Quick and punchy vs. sharply stylish
COMPARISON: Honda’s quirky newest Civic variant is a sportier alternative to the Chevy Cruze hatchback
Occasionally, we hand the keys of a test vehicle to two of our experts to hear what they have to say. Here’s what auto journalists Clayton Seams and Nick Tragianis think about two new players in the compact hatchback segment: the 2017 Honda Civic and the Chevrolet Cruze.
Clayton Seams: Is it 1998? I feel like it must be, because both Chevrolet and Honda are again offering five-door hatchback versions of their compact cars. Chevy has introduced the Cruze hatch — which Europe has had for years — and the new nuclear-tadpole-on-acid-looking Civic is again offered with a hatch, another option Europeans have had for years. Both cars are new for 2017, both have sub-2.0litre turbo-four engines and both are priced within a few thousand dollars of each other.
I’m backing the Cruze here. It has to be the winner. For starters, it’s a sharp-looking hatchback. It’s not over styled, it has good proportions and it isn’t covered in fake scoops and spoilers like the Civic. It also has a more open interior, with better sight lines, and 100 per cent flat cargo floor. Nick, how can the Civic even touch this?
Nick Tragianis: Simple. The Civic hatchback is faster. Unlike the Civic sedan and coupe, the hatch is only available with Honda’s new 1.5-L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. You can spec it with either a six-speed manual or a CVT, but do yourself a favour and stick with the stick shift. It’s not perfect, but the Civic comes alive and it’s actually rather quick. Plus, as a whole, the Civic is more fun and tossable.
Now, that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the Cruze. Although its 1.4-L turbo-four pumps out 153 hp, it does beat the Civic’s torque figure, with 177 lb-ft on tap. You can also spec it with a manual transmission, but it just isn’t as much of a hoot as the Civic; it’s quick enough, but definitely not as punchy. It makes sense: the Cruze hatch is simply better at being a “regular car.”
CS: The Civic might be available with a manual transmission, but it’s infuriating to drive. The revs hang forever and you spend most of the time just waiting for the revs to fall so you can upshift to the next gear. Honda likely does this to prevent a too-rich burn when revs drop quickly. So rather than engineer a solution to this, it just re-mapped the throttle to hang a little bit as the revs fall. It’s lazy engineering.
Another case of poor engineering can be found in the sheer size of the thing. This Civic would dwarf the Accords of just a few years ago. Despite all that extra girth, it’s more cavelike inside. The smaller Cruze has better visibility, more shoulder room and a flat cargo floor. Yes, the Cruze is slower, but who drag races these things, anyway?
NT: You’re right. No one drag races these things, so why should the rev-hang you point out matter? True, I did notice it in the Civic, but it honestly didn’t bother me. And I’m sure it won’t bother 99 per cent of buyers. You’re splitting hairs here!
On the other hand, I do agree with you in terms of size. The Civic seems fairly bloated on the outside, and its sheet metal is a tad over styled. It doesn’t look bad, but it’s not the most attractive car in the segment and it probably won’t age well. I do like the interior, mostly.
It’s plenty roomy and the materials are better than the Cruze, but that infotainment system is infernal. It still has that silly volume adjustment slider, and the system itself isn’t exactly the smartest when it comes to using onscreen real estate; I found some of the bits of text difficult to read, which is bad news considering you have to take your eyes off the road multiple times.
Plus it’s one of those systems that buries most climate-control adjustments in digital menus. Not very smart.
In terms of livability, the Cruze just makes more sense. These two are fairly close in terms of interior dimensions, but as you mentioned, the Cruze has a completely flat load floor behind the rear seats, doing wonders for storage. The centre stack is laid out a lot better than the Civic and although the materials seem a little low rent — I can’t stand that fabric on the dashboard — the Cruze hatch does a better job at mitigating road and wind noise. Plus it has on-board Wi-Fi! Nifty. If you don’t care about driving dynamics, the Cruze is arguably the superior choice over the Civic.
CS: Well, I still think the Civic looks like a nuclear tadpole but I have to admit, it is more engaging to drive. The Civic also tops the Cruze in the quality of interior materials, but it’s not a perfect car. Honda still needs to quit omitting volume knobs and it has some design details that make my eye twitch. But overall, it’s a cohesive package that’s fast and fun to drive.
It’s important to note that both of these hatchbacks do a great job at their intended purpose, but the Civic does it with a bit more flair and excitement.
Yes, the looks are extreme, and yes, the rev hang is annoying, but if you want a hatchback that does everything you need it to, the Civic wins this little comparison.