2024 Honda Civic vs 2023 Cadillac CT5

In Southern California, the 2023 Cadillac CT5 stood out amidst a sea of Asian and German luxury cars, drawing attention and admiration from onlookers. The test vehicle, a CT5-V, was painted in a distinctive light gray metallic color called Rift, which, combined with its 19-inch aluminum wheels with a Pearl Nickel finish, made it a rare sight on the roads. The CT5-V, positioned between the standard CT5 and the high-performance CT5-V Blackwing, offered a sporty yet luxurious experience. Despite its competitive pricing against German rivals, the interior quality revealed a mix of high-end materials and less impressive details, such as hard plastic panels and unlined storage areas. However, the CT5-V boasted standard features like ambient lighting, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, making its technology user-friendly and accessible.

The 2024 Honda Civic Si, a sport-injected version of the Civic sedan, continued to embody the spirit of compact, quick, and fun cars. With its stealth-mode styling, the Civic Si featured LED headlights, a gloss-black lip spoiler, and 18-inch wheels with a matte-black finish. Inside, the Civic Si was more expressive, with red seat and door panel inserts, a metal mesh strip hiding the dashboard air vents, and polished metal detailing. The base price of the Civic Si was $29,100, with our test car's Blazing Orange Pearl paint adding a slight premium. The Civic Si maintained its reputation for performance and driving engagement, offering a balance of practicality and sportiness.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V was powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine, delivering 360 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. This engine outperformed the base engines of its German competitors but fell short compared to the BMW M340i and Mercedes-AMG C 43. Weighing 3,974 pounds, the CT5-V could accelerate to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, though it sounded faster than it felt. The car featured a 10-speed automatic transmission, which, while generally reliable, occasionally required manual intervention via paddle shifters for optimal performance. The CT5-V offered various driving modes, including Tour, Sport, Track, My Mode, and V-Mode, allowing drivers to tailor the car's characteristics to their preferences. Despite its impressive balance, body control, and grip, the CT5-V's steering lacked feel and feedback, and the car's overall refinement was lacking, with noticeable road noise and suspension racket.

The 2024 Honda Civic Si was equipped with a high-output version of the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. Paired with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, the Civic Si offered a dynamic driving experience. The drivetrain featured a single-mass lightweight flywheel and a helical limited-slip differential, enhancing cornering performance. The Civic Si's suspension, larger brakes, and dual-pinion variable-ratio steering system contributed to its agility and responsiveness. The car's driving modes, including Normal, Sport, and Individual, allowed for adjustments to throttle response and steering effort. While the Civic Si excelled in urban and suburban settings, it truly shone on twisty roads like Mulholland Highway, offering excellent forward visibility, precise steering, and tenacious grip. However, the braking system showed signs of overheating during hot testing weather, raising concerns about its reliability.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5 offered a spacious and comfortable interior, with Inteluxe artificial leather wrapping the standard 18-way power-adjustable front performance seats. Genuine leather, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel were optional. The rear seats provided decent knee clearance and good foot room, though the cut of the door frame made entry and exit challenging. The CT5-V's trunk space was limited to 11.9 cubic feet, with a narrow opening that made packing difficult. However, Cadillac provided some hidden storage under the trunk floor and a deep well for carrying items like bottles of wine.

The 2024 Honda Civic Si balanced practicality and performance, with sport-bolstered front seats wrapped in cloth and a manual driver’s seat height adjuster. While entering and exiting the car required some effort due to its low stance, the Civic Si offered a surprisingly roomy back seat with generous legroom. Storage space for the driver and front passenger was ample, though the bin under the center armrest was small. The Civic Si's cargo space was commendable at 14.4 cubic feet, allowing for full-size suitcases to be stowed on their sides. A standard 60/40-split folding back seat provided additional flexibility for carrying longer items.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5 featured the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system, which included a 10-inch touchscreen display and numerous standard features such as Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, and a Bose 15-speaker premium audio system. The system's simplicity and user-friendly controls made it easy to operate, with stereo volume and radio tuning controls conveniently located on the center console. While the test car lacked an embedded navigation system, Apple CarPlay provided reliable navigation. Cadillac also offered optional upgrades like a head-up display, a high-definition surround-view camera, and a Performance Data Recorder.

The 2024 Honda Civic Si came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a 12-speaker Bose Centerpoint premium audio system. The infotainment system was straightforward to use, with physical controls for stereo power and volume, as well as steering wheel controls for adjusting volume and tuning stations. The Civic Si's interior technology was simple yet satisfying, providing a seamless user experience.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5 was equipped with the Cadillac Smart System, which included forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and a vibrating Safety Alert Seat. The CT5-V added features like adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and front parking sensors. The optional Super Cruise 1 Package offered hands-free driving assistance on approved highways, with adaptive cruise control, lane-centering, and lane-change systems. While Super Cruise was impressive, it required driver attention and occasional manual intervention.

The 2024 Honda Civic Si featured the Honda Sensing collection of advanced driving assistance systems, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. However, the system proved irksome during testing, with lane-keeping assist and lane-centering assist causing frustration. The Civic Si earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, though it received an Acceptable rating in moderate overlap frontal-impact and side-impact collisions.