2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Lexus IS

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 little bit. The huge fake air intakes got body-color crossbars that dialed them down, the grille was new, and the headlights took on a smoked appearance. New wheel designs also debuted. The test car, dressed in top-of-the-line Sport Touring trim, had Platinum White Pearl paint, delivering maximum contrast against the car’s glossy black detailing. Several family members mistook it for a Type R. Inside, the Sport Touring included stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials. The test car also had a six-speed manual gearbox, formerly reserved for Sport trim but available with Sport Touring trim for 2020. The price came to $28,980, including the destination charge.

The 2021 Lexus IS made several statements about its driver. It was athletically proportioned and had a great stance. The IS looked like it was traveling forward even while standing still. The fast roofline split the difference between the currently fashionable coupe-like dome and a fastback. An interesting kick-up of the window base at the back of the passenger door shortened the greenhouse visually, making the cabin look more compact and sportier. A new version of the Lexus signature “spindle” grille was filled with an attractive diamond mesh, and narrow headlights gave the IS an assertive squint. Inside, the dash was tastefully simple, and the interior matched the exterior with bold, assertive choices, authentic lines and build quality, and a modern aesthetic.

Equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder powertrain, the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback made 174 horsepower with LX, EX, and EX-L trim and 180 horsepower with Sport and Sport Touring trim. Torque measured 162 pound-feet from 1,700 rpm to 5,500 rpm with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) and 177 lb-ft from 1,900 rpm to 5,000 rpm with the 6-speed manual transmission. The engine was quiet, refined, and well-mannered at all times. The transmission’s clutch travel and gearbox throws were unexpectedly long. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring were easier to live with on a daily basis, with a softer and more compliant ride, wider seats, a quieter cabin, and hushed exhaust. 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 IS 300 with rear-wheel drive (RWD) got a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine with a turbocharger that put out 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The IS 300 with all-wheel drive (AWD) got a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine tuned to produce 260 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, while the IS 350 models, both AWD and RWD, got the same V6, but various tweaks cranked it up to 311 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. RWD models came with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, while AWD models got a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The IS had a 54/46 front/rear balance and weighed in at 3,748 pounds. The EPA estimated fuel economy at 21 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, 25 mpg combined for the IS 300 RWD, 19/26/22 for the IS 300 AWD. The IS 350 RWD was rated at 20/28/23, and the IS 350 AWD was rated at 19/26/22.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback had 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, a little more than the Honda HR-V Touring (23.2 cubes). The Hatch couldn’t match the HR-V for maximum volume (46.2 cubic feet vs. 57.6 cubic feet), but it offered better acceleration and fuel efficiency. The driver’s seat was low, but once settled into the Sport Touring’s heated leather front seats, the driver would be comfortable. The center console storage area was long and deep, with a sliding armrest, sliding interior tray, and sliding cupholders. Comfort and legroom in the rear seats were good, but without air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass, passengers could swelter on the black leather bench.

The 2021 Lexus IS had a great driver position, easily adjustable and paired with a comfortable, supportive seat. The F Sport trim's bolstered seat was standard in IS 350 models, and it included heating and ventilation. The IS came with perforated NuLuxe fabric, a synthetic upholstery that Lexus said had “the look and feel of leather without the added cost and care.” The IS had ample storage space, from an open cubby at the bottom of the center stack to twin cupholders in the center console, big door pockets, a decent glovebox, and an under-armrest compartment. The second row was comfortable for two, cramped for three, and legroom had to be negotiated with front-seat occupants. Trunk space was adequate at 10.8 cubic feet, and it was surprisingly deep in configuration.

Front-seat occupants of the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback faced a stylish dashboard equipped with digital instrumentation and, in all but LX trim, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system display complete with Bluetooth and a volume knob for the audio system. The Sport Touring trim level included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto smartphone integration, satellite radio, text-messaging support, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. Automatic climate control was standard, and most versions of the car came with Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock.

The 2021 Lexus IS offered a touchscreen infotainment system that ran both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The touchpad remained but was no longer the default option for most drivers. Lexus Enform Safety Connect came with a three-year trial subscription, Lexus Enform Service Connect came with a 10-year complimentary subscription, and Lexus Enform WiFi came with a 4GB/three-month trial. The Mark Levinson 17-speaker, 1,800-watt premium surround-sound audio system with Quantum Logic surround was a recommended tech option, starting at $1,080. The IS’s system was superb and still included a CD player.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite as standard equipment. This 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. The Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) due to a Poor performance in the headlight category. The Civic got top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Lexus IS had not yet been rated for crashworthiness by the IIHS or received an overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Lexus loaded the IS with its standard Lexus Safety System+ 2.5, which included a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with steering assist, road-sign recognition, enhanced lane-tracing assist, full-speed dynamic adaptive cruise control, and intelligent high beams. The IS also came with blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a backup camera with dynamic gridlines, LED headlamps, taillamps, and running lights, and Lexus Enform Safety Connect.