2020 Honda Civic vs 2021 BMW 5 Series

The 2020 Honda Civic was a standout in Honda's lineup, offering a level of engineering excellence typically found in more expensive brands like BMW. Despite being a $20,000 compact car, it came in three body styles—sedan, coupe, and 4-door hatchback—each showcasing a sharp design that belied its small footprint. The sedan featured an elongated, elegant body with a svelte roofline, while the hatchback had a quirky tall rump. The 2019 model year brought upgrades to the grilles, bumpers, and wheels, which carried over to 2020. The Civic Si sedan and coupe received new matte-black 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights, and standard LED headlights. The interior was simple yet high-quality, with soft-touch rubbers, high-quality switchgear, and pleasing design elements like gloss-black trim and a pulsing red start button.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series had the most restrained design among BMW sedans, lacking the flourishes of the 3 Series or the imposing size of the 7 Series. For 2021, it received a minor styling refresh, including more streamlined LED headlights and a larger twin-kidney grille. The M Sport Package added trapezoidal tailpipes, new L-shaped taillights, and updated bumpers. The interior retained the familiar BMW layout, with a specific style evident in the positioning of the touchscreen, the shifter, and the typefaces. Lower trim levels featured SensaTec upholstery, while higher trims offered Dakota and Nappa leather. The 540i xDrive test car had Nappa leather and aluminum trim, but the standard leather-wrapped "sport" steering wheel felt out of place.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered four engines and two transmissions, all front-wheel drive. The base LX and Sport trims had a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT. The EX and higher trims featured a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine producing 174 hp and 162 lb-ft, with the hatchback versions making 180 hp. The Civic Si had a boosted 1.5-liter engine with 205 hp and 192 lb-ft, while the Type R boasted 306 hp and 295 lb-ft. The Si and Type R came exclusively with a stick-shift. The Si's adaptive dampers and precise steering made it a thrill to drive, despite some turbo lag. The EPA rated the Si at 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series offered a range of powertrains. The base 530i had a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 248 hp and 258 lb-ft, achieving 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds. The 540i featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, producing 335 hp and 362 lb-ft, and reaching 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. The M550i xDrive had a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 532 hp and 553 lb-ft, while the M5 offered 617 hp. The 530e plug-in hybrid combined a 2.0-liter engine with an electric motor for 288 hp and 310 lb-ft, capable of 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds. The 540i xDrive test car felt sporty but lacked the "Ultimate Driving Machine" feel, being more of a luxury car with sporty pretensions.

The 2020 Honda Civic's interior improvements included a volume knob and better cupholders. The hatchback had more sound insulation, and the EX hatchback featured an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat. The three-spoke steering wheel had controls for the central display and digital instrument panel. The center console offered configurable storage with deep bins and sliding cupholders. Rear passenger space was roomy, though lacking rear air vents. The trunk provided 15 cubic feet of cargo space in the sedan, 12 cubic feet in the coupe, and 26 cubic feet in the hatchback, expandable to 46 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series, available only as a four-door sedan in the U.S., felt spacious with competitive front-seat space and ample rear-seat room. The trunk offered 14.0 cubic feet of space, more than the Audi A6 or Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with a 40/20/20 split-folding rear bench. The test car had 16-way power front seats with heating, ventilation, and driver memory. Forward visibility was poor due to the long, high hood, but a surround-view camera system helped with parking.

The 2020 Honda Civic featured a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, standard on all models except the base LX, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system was outdated and complex, but the top-end trims had Garmin-based navigation. The Civic Si included Active Sound Control, push-button start, keyless entry, a power moonroof, and heated front seats. LaneWatch provided a live feed of the blind spot when the right-hand turn signal was activated. Automatic climate control and Honda Sensing were standard on all models, with leather seats on the EX-L and rain-sensing wipers on the Touring trim.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series came with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3-inch Live Cockpit Professional digital instrument cluster. Standard features included Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, and a built-in WiFi hotspot. The graphics were excellent, but the instrument cluster layout could be confusing. The iDrive system used a rotary knob for infotainment control, with voice and gesture controls also available. Gesture controls were imprecise, making a volume knob preferable.

The 2020 Honda Civic came with Honda Sensing, which included forward collision warning, emergency forward braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The Civic earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS for all body styles except the Type R, with top "Good" ratings in all crash tests. The NHTSA rated the Civic five stars in all categories, except for four stars in the passenger frontal crash rating on the coupe.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series had not been crash-tested by the IIHS, but the 2020 model received a Top Safety Pick+ award. Standard safety features included lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams. The Driving Assistance Plus Package added adaptive cruise control, traffic-jam assist, lane-keep assist, and emergency stop assist. BMW's driver-assist tech was sophisticated and smooth, with traffic-jam assist allowing for stop-and-go driving on highways.