Comparison tests are tough. Journalists try to be as fair as possible in the process, backing decisions up with data in fuel economy, value per dollar and much more.
But, sometimes the decision to purchase one vehicle over another comes directly from how a car presents itself. In that case, the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze will win many over. But, so will the Honda Civic.
Motor Trend has released its compact car comparison, featuring the Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, Mazda 3, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. And Chevrolet should be proud, it swept away each competitor other than the Honda Civic.
The Civic is arguably on cloud nine right now, receiving praise from nearly every corner of the automotive industry. Somehow, the Ohio-born compact car turned midsize found its mojo again. But, at the same time, so has the Chevy Cruze.
It’s a small car with big car feel, it’s loaded with technology for the youngsters and it even looks pretty darn good compared to some other designs in the segment.
But, value. That’s the ticket here. The Civic, in a lower trim level, outdid the 2016 Cruze here, while being more fun to drive in the process, and achieved better real world fuel economy.
Those are their words, not ours, but Chevrolet has certainly risen from the ashes. It knows how to build a compact car better than competitors who owned the segment for decades.
Comments
GM is definitely getting ts ‘Mojo’ back after too many years of mediocre products. My 2016 Cadillac ATS Premium is one of the best cars I’ve ever owned, and I’ve owned a lot over the years. As for Toyota, I think that they are relying on past reputation and have failed to keep up with the competition. As for Lexus: ugliest grills on the planet!
Toyota is riding on fumes. The real (quality) battle is between Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda with Kia always getting an honorable mention in the auto press.
Both Cruze and Civic are beautiful and are in some ways the new midsized with cars like Malibu taking on the large segment. It is now catch up time for Ford and Toyota and wherever replaces Dart (a car that I still think outdoes Corolla and many other class “leaders”).
GM is back. By 2020, a point at which the auto landscape will really change) I predict that GM will begin rapidly gaining enough global market share to hold off Renault-Nissan and challenge VW for second place in volume.
Have you seen the new Prius? Batgirl tail lights, midriff inspired by AMC Pacer, front by Hitler’s mustache. I wouldn’t drive it for free.
I wouldnt begrudge honda this win. I think the new cruze is alright, but it almost looks like it was designed head-on against the old civic. The new civic just has the appearance of a more-refined sedan. Feels almost like it could be compared directly to the malibu or accord. Plus honda has some secret sauce when it comes to fuel economy. They consistently beat their EPA numbers without turbos, while companies like ford have real world economy that is lower than EPA.
I’m driving a 2016 Cruze right now and have exceeded the EPA fuel economy numbers. In mixed driving, I am over 42 mpg which I believe is the EPA Highway number.
Agreed! I’m far from a Honda fan boy but admire Civic because they have managed to build a fantastic vehicle much better than Focus or any segment rivals aside from Cruze and Mazda 3. Dart gets ignored but deserves honorable mention for linear handling, and, as a regular rental driver, I’d rather drive these compacts over a Fusion or Camry .
Here is the truth on the Honda.
Motor Trend Aug 2016 page 19
“Have you been seeing a lot of new Honda Civics around? If so, there’s a good reason why. They’re loaded with class-exclusive features, and they cost less than the competition at the same trim levels.
What they don’t do, according to well-placed sources, is make money. In fact, Honda may even be losing money on every new Civic it sells.
No doubt the strategy is to capture market share by undercutting the competition, but you have to wonder how long a company, even one as big as Honda, can afford to lose money on a high-volume car. The even more important question is what will happen when Honda finally jacks up the price?”
On the other hand GM is making money on the Cruze. Hmm.
While Honda delivers MPG it lacks in performance to the others. While not important to all it is a key selling point to most.
Besides the Cruze MPG vs performance makes it a really a good deal.
Honda is a good car but it is not the car it used to be and the others are also much better cars than they used to be.
There are no free lunches anymore for anyone including Honda and Toyota.
Makes sense. The civic must be losing money for Honda since 1972.
When the Honda owners begin to pay through their noses for parts and servicing, then they will see and admit that they bought the wrong car!
WE test drove a lot of cars in this class this late winter/almost spring and the old cruze was all that was available. I used to sell them. It is doggie! It is a plain jane. I like the new Civic. The Focus, the Civic, were on the top, the Mazda & Jetta S was tied with them. I liked the Kia Forte 5 with the turbo & the Hyundai Volster Turbo also was my top choice. We both liked the Civic EX-T. It had power and fuel economy and was a real nice ride. All the cars we looked at or considered had a sport package/suspension package and the largest motor available with automatic. My wife does not want manual and should not be allowed to own one! LOL We would replacing clutches all the time. LOL My wife is an accountant so in the end payments won out. We ended up with the Focus SE Hatchback with the Sport Package. It looks like the ST. It has a better suspension than the standard Focus. I really like the hatch. We can get a lot of stuff in it were with a sedan from all the manufactures the opening is so small you can not carry any large cargo. To bad GM is so slow on getting a hatch back on the market. But that is typical GM. Always was and still is dragging their feet with a new concept in the market. I ran into this all the time selling GM products which I did for over 36 years and plenty of sales awards.
I think they dotted lot of points on the 5 year cost to own for the Cruze
Must admit, the current Honda Civic is a nice car. However, the CVT transmission is a no-go for me.
Looks like there might be a Cruze in my future. My wife likes it, too.
The Cruze and the Civic both have sedans. Honda has a coupe so why in the world won’t Chevy drop us a little Cruze Coupe? A few years back they threatened us with visions of a Cruze SS Coupe with the 2.0 turbo making it quite sexy. Making the the hatchback is a bold move considering Subaru buyers wont likely convert and prominantly puts the “why (Y)” in sexy. Just for a little lesson in history we should call it the Cruze Maxx. Hotcakes I tell ya, hotcakes……..don’t bother running for the syrup, your’e going to have plenty of time. I sure hope I’m wrong, but you gotta figure if it would be a winner Honda and Toyota would still make them too, meanwhile if you wanna coupe from Chevy get a Camaro or a Vette or act like the back doors dont work on a Spark.