2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2019 Mazda MAZDA3

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 was one of the best-looking cars on the market, despite not being a sports or luxury car. Mazda designers created a dramatic design that captured attention, putting the industry on notice. The Mazda3 came in both sedan and hatchback forms, with the hatchback particularly standing out due to its clean panels, sharply raked rear window, and sports-car-like taillights. The interior was equally impressive, featuring clean, uncluttered spaces and seamless technology integration, making it feel more luxurious than its price suggested. The driver and front passenger sat low and leaned back, with controls enveloping the driver, including a naturally positioned controller dial for the 8.8-inch MazdaConnect infotainment screen.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, redesigned half a decade ago, received some styling tweaks for 2020, including new grille and headlight designs and body-color crossbars on the air intakes. The Sport Touring trim, with its Platinum White Pearl paint and glossy black detailing, garnered admiration. Inside, the Sport Touring trim featured stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though hard plastics were still present. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for Sport trim, was now available with Sport Touring trim, making it a more engaging drive. The Civic Hatchback offered a quieter, more refined ride compared to the Civic Si, with a softer, more compliant ride and wider seats.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 featured a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 186 horsepower, paired with either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission, and offered front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (AWD). The AWD option was only available with the automatic transmission. The SkyActiv-G engine provided responsive acceleration, athletic handling, and composed ride quality. Fuel economy varied, with the most efficient version being the front-wheel-drive automatic sedan with the Premium package, returning 27 mpg city, 36 highway, and 30 combined. The least efficient was the AWD hatchback, returning 24/32/27. Our test model achieved 28.2 mpg in combined driving.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, produced 174 horsepower in LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque varied depending on the transmission, with 162 lb-ft for the CVT and 177 lb-ft for the 6-speed manual. The Civic Hatchback offered a quieter, more refined ride compared to the Civic Si, with a softer, more compliant ride and wider seats. Fuel economy for the Sport Touring trim was rated at 32 mpg in combined driving, and our test car achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 sedan offered 13.2 cubic feet of trunk space, while the hatchback provided 20.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 47.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The low, sports-car-like seating position benefited front-seat passengers but made rear-seat accommodations tight, especially for taller passengers. The center console featured a deep tray and a center bin, though the armrest/console cover design was criticized for its complexity.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring. While it couldn't match the HR-V for maximum volume, the Civic Hatchback provided better acceleration and fuel efficiency. The low seating position made it less easy to get into and out of compared to the HR-V, but the Sport Touring's heated leather front seats offered ample thigh support. The center console storage area was praised for its versatility, and rear-seat comfort and legroom were surprisingly good, though the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass could make it uncomfortable for passengers.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 featured an 8.8-inch MazdaConnect infotainment system with crisp graphics, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. However, the system was entirely remote-controlled, which some users might find less intuitive. The available head-up display provided excellent graphics, and the instrument panel featured a fully digital center panel with customizable content.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, and a 12-speaker premium sound system in the Sport Touring trim. The system lacked a tuning knob and had limited voice-recognition capabilities. Standard features included automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock, providing keyless entry and automatic locking for added convenience.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3's base hatchback trim came standard with Mazda’s i-Activsense suite, including automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and driver-attention alerts. However, the auto-engage system for the parking brake was criticized for its lack of intuitiveness.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite as standard, featuring forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. However, the lane-keeping assist lacked smoothness, and the adaptive cruise control occasionally braked for no reason. The Civic Hatchback did not include blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert, relying instead on the LaneWatch system for the right-side blind spot. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to poor headlight performance, though it received top marks for crash-test performance.