2020 Honda Civic vs 2021 Subaru Impreza

The 2020 Honda Civic was a standout in Honda's lineup, offering a sharp design and engineering excellence typically found in more expensive cars. Available in sedan, coupe, and hatchback body styles, the Civic directed attention to its sleek design rather than its compact size. The sedan featured a svelte roofline and elegant body, 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 updated grilles and bumpers. The interior was simple yet high-quality, with soft-touch materials and pleasing design elements like gloss-black trim and a pulsing red start button.

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Impreza adopted a more conservative design compared to its predecessors. Both the sedan and hatchback featured sleek headlights and taillights, a nicely-tapered front end, and subtle scalloping on the body sides. The Impreza Sport models had specific styling touches, including 18-inch alloy wheels. Built on the Subaru Global Platform, the Impreza shared its underpinnings with other Subaru models, contributing to its overall refinement. The interior design was typical for compact cars, with a split dashboard housing the infotainment touchscreen and various plastic elements. The Sport trim added contrast stitching, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminum pedals, while the Limited trim offered leather upholstery and LED headlights.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a range of engines and 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. 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 manual transmission. The Civic's powertrains were smooth and responsive, with the Si offering a thrilling driving experience thanks to its adaptive dampers and precise steering. The Si's fuel economy was rated at 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza featured a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine with 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Most models came with a CVT, while a five-speed manual transmission was available on the base sedan and hatchback, as well as the Impreza Sport hatchback. The Sport trim also had model-specific suspension tuning and torque vectoring for the AWD system. The Impreza provided a solid and refined ride, though it lacked the engagement of competitors like the Honda Civic. The Sport trim offered a good balance between ride quality and handling, but the engine's lack of power and noncommunicative steering limited its appeal as a driver's car.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a practical and well-designed interior. The hatchback had more sound insulation and an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat on EX models. The steering wheel featured controls for the central display and instrument panel, while the center console had configurable storage options. The Civic provided ample rear passenger space, though it lacked rear air vents. The sedan's trunk offered 15 cubic feet of cargo space, while the coupe had 12 cubic feet. The hatchback was more spacious, with 26 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 46 cubic feet with them folded down.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza provided reasonable legroom in both the sedan and hatchback, though headroom was slightly below average. The sedan's trunk had 12.3 cubic feet of space, with a standard 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The hatchback offered 20.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 55.3 cubic feet with them folded. All hatch trims except the base model had standard roof rails. Higher trims included features like heated front seats, a heated windshield, and heated exterior mirrors. The Sport trim added keyless entry and pushbutton start, while the Limited trim offered a power driver's seat and automatic climate control.

The 2020 Honda Civic's infotainment system was outdated, with a 7-inch touchscreen standard on all models except the base LX. It included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with Garmin-based navigation on top trims. The Civic Si featured Active Sound Control, push-button start, keyless entry, a power moonroof, and heated front seats. LaneWatch, a camera-based blind-spot monitoring system, was also included. Automatic climate control was standard, and Honda Sensing was available on all trims, offering active lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and auto high beams.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza's base and Premium trims had a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Bluetooth, while higher trims had an 8-inch touchscreen. The Limited trim offered TomTom-based navigation and a Harman Kardon audio system. The Impreza also had a secondary display for information like estimated range. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with large icons and easy access to important functions.

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. It received the top "Good" rating in all six crash tests and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with four stars in the passenger frontal crash rating for the coupe.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza received a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, with the highest "Good" score in all crash tests. However, it missed out on a Top Safety Pick+ award due to its standard headlights receiving a "Marginal" rating. The Limited trim's headlights received a "Good" score. The NHTSA gave the Impreza a five-star overall safety rating. The Impreza came with Subaru's EyeSight safety tech on CVT-equipped models, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and lead vehicle start alert. Additional safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and steering-responsive headlights.