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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: nvbanker (Jan 06, 2008 8:56 pm) refinement: 1. Elantra...it seemed more refined than the Civic and much more so than the 3. Don't mistake refinement for a "sporty" feel. The engine was dead smooth and quiet at idle.It rode and drove more smoothly and quietly inside than either, especially the Civic, which is like a "go-cart" on the bumps and in steering feel (twitch the steering wheel and off you go in another direction). 2. Mazda 3 rode better than the Civic but the model we rented (must have been the bottom model) had no sound insulation and riding in the rear seat sounded like the rear tires were in my lap with every thump and bump in the road and every rear suspension action magnified by the 'echo chamber" trunk and wheel well...noisy to the max!!! 3. we own the Civic and it is a taunt, noisy car. Tire (road) noise and wind noise compete with suspension noise and I don't know which is worse. The engine is fairly quiet at idle though. talking longevity...probably any of them (with proper maintainence) will last as long as anyone would care to own them. They are in different "perceived" classes and for the life of me I cannot understand why the Civic is thought to be so special nor why the Elantra is always an "also ran". I have no strong opinion about the Mazda one way or the other but probably won't be buying one if I buy another car in this class. |
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Prefer the Civic to anything out there now and I've driven them all. Think the 3 comes in at 2nd place but since we own the "S" model, the car accelerates much better and seemlessly with nothing felt between shifts. Personally, love the two-tiered dash as one's eyes don't leave the road and after about an hour with the car, became a non issue. The daughter will be looking for her 1st car this fall and she's already mentioned the Elantra as her choice. Of course we'll have her try everything from the Aveo and Accent up through the Civic. She's a new driver in many respects, so she'll get what drives the best and is the most comfortable...and what her budget can allow. Should be interesting to see what she finally ends up with in the end. Time will tell. But I still love my Civic and for what's out there, the wife still prefers her 3s. The Sandman 
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Mazda3 won again! Granted your priorities might differ, but I always enjoy a little validation. I just rolled over 2,000 miles in my new 2008 3i Touring, and love it. The steering is just perfect. The gas mileage gets a little better on each tank, recently did very close to 34 mpg. Granted I've managed to avoid heavy traffic lately (going into the office pretty early), and have been driving like a grandpa (never over the 65 mph speed limit) just to see how high I can get it. I'm very satisfied so far.
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Replying to: ahightower (Jan 09, 2008 8:36 pm) Im also curious how much you paid for it. Thanks. |
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| I certainly agree with the comments about suspension, tire & road noise on the Civic. Especially in the rear seat, it's nearly deafening. | |
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Replying to: sandman46 (Jan 07, 2008 6:36 am)
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Replying to: gene2 (Jan 10, 2008 6:17 am) Did you happen to see the notation "2005-08 models mfg. after Aug. 2004 without side airbags" in reference to the Mazda3? This is a major problem as to the rating on this car, it has not been tested with the same equipment as others in its class. How is that a fair comparison?
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Replying to: aviboy97 (Jan 10, 2008 10:11 am) Finally, one anecdote - I was speaking to a woman who owns a 2006 Honda Civic sedan. She was T-boned on her side of the car. The impact was so violent that witnesses were sure this lady was dead. Once the paramedic/rescue people cut her out of her smashed Civic, they discovered she was only suffering from minor cuts and bruises. Please forgive me if I sound harsh; I don't mean to. You asked a very valid and reasonable question. I simply suspect that Mazda/Ford is intentionally not offering a side air-bag equipped car to the IIHS because Mazda/Ford already knows it will not do well. Therefore, due to my perhaps unfounded cynicism, I would rather put my family in a car that I know does well in a crash based on various tests. Finally, did I mention the Honda's fun to drive?
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Replying to: aviboy97 (Jan 10, 2008 10:11 am) My understanding is that the manufacturers are asked to submit a model for testing. If that's the case, why does Mazda not submit theirs with side airbags? |
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Replying to: gene2 (Jan 10, 2008 6:17 am) |
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