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Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3

879 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda MAZDA3, Sedan

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#714 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [gene2] by rascal99 Jan 11, 2008 (10:20 am)
Replying to: gene2 (Jan 10, 2008 8:16 pm) I have to agree that superior handling, braking, and inspired driving confidence (not to mention driver skill, certainly the most important) trumps whether the side door is going to protect you. My main gripe with SUV's is their perceived "safety" qualifications. What happens to a 5k pound truck when you emergency maneuver at 70mph? There is more to safety than crash test scores.
#715 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [gene2] by tomkozski Jan 11, 2008 (11:33 am)
Replying to: gene2 (Jan 10, 2008 2:21 pm) My understanding of IIHS testing is that they do not "get" cars from the manufacturers. I once watched either 60 Minutes or Dateline about their testing procedures. They go to a dealership and buy them off the lot, sort of to make sure what they're getting is something a regular consumer would get. Therefore, it's up to the IIHS and not Mazda to retest the Mazda3. Replies to this message: backy (Jan 11, 2008 9:04 pm) colloquor (Jan 13, 2008 8:10 am) backy (Jan 13, 2008 10:09 am) gene2 (Jan 14, 2008 5:53 am)
#716 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [roadburner] by gene2 Jan 11, 2008 (12:22 pm)
Replying to: roadburner (Jan 11, 2008 8:10 am) Roadburner: "Learning how to drive is even cooler ..." That's pretty funny, but you're right. This is what my daughter's doing right now - learning how to drive. Sure, she's had driver's training, is responsible, is a good driver, has good judgment, but nothing changes the fact that she is a new driver. I read somewhere that the most dangerous time in a person's life is their teen driving years. I'm trying to do everything I can to improve her odds of surviving beyond her teen years. Right now, she's driving the family minivan. After a few years of that, I intend to put her in the Honda.   Roadburner, you're right. All the airbags and safety whistles and bells are no substitute for safe, attentive, smart, anticipatory driving skills. I think, however, that we're probably smoking dope if we think that a brand new driver, no matter how well trained or responsible, has all those great driving skills right out of the box.   Am I making the right decisons? Are you making the right decisions? I only hope we never find out. Replies to this message: rascal99 (Jan 11, 2008 12:55 pm) roadburner (Jan 11, 2008 6:21 pm) gene2 (Jan 12, 2008 6:02 am)
#717 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [gene2] by rascal99 Jan 11, 2008 (12:55 pm)
Replying to: gene2 (Jan 11, 2008 12:22 pm) Exactly. We do the best we can. If some clown runs a red light and hits me I would rather be in an Escalade; however, I wouldn't want to be in one whizzing down the highway. I drive a pretty safe 4 door sedan (Audi A4) and, believe it or not, I feel much safer in this vehicle than I would in a supersized SUV. We all have to make a choice; hopefully it is the right one. Cheers!
#718 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [gene2] by roadburner Jan 11, 2008 (6:21 pm)
Replying to: gene2 (Jan 11, 2008 12:22 pm) I'm trying to do everything I can to improve her odds of surviving beyond her teen years.   I would strongly recommend that you look into Street Survival. Replies to this message: gene2 (Jan 12, 2008 6:02 am)
#719 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [tomkozski] by backy Jan 11, 2008 (9:04 pm)
Replying to: tomkozski (Jan 11, 2008 11:33 am) I don't think that's true. I remember reading on the IIHS site that a manufacturer can pay a fee to the IIHS to have the car tested earlier than the IIHS' test schedule. That would mean the car does not come from a dealer. Also, for frontal impact tests most IIHS tests now are done by the manufacturer using the IIHS' procedure, and the results are reported to and published by the IIHS. You can read in the ratings whether the test was done by the manufacturer or by the IIHS. The IIHS still does all the side and rear tests themselves.   So anyway, Mazda could pay the IIHS to re-test the Mazda3 with side bags and curtains. It's likely the IIHS won't test it again until the redesigned Mazda3 comes out in a year or two. Replies to this message: colloquor (Jan 13, 2008 8:10 am) backy (Jan 13, 2008 10:09 am) gene2 (Jan 14, 2008 5:53 am)
#720 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [gene2] by backy Jan 11, 2008 (9:10 pm)
Replying to: gene2 (Jan 10, 2008 8:16 pm) I agree with you that I'd rather go with known crash test results than unknown ones. But your previous post was comparing results of a current design to an old design, which I think is unfair and misleading. It would have been more accurate to say that the Elantra got a Good on the IIHS frontal test and hasn't been tested yet by the IIHS for side impact.   Also, FYI ESC is standard on the Elantra SE for 2008, and the Elantra also has 4-wheel disc brakes, compared to rear drums on some Civics. I think the Mazda3 has discs all around also.   The 2009 Corolla, due out next month, should get excellent crash test results, with its heavier structure and six airbags standard, but those results haven't been done yet (or at least not published yet). But VSC is standard only on the rare XRS trim; optional on others however. Replies to this message: gene2 (Jan 12, 2008 5:53 am)
#721 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [backy] by gene2 Jan 12, 2008 (5:53 am)
Replying to: backy (Jan 11, 2008 9:10 pm) Backy: I'll say it again - I agree with you, I AM being unfair by comparing more recent crash test scores with older crash test scores. However, I'm forced to make buying decisions based on the data presented to me. The fact that some manufacturers haven't had their vehicle destroyed by the IIHS in the last two years is not my problem.   Thank you for correcting me about the Elantra. You're right, the higher end SE DOES have ESC. Didn't mean to mislead anyone. BTW, I've owned 2 Elantras (an '03 and an '05). I loved them both. Not so good handling, but what a great, comfortable ride for straight-line driving! The '03 I used primarily to commute between San Antonio and Houston. This thing had the most comfortable driver's seat of ANY car I've ever owned, it was reliable, the ergonomics were wonderful, and it had plenty of power. After 2 years and 60K miles, I foolishly traded it in (gave away) for a car I'm too embarassed to mention. After getting rid of the embarassing car, I went back to Hyundai. It was like going back to an old friend. Unfortunately, after running over a trailer hitch with the '05 Elantra, it was never quite the same, and I sold it (after numerous repairs) and bought an '07 Civic. The Civic I'm finding to be far less comfortable than the Elantra, but handles 10X better.   With the '03 Elantra, I only had two problems - both low beam headlight bulbs burned out, which Hyundai replaced for free and with no hassle. The problems I had with my second Elantra I believe were all related to the trailer hitch fiasco, which filleted the bottom of my car.   I was very impressed with both Elantras, and look forward to seeing how they fare in the next round of crash tests. Thank you for correcting me about the Elantra's ESC. Thanks to you, this car's back on my radar screen.
#722 of 879 Re: Own The 3 And The Civic [roadburner] by gene2 Jan 12, 2008 (6:02 am)
Replying to: roadburner (Jan 11, 2008 6:21 pm) Roadburner: Thank you for the tip. I will look into "Street Survival."
#723 of 879 IIHS Testing by aviboy97 Jan 12, 2008 (6:12 am)
This directly from their web site:   "The Institute buys the vehicles we crash test directly from dealers. We try to cover as much of the marketplace as we can, choosing vehicles to test that represent a range of manufacturers and the largest portions of new car sales. See our vehicle ratings page for a complete list of all vehicles the Institute has tested. We don't release information in advance about individual vehicles or categories of vehicles we plan to test. Subscribe to our RSS feed for notification of when new crash test results are posted to our site."   The manufacturer has absolutely nothing to do with what vehicles of theirs are tested. Hence, IIHS has chosen not to test the Mazda3 with side airbags and side air curtains. Replies to this message: backy (Jan 12, 2008 7:58 am) aviboy97 (Jan 12, 2008 8:54 am) backy (Jan 12, 2008 11:48 am)

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