fuel efficiency. But there has also been controversy about how the EPA rates vehicles. Most drivers don't achieve the EPA ratings because the norms are not developed using real driving conditions. Some have speculated that the EPA is rating vehicles as being more fuel efficient than they are in reality in order to get auto manufacturers off the hook. If the numbers that most vehicles get were shown on the EPA sticker, many drivers would be aghast. Some would even wonder how are vehicles like Armadas, Hummers, Yukons allowed on the road considering the damage they do to the environment. Instead, vehicles are tested in artifical conditions resulting in unrealistic numbers. I have found Consumer Reports projected fuel economy numbers more accurate; they routinely downgrade the EPA ratings by 20% or more. For example, when the EPA rates your vehicle at 30 mpg it's likely closer to 24 mpg. |
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| I've had my 06 ex civic for almost ten months now and i'm loving every minute of it. I too considered mazda and toyotas offerings but to be honest i didn't feel like they were offering anything as interesting or innovative as honda. Honda pushes the envelope, toyota stays bland, mazda does what already has been done, just better. Alot of stuff posted on the internet seems to be very negative about the civic, probably because everyone who owns one is out driving it and loving it. Think about it: it has a very unorthodox dash, not the most power in its class and it is not the cheapest. Does that stop if from being consumer reports top rated sedan? No. Does that stop people from purchasing it? No. A lady was trading in her mazda 3s sedan the day i bought my civic. How ironic. I don't think the 3 is a bad car at all. I just think it isn't amazing. The handling this and the handling that. The handling my nuts. My civic has AWESOME handling and that is no overstatement. Plus it rides on 16 inch wheels and has all season tires on it. The mazda comes off as a little cheesy to me sometimes. Too overly sporty for its own good. My car is sporty too, and it give me 29 miles in the city and 38 on the highway on average! (my fiance lives 2 1/2 miles away from we and we see eachother every weekend so mileage was a very important factor when purchasing my vehicle.) I think more civic owners need to speak about how wonderful their cars are. Everyone i know who has seen my car always compliments me on it. And i just cant justify a 2.3 liter engine that gets v-6 gas mileage. And the corolla? Bland at best. The s is better and although i don't hate it i dont love it. Man it has a loud engine!! Civic all way man. Civic civic civic. Just remember that and you will fare well. | |
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Replying to: midnightcowboy (Aug 15, 2006 4:34 pm) I'm talking about the actual highway mileage that my 9 year old car got compared to the EPA hwy estimate for THAT CAR, not comparing it with newer cars. I routinely achieved better than EPA numbers with a 180k mile/9 year old car that burned oil, which blew my mind at the time. Today, cars rarely achieve their EPA estimates in the real world for whatever reason. |
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As a former 96 Accord owner, I am a great admirer of Honda and the Civic (the style of the coupe knocks my socks off!), but got a great deal on a Mazda3 S hatchback. It is loaded with content, looks great, and is a blast to drive. In a perfect world, I would have bought both and had the daily choice of What-To-Drive? I agree with previous comments that the Mazda is a little edgy, not as refined a ride as a Honda and I wouldn't mind better mileage (or a larger tank - seems like I am always filling it up!). Ain't life great? 
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I think all the car companies have studied the EPA test and do their best to show higher numbers ON THE TEST. Best example of this would be the hybrids. EPA says they get 60 MPH (or whatever) but in the real world they don't even come close. The EPA is after all a government agency - what do you expect?
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Replying to: z71bill (Oct 26, 2006 10:23 am) Then Honda sure didn't try very hard... I get well over EPA estimates on trips in my Accord traveling at 75 MPH...I've even gotten 39.96 MPG once and average around 38 MPG at that speed (75)(it stickers at 34 MPG) |
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So in your opinion the car companies (at least Honda) sand bag the EPA results so that cars actually get MORE MPG? Or maybe they completely ignore the detailed rules and methods of the EPA and just make cars the best way they can. I guess anything is possible - I normally get close to the EPA city rating as an overall combined average. I may start out a trip driving close to the speed limit - but after a while end up following traffic which is normally around 80 MPH - that does hurt MPG. I hate it when I am cruising along at 65 MPH (speed limit) and have a steady stream of cars passing me on the left - which would not be that bad - except I am always getting caught behind someone going 55 in the right lane and because of the constant stream of passing cars I can't (safely) get around the guy doing 55. It almost seems safer to go 80 MPH and just stay in the normal flow of traffic.
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Replying to: z71bill (Oct 26, 2006 5:20 pm) The reason I stay at 75 MPH is that the car is revving high enough to never have to downshift in hills, but low enough that it is still relatively efficient (2,500 RPM). I made the same trip at 68 MPH (less than 2,300 RPM) and the car had to downshift on a lot more hills, making my economy actually lower than when I went 75 MPH. |
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Replying to: z71bill (Oct 26, 2006 5:20 pm)
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