2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Toyota Corolla

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 featured Platinum White Pearl paint, which contrasted nicely with 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 Toyota Corolla, especially in SE or XSE trim, was arguably the most attractive Corolla in recent history. It featured sport-design bumpers, a mesh grille insert, a subtle body kit, a twin-outlet exhaust, and 18-inch aluminum wheels. However, the design had some quirks, such as the hood shut line that visually truncated the front end. The rear quarter view was the car’s best angle, but even here, the standard Corollas had a wildly over-styled rear bumper. The Corolla SE and XSE trims offered a more powerful engine, different transmissions, a Sport driving mode, and bigger wheels and tires. The XSE trim also featured a well-appointed interior with soft leatherette for the dashboard and robust switchgear.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, made 174 horsepower with LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower with Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque measured 162 lb-ft with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic Hatchback was front-wheel drive and offered a quiet, refined, and well-mannered engine. The transmission’s clutch travel and gearbox throws were long, marking a difference from the Civic Si, which was tighter and tauter. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring were easier to live with daily, offering a softer ride, wider seats, and a quieter cabin. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla SE and XSE featured a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, producing 169 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 151 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. It paired with a Dynamic Shift CVT, paddle shifters, and a Sport driving mode. The XSE test car’s CVT used a mechanical first gear to eliminate drivetrain slip, and its ten programmed ratios did an excellent job of hiding typical CVT traits. The Corolla sat on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, which provided a low center of gravity and enjoyable driving dynamics. The SE and XSE trims had 18-inch aluminum wheels and more aggressive 225/40 all-season tires. The Corolla XSE demonstrated predictable handling characteristics and was engaging enough for a compact car. The EPA rated the Corolla XSE at 34 mpg in combined driving, and it averaged 31.1 mpg on a mountainous route.

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’s ability to accelerate and its fuel efficiency made it a better choice. The driver’s seat was low, but once settled into the Sport Touring’s heated leather front seats, it provided ample thigh support. 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 Toyota Corolla XSE offered numerous upgrades over the SE trim, including SofTex leatherette seats with striped fabric inserts, front-seat heating, and eight-way power driver’s seat adjustment. This feature provided added comfort and a commanding driving position. The rear seat cushions provided good support but headroom and legroom were tight, and there were no air conditioning vents for rear passengers. The Corolla’s trunk offered 13.1 cubic feet of cargo space, less than some competitors but more than others. The Corolla hatchback offered 17.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat.

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 also standard.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla added Android Auto as standard equipment for 2021, joining Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Every Corolla also had a free year of Safety Connect services and free access to a Wi-Fi hotspot for three months. The SE and XSE trims featured an 8-inch touchscreen, with the XSE benefiting from Service Connect and Remote Connect. The SE and XSE also offered a nine-speaker JBL premium sound system, dynamic voice recognition, dynamic navigation, and Destination Assist service. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with knobs for radio volume and tuning and physical shortcut buttons.

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, but it received top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla featured the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (TSS 2.0) collection of advanced driving assistance systems as standard. This included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, lane-centering assistance, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Corolla also added standard rear side-impact airbags and a blind-spot warning system with rear cross-traffic warning. The 2020 Corolla earned a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the IIHS and a 5-star overall rating from the NHTSA. The 2021 model required re-testing due to the addition of new airbags.