2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Lexus ES

Half a decade ago, Honda redesigned the Civic, which was its rival to the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla, among others. For 2020, Honda tweaked the styling a bit, adding body-color crossbars to the huge fake air intakes, a new grille, and smoked headlights. New wheel designs also debuted. The top-of-the-line Sport Touring trim, dressed in Platinum White Pearl paint, delivered maximum contrast against the car’s glossy black detailing. Inside, the Sport Touring included stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though there was still plenty of hard plastic. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for Sport trim, was now available with Sport Touring trim for 2020.

The 2021 Lexus ES lineup expanded to include the new ES 250 series, featuring a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). The ES 350, with a 3.5-liter V6 and front-wheel drive (FWD), remained available. Lexus also offered the ES 300h, a gas-electric hybrid version. The ES 350 F Sport Black Line Special Edition featured extra-cost paint, triple-beam LED headlights, and a host of luxury features. The F Sport trim added 19-inch wheels, unique styling details, and a black headliner. The Black Line Special Edition came in black, white, or Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 paint, with black wheels and a black and white interior. Lexus produced just 1,500 examples, each with a matching two-piece set of Zero Halliburton luggage.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder powertrain, made 174 horsepower with LX, EX, and EX-L trim and 180 horsepower with Sport and Sport Touring trim. Torque measured 162 pound-feet with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission. The engine was quiet, refined, and well-mannered, though the transmission’s clutch travel and gearbox throws were long. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring offered a softer, more compliant ride, wider seats, and a quieter cabin compared to the Civic Si. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2021 Lexus ES 350 had a 3.5-liter V6 engine generating 302 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The ES 350 F Sport, with adaptive damping suspension, added Sport+ and Custom driving modes. Lexus claimed the ES 350 accelerated to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, with an EPA fuel economy rating of 25 mpg in combined driving. The test car averaged 22.9 mpg on the testing loop. The ES 350 F Sport felt quicker than its claimed acceleration time, though it could benefit from a torque-vectoring AWD system. The ES 350 F Sport offered a firm ride, flat cornering stance, and overall athleticism, though it was not an outright sports sedan.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring. The Civic Hatchback’s heated leather front seats provided ample thigh support, though the passenger seat lacked a height adjuster. The center console storage area was long and deep, with a sliding armrest, tray, and cupholders. Rear-seat comfort and legroom were good, but the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass made passengers swelter on the black leather bench.

The 2021 Lexus ES 350 F Sport had sport-bolstered front seats with 10-way power adjustment, heating, and ventilation. The NuLuxe synthetic leather looked and felt like the real deal, and the bottom cushions provided excellent thigh support. Rear-seat passengers enjoyed good foot and legroom, a supportive bottom cushion, and a comfortable backrest angle. The ES provided rear air conditioning vents and an available power rear window sunshade. The trunk measured 13.9 cubic feet, with an optional hands-free power trunk.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a stylish dashboard with digital instrumentation and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in all but LX trim. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, text-messaging support, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were standard.

The 2021 Lexus ES had a touchpad interface that required looking at the screen to navigate, which could be distracting. However, the climate controls and primary stereo controls were separate, with a combination volume and tuning knob within reach. The ES featured dynamic voice command technology, a 12.3-inch widescreen display, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, and connected services. The 12.3-inch display added a dynamic navigation system and Destination Assist connected services. A 10-speaker premium sound system was standard, with an available 17-speaker, 1,800-watt Mark Levinson high-end sound system.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driving-assistance and collision-avoidance safety features as standard equipment. This suite included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and a Road Departure Mitigation system. Adaptive cruise control was also standard. However, the Civic lacked a blind-spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to a Poor performance in the headlight category, though it received top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Lexus ES included Lexus Safety System 2.0 (LSS 2.0), which bundled forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, lane-centering assistance, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, a road-sign recognition system, and automatic high-beam headlights. For 2021, Lexus added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard equipment for all versions except the base trim. The ES received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.