Honda Civic Or Mazda 3?

[Plus]

320 sold in Thailand has 150 hp and 180 Nm torque, higher than Civic, though Civic gets more power as it revs higher.

I seriously doubt it would outrun 320 in 0-100 race.

I also doubt that you'll find any official Honda performance figures. That oversight is more than compensated by faithful Honda fans who are absolutely convinced that their cars are the fastest in the world.

Seriously, Honda Thailand doesn't have ANY statistics on its website, and nothing about tiptronic transmission either. Just five speed auto with manual up and down shifts on the steering wheel. I remember power outputs from the Motorshow.

I once saw performance comparison in a Thai magazine. They didn't have 2l Civic there but 1.8l version was somewhere in 11+ sec range. The winner was 2l Mitsubishi, I guess thanks to CVT.

>>

There was a comment in this forum from a guy who sold his 2.0l Civic, he said it handled like a boat.

[mikethevigoman]

Get the mazda, much better /newer design. and the civic is bland,

[culicine]

I seriously doubt it would outrun 320 in 0-100 race.

Official time for the previous civic 2.0 was 0-100 in 9.6 seconds, as tested with a Vericom (I recall that from the review of the civic and other similar models a few years back), that is very accurate instrument. Off the line a standard 2.0 lancer won't touch it; not sure about the mazda 3 though. The tiptronic is a bit of a gimic, in it only allows you to hold in a gear to the redline. That makes it a bit more flexible.

Doesn't the 320 have a larger engine? Check out:

http://www.oneshift.com/pdb/cdr.php?pid=51...Fm%3D4%26aso%3D

Similar 0-100 times for the civic as this car.

[culicine]

Sorry, I didn;t mean it was an afficial Honda time, but that the time was recorded with an accurate instrument. No, I've never seen an Offical honda time, in the same way you won;t see on for the Corolla (never found one anyway!).

[Gary A]

The Honda may (?) be the better car but the Mazda in my eyes is by far the better looking car. I wanted a Honda Civic but bought the Ford Focus because I liked the looks much better.

I thought you bought the Ford for this reason:

"

I had decided on a Honda Civic but ended up with a new Ford Focus because of the 0% interest. I wasn't real happy about taking money out of the stock market to buy a car so the no interest appealed to me. The new Focus Ghia was 939,000 baht. I wanted a new 4X4 pickup but the wife won that argument because we already have a pickup and it was hard to argue that I needed another pickup.

"

Link to previous topic on Thaivisa

North

Had I bought what I REALLY wanted, I would have had a new Ford 4X4. I do happen to like the looks of the Focus much better than the Civic and the no interest certainly tipped the balance.

[onnut]

320 sold in Thailand has 150 hp and 180 Nm torque, higher than Civic, though Civic gets more power as it revs higher.

I seriously doubt it would outrun 320 in 0-100 race.

I also doubt that you'll find any official Honda performance figures. That oversight is more than compensated by faithful Honda fans who are absolutely convinced that their cars are the fastest in the world.

Seriously, Honda Thailand doesn't have ANY statistics on its website, and nothing about tiptronic transmission either. Just five speed auto with manual up and down shifts on the steering wheel. I remember power outputs from the Motorshow.

I once saw performance comparison in a Thai magazine. They didn't have 2l Civic there but 1.8l version was somewhere in 11+ sec range. The winner was 2l Mitsubishi, I guess thanks to CVT.

>>

There was a comment in this forum from a guy who sold his 2.0l Civic, he said it handled like a boat.

the bm weighs half a tonne more than the civic, same sized engine. top speed of bmw is 210 KPH, ive had 225 KPH from my civic, scary but did it. the civic will beat 1-100 for sure, do the maths!

The tiptronic gears are good and you can rev the h-ll out of these cars which help make it slightly faster also. but you know what? if I had the money I would have a BMW.

[madjbs]

Too simplistic! the reason one may have a higher top spead is most likely because the gear ratios are slightly different. Its already been said the civic is good for the highway, therefore you expect fairly high ratio gears. As I said before the 0-100 time for the 320 is 7.8, thats a fair bit faster than the civic but not as fast as an Impreza or a Evo. The civic has a disadvantage for 0-100 times as well due to the fact its FWD, it has less grip.

[Plus]

Honda has a range of 2.0l engines pumping out as much as 222 hp, you have to be sure that Civic tested by Verison had the same engine.

9.6 doesn't sound out fo the range, though. Mitsu had 10+ sec.

Currenly 2.0l sold in Thailand is not used in the US or Europe.

BMW gives official performance numbers on its website, weight 1495 kg. Civic is probably 1100-1200kg.

If Civic was faster than 320, wouldn't Honda put at least something about its performance out? No numbers are ever given - no car dimensions, no weight, nothing. What's Civic's redline? What's its torque distribution? Gear ratios? The company doesn't care to present even basic specs.

In the meantime Honda fans tend to make outrageous claims, while the company's unofficial motto is "almost as good as Toyota".

When Honda was considering making Civic TypeR here they needed to sell at least 100 cars per month, but Honda fans obvioulsy can't put their money where their mouths are.

There's no demand, they think current models can do 0-100 in 7 sec, and a lot faster with new Mugen stickers (no offence to Onnut meant). What more do they need?

PS. This morning I saw 2.0l Civic converted to run on natural gas. Completely defeats the purpose of buying a bigger engine with better performance. 200,000 baht extra for what?

Edited August 29, 2007 by Plus

[Gary A]

I drove the 2.0 liter Honda Civic and both it and my 1.8 liter Ford Focus are woefully underpowered.

[onnut]

I drove the 2.0 liter Honda Civic and both it and my 1.8 liter Ford Focus are woefully underpowered.

eer, try putting your food down!

[culicine]

I drove the 2.0 liter Honda Civic and both it and my 1.8 liter Ford Focus are woefully underpowered.

Compared to what?

[Plus]

I think 2.0l Civic is still the fastest car in this price range.

[onnut]

I think 2.0l Civic is still the fastest car in this price range.

you are right, for the price, it is a great car. I wonder if the OP has made up his mind yet?????????

[Plus]

Actually it's a pretty well established fact. Besides t Civis has lots of other goodies like traction control not available in competition There's also special trim for 2l - white with black interior. Two tiered instrument panes with blue lights is also stunning.

Outside Mazda is still in a different class. Civic's rear end is the ugliest butt around, and those 2.0l big red letters are completely out of style.

[mortenaa]

Actually it's a pretty well established fact. Besides t Civis has lots of other goodies like traction control not available in competition There's also special trim for 2l - white with black interior. Two tiered instrument panes with blue lights is also stunning.

Outside Mazda is still in a different class. Civic's rear end is the ugliest butt around, and those 2.0l big red letters are completely out of style.

I like Mazda on the outside aswell. I like the hatchback type cars. Audi A3 Sportback is one of my favourite cars. But the price here make it out my leauge so far.

Inside the Honda look great. The quality of the interior is similar to some German cars.

Today i'm going to the show room on Ekkamai . I've booked test drive.

[onnut]

Actually it's a pretty well established fact. Besides t Civis has lots of other goodies like traction control not available in competition There's also special trim for 2l - white with black interior. Two tiered instrument panes with blue lights is also stunning.

Outside Mazda is still in a different class. Civic's rear end is the ugliest butt around, and those 2.0l big red letters are completely out of style.

I like Mazda on the outside aswell. I like the hatchback type cars. Audi A3 Sportback is one of my favourite cars. But the price here make it out my leauge so far.

Inside the Honda look great. The quality of the interior is similar to some German cars.

Today i'm going to the show room on Ekkamai . I've booked test drive.

Good on you mate, I think you will like it. let us know.

[lotus eater]

I bought my 2 litre hatchback mazda3 a year ago - after quite a bit of research of reviews worldwide online. On baalance the mazda came out better. Having stood up to that test, its looks clinched it. And I've enjoyed the car ever since.

Didn't give resale value a second thought - and speaking for myself I wouldn't ever do that.

[matter]

I bought my 2 litre hatchback mazda3 a year ago - after quite a bit of research of reviews worldwide online. On baalance the mazda came out better. Having stood up to that test, its looks clinched it. And I've enjoyed the car ever since.

Didn't give resale value a second thought - and speaking for myself I wouldn't ever do that.

Has anyone done any modifications to their suspension set up with either the Mazda or the Honda?

[mortenaa]

Hey guys. Sorry i forgot to reply to this tread..

After test driving the Honda Civic, i fell in love. I ordered the 2.0 with all accessories, including a moderate styling kit, 16 inch rims, paddle shift, bluetooth handsfree etc.

Total price about 1,1 mill. Payed 40% cash, and got the rest on Honda finance. 15k a month * 48 months.

Had the car a couple of months now, and I'm very happy with it. The interior is great. Black and beige colours. I hear some tyre noise, but remember its a low 40-profile tyre. I like how they divide the instruments in two decks.

The engine has good power, even on low tourque. The gearbox has smooth shifts, and provides fast kick-down if u need extra acceleration. But i would maybe expect even more power from a new VTEC 2.0L engine. I suspect the engine is down-trimmed in Thailand. I wonder if i could re-program the ECU .. ?? Any experience with that anyone ?

Like norwegians say: "Løp og kjøp!!" .. Directly translates to "Run and buy"

Morten

[mortenaa]

I found this australian test of the Civic: http://www.marque.com.au/roadtests/060529_Honda_Civic.htm

[Plus]

Hey guys. Sorry i forgot to reply to this tread..

After test driving the Honda Civic, i fell in love. .. The interior is great.

I admit that I really don't care very much how my car looks on the outside - I'm not the one looking at it. i guess good feeling inside is more imporant to you, too. Why be so conscious about outwordly appearance? If taken to extremes it can drive you crazy, just like women fixated on their weight.

[dominique355]

Honda 0-100 in just over 7 secs.

Yeah, right....

If it was true then that means it would beat 2l engine BMW 320 and be on par with 2.5l engine 325.

Actually it is correct but not for the versions sold in Thailand.

Honda Civic Si sedan - I4 2.0L (197 hp) 6M + ABS 0-60 (96kph) > 6.87 Seconds

Would be a dream to get this car here in Thailand. Unfortunately the models here have 140 HP (1.8 lt), resp. 155 HP (2.0 lt). And with that power the 0 - 100 km/h might slightly increase, I guess.

I think you made a good decision, Morteena, certainly an honest and good car, the Civic. Personally I like the styling, reminds me a bit the Ferrari 400 GT / 412 GTi, especially the back with these 2 round tail lights.

[mortenaa]

Honda 0-100 in just over 7 secs.

Yeah, right....

If it was true then that means it would beat 2l engine BMW 320 and be on par with 2.5l engine 325.

Actually it is correct but not for the versions sold in Thailand.

Honda Civic Si sedan - I4 2.0L (197 hp) 6M + ABS 0-60 (96kph) > 6.87 Seconds

Would be a dream to get this car here in Thailand. Unfortunately the models here have 140 HP (1.8 lt), resp. 155 HP (2.0 lt). And with that power the 0 - 100 km/h might slightly increase, I guess.

I think you made a good decision, Morteena, certainly an honest and good car, the Civic. Personally I like the styling, reminds me a bit the Ferrari 400 GT / 412 GTi, especially the back with these 2 round tail lights.

Thanks.

I think reprogramming the ECU could give me some extra HP.. If someone have tips where to go, please let me know.

[fm2002]

Hey guys. Sorry i forgot to reply to this tread..

After test driving the Honda Civic, i fell in love. I ordered the 2.0 with all accessories, including a moderate styling kit, 16 inch rims, paddle shift, bluetooth handsfree etc.

Total price about 1,1 mill. Payed 40% cash, and got the rest on Honda finance. 15k a month * 48 months.

Had the car a couple of months now, and I'm very happy with it. The interior is great. Black and beige colours. I hear some tyre noise, but remember its a low 40-profile tyre. I like how they divide the instruments in two decks.

The engine has good power, even on low tourque. The gearbox has smooth shifts, and provides fast kick-down if u need extra acceleration. But i would maybe expect even more power from a new VTEC 2.0L engine. I suspect the engine is down-trimmed in Thailand. I wonder if i could re-program the ECU .. ?? Any experience with that anyone ?

Like norwegians say: "Løp og kjøp!!" .. Directly translates to "Run and buy"

Morten

Great thread. Considering the exact same cars. Had a couple questions:

1) How long did you have to wait to receive your car (read some nightmare stories)

2) What other options if any are available

3) What did you need to provide other than the downpayment to receive finanancing (40% down and payments no problem, but don't work here and currently on Touurist Visa)

4) Dealer satisfaction ?

5) What would you of done different

6) recommended research links ?

I live down in Pattaya so I'm not sure yet on avalability which is important. Might have to go elsewhere (BKK) to find what I want.