Honda Civic vs Toyota GR86

It’s been almost half a decade since Honda introduced this latest Civic. That’s hard to believe, because this car has aged with remarkable grace. After a mild update for the 2025 model year, the 2026 Civic lineup carries over unchanged. It continues to offer sedans and hatchbacks, with or without hybrid power. Sporty Si and performance-tuned Type R variants are also available, but Honda still doesn’t offer the Civic with all-wheel drive. Does that matter? Seemingly not, because the Civic is Honda’s second-best-selling car (behind the CR-V), and one of the top-selling compact cars in America.

Verdict: You’ll pay a premium to buy a Honda Civic. In many ways, it’s worth the extra money. In others, not so much. Still, while there are better deals in the compact car class, few are as satisfying to drive, and that’s true even when the Civic is equipped with its base engine.

There aren’t too many inexpensive sports cars available these days. Sure, you can always head to the Porsche dealership and spend six figures to get a car with so much power it really belongs on a race track, but who has that kind of money? For the rest of us, there is the 2025 Toyota GR86. This affordable sports car offers up plenty of thrills without breaking the bank and it’s just as comfortable on a twisty mountain road as it is running weekend errands.

Now in its second generation, the 2025 GR86 gets a few performance upgrades as well as a limited-production Hakone Edition, playing homage to the Hakone Turnpike in Japan, a road popular with driving enthusiasts. While the Hakone Edition served as our tester for this review, there is still plenty of fun to be had with the base and Premium trims.

Verdict: The 2025 Toyota GR86 is a nimble little sports car, perfect for those who want cheap thrills, good looks and a manual transmission option.