Honda Civic vs. Mazda3: Which compact saves more?

Big car: In terms of space, the Civic clearly beats its competitors – the car is and looks airier.

So much in advance: The mix of 2.0-liter petrol engine, electric motor and extra generator unit, including a special power distribution without a gearbox, actually works very economically and unexpectedly without complaint in the Civic e:HEV – we are definitely surprised.

The Mazda breaks its consumption promise

According to the WLTP, the Mazda3 e-Skyactiv X should only consume 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers. In our test he is thirstier.

The slightly electrified 2.0er with delicate supercharging, which ignites according to the Skyactiv-X principle, should not consume more than 5.3 liters of Super per 100 kilometers. Sounds great – we’ll check that out.

The Civic has a mid-range feel

First to the character of the two. After a few meters in the Honda, the question arises: is this really a compact car? The Civic looks airy, is full, touches well, makes something. Could also be middle class. In fact, the Honda beats the Mazda in terms of space and sense of space by important points. In addition, the trunk is larger, the rear seat can be folded more easily, the door cutouts are larger.

In addition, the Civic is tuned to be more comfortable. Where the sporty, tighter Mazda finds it difficult to iron over it smoothly, the Honda hugs the road more gently. The complex drive system also hardly bothers you. The interplay of pure electric drive, exclusive combustion engine driving and combined variants via clutches and power switches works audibly, but in the end it is pleasantly cultivated and hidden away.

In terms of quality, Honda could improve

This sometimes feels very passive for the driver, especially when accelerating slightly, but it always moves smoothly and even at high speeds it still pushes forward. One can say here: The Honda is the more universal, more sociable car in this test. But it’s a pity: The Civic seems unlovingly mounted, the unfinished painted areas in the entrances and unstable armrests sensitively disturb the impression of quality.

Worse still, Honda follows the now-typical quirk of controlling everything from the central touchscreen. Menus and sub-levels are plentiful, “target points” for selecting the functions are tiny, the work surface is far away – this makes operation strenuous, ultimately the system distracts a lot.

The operation works better in the Mazda3

That works better in the Mazda: the reason is the small knob in the center console. Here you can GPS and control infotainment perfectly. As in the Honda, the Mazda driver also looks at a clearly drawn round speedometer, the air conditioning is set using a rotary control – that’s how it should be.

Easy to understand: Mazda relies on a rotary pushbutton in the center console for operation – that works very well.

Elaborate engine technology in the Mazda is hardly noticeable

As with the Honda, there is little evidence of the complex inner workings of the 2.0 engine. The four-cylinder runs linearly through its speed range, there’s not a lot of thrust – despite the supercharging of the machine – but just as little strained undertones.

However, the Skyactiv-X technology does not work as well as Honda’s savings concept. According to our measurements, the Mazda3 burned an average of 6.7 liters of Super – at least 1.3 liters more than the Civic. It’s a shame for the Mazda, especially as it brings the more mature front seats (with better lateral support) that are more suitable for long journeys.

For the sake of completeness: Even if the 3 lags behind in the sprint, on the highway it casually hangs on the Honda, which is limited to 180 km/h. But that’s not an important discipline when fuel prices are around two euros.