what to buy Mazda 3 2015/14 or Civic 1L 2018

GK_007 · September 13, 2018

Hi All,

I am on the look out for a new car, and have drilled down to 2 options Mazda 3 2015 Or a Honda CIVIC 2018. My budget is around 5.5-6.0 max

Currently used Mazda 3s are advertised around 5.5-5.8mn and Civic 2018 SR will be around 6.0mn range. I'm so glad if you guys can give your inputs in selecting one between them. I expect to use the car for least 5 years and will be driving around 80kms per day. (in both heavy traffic and suburban areas). I am happy if I can get a combined gas mileage of around 12-14. (average)

I have couple of concerns,

1-Transmission - Mazda 3 comes with a 4 speed conventional auto and the Civic has a cvt. I currently own a cvt and got so much used to it, so feel I should stick to a cvt due to its smoothness. (However I am yet to drive a mazda 3)

2-Ground clearance - Mazda 3 has 160mm and Civic only has 133mm

3-Civic is 0 mileage whereas 3 is used.

4-Resale value-Suppose mazda 3 will depreciate more.

5-Since I will be on the road for like 3-4 hours per day wish the ride is comfy.

6-Value for money-price point civic has more features and seems worth for the money.

7-Mazda gets an agent warranty but civic not, as a agent I have'nt been with colonial not sure about their work.

TBH I am more biased towards civic, have seen some good reviews on civic however the low ground clearance and I feel doubtful about the longevity of 1L turbo engine. I went through previous posts on this, given the complexity of this engine mazda 4 cylinder 1.6 is simple and less likely to go wrong in the long term is'nt it.

Please help me in deciding. Highly appreciate your opinions on above, thank you.

Any users of above cars or both ?

*Im not in to axios, premios, priuses, vezzels etc.

Edited September 13, 2018 by GK_007

iRage · September 13, 2018

Well...haven't you already answered your own question ?

Seems like you have gone through the threads on both cars and gathered all the facts, I doubt we can add anything more to what has been stated there. So it is up to you now to decide on what is the better fit for you (do you value the agent warranty above most other positives of the Civic ? Can you find an honest 3 (since most are still agent warranted I would say yes), etc...).

Anyway you can get test drives for both ?

I get the feeling that the Mazda would be a bit more exclusive because there are so many Civics coming in to the country

VecLa · September 13, 2018

I guess the Civic you refer here is 1L Turbo, whereas Mazda-3 here is 1.6L. Then, it's a comparison between 2018 Civic vs 2015 Mazda-3 in terms of the age/use of the car. If you can make up your mind on that I reckon Mazda-3 design is far superior to the Civic in concern. I used a 2L Mazda-3/6-speed 2015 and I love the car.

RWD · September 13, 2018

I have owned both cars. Had a 2014 Mazda3 which I baught brand new from Colonial which was the 1.6 with the conventional 4 speed auto. Sold it a couple of weeks ago as I got a very good offer. It was as solid as a rock. Never gave me trouble - and I did 55,000 km's.

Pro's - Excellent value for money (when launched), superb handling, nicely weighted steering, simple infortainment system, stiff suspension but also comfy enough of bad roads, bulletproof reliability as the engine and gearbox combo is tried and tested tech, excellent after sales service at the agents, decent fuel economy of 8KM/L in Colombo, enough power for expressway driving, design has aged well, good ground clearance.

Cons- 4 speed auto makes the whole car feel slow, 1.6 lacks low end torque and feels very dated when you give it beans, cramped rear seats, no climate control AC which is criminal for a 2014 car, not many bells and whistles especially compared to the Civic.

I got the new 1.0 Civic EX-T a few weeks back but have not driven it much. Only done 400 Km's.

Pro's over Mazda 3- feels more refined, more spacious, far more creature comforts, CVT box feels smooth, 1.0 turbo definitely has more power and usable torque than the 1.6 mzr in the Mazda3

Cons- ground clearance, steering is lifeless compared to Mazda3, fiddly infotainment system, fuel consumption isn't great (but I am still breaking it in), no agent's warranty, far too many gizmos so more things could go wrong

Having used both cars I feel the Civic is definitely the better car but the Mazda3 may prove more durable in the long run especially if you get a 2016 model. But there is a new model with the Skyactive X coming out next year so prices of the current generation will go down a bit. You can bargain more and get a good 2015-2016 low mileage example for around 5 mil if you look hard enough. I know someone who sold a 2016 car with only 25,000 km's for 4.7.

Not had experience with the Axela or the Skyactiv petrol Mazda 3's- but I've heard those are superb to drive and should be comparable or even better than the Civic.

matroska · September 13, 2018

The civic is a very tempting option. The Low ground clearance is the biggest issue for me - despite that I'll probably end up buying one

Quiet · September 13, 2018

You can buy a Mazda 6 2L 2014 for less than 6.5Mn

GK_007 · September 14, 2018

22 hours ago, RWD said:

I have owned both cars. Had a 2014 Mazda3 which I baught brand new from Colonial which was the 1.6 with the conventional 4 speed auto. Sold it a couple of weeks ago as I got a very good offer. It was as solid as a rock. Never gave me trouble - and I did 55,000 km's.

Pro's - Excellent value for money (when launched), superb handling, nicely weighted steering, simple infortainment system, stiff suspension but also comfy enough of bad roads, bulletproof reliability as the engine and gearbox combo is tried and tested tech, excellent after sales service at the agents, decent fuel economy of 8KM/L in Colombo, enough power for expressway driving, design has aged well, good ground clearance.

Cons- 4 speed auto makes the whole car feel slow, 1.6 lacks low end torque and feels very dated when you give it beans, cramped rear seats, no climate control AC which is criminal for a 2014 car, not many bells and whistles especially compared to the Civic.

I got the new 1.0 Civic EX-T a few weeks back but have not driven it much. Only done 400 Km's.

Pro's over Mazda 3- feels more refined, more spacious, far more creature comforts, CVT box feels smooth, 1.0 turbo definitely has more power and usable torque than the 1.6 mzr in the Mazda3

Cons- ground clearance, steering is lifeless compared to Mazda3, fiddly infotainment system, fuel consumption isn't great (but I am still breaking it in), no agent's warranty, far too many gizmos so more things could go wrong

Having used both cars I feel the Civic is definitely the better car but the Mazda3 may prove more durable in the long run especially if you get a 2016 model. But there is a new model with the Skyactive X coming out next year so prices of the current generation will go down a bit. You can bargain more and get a good 2015-2016 low mileage example for around 5 mil if you look hard enough. I know someone who sold a 2016 car with only 25,000 km's for 4.7.

Not had experience with the Axela or the Skyactiv petrol Mazda 3's- but I've heard those are superb to drive and should be comparable or even better than the Civic.

Thanks a lot RWD for this detailed response, but are there significant improvements in the 2016 version of Mazda 3 over the 2014 ?

Also the 3 comes with a spare wheel right ? Don't like the puncture kit.

GK_007 · September 14, 2018

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, its highly appreciated.

GK_007 · September 14, 2018

17 hours ago, Quiet said:

You can buy a Mazda 6 2L 2014 for less than 6.5Mn

Hi Quiet, that is tempting indeed. Love that car, there was a blue color one some days back it was with a buy and sell guy in piliyandala. Had a visit and even test drove, asking price was 6.5. At that time I offered him 6mn but he was very rude. So gave up the idea. But the car was a peach, had done only 19000km something. you own one right, have been following the threads. may I know the fuel economy, bit concerned about that since I do like 1500+ kms per month.

GK_007 · September 14, 2018

18 hours ago, matroska said:

The civic is a very tempting option. The Low ground clearance is the biggest issue for me - despite that I'll probably end up buying one

yeah indeed. you are not concerned about the 1L motor ? Man under the hood that looks like a whole mess. will it work long years. only sumanadasa will know is'nt it

Quiet · September 14, 2018

On average fuel consumption was 8-11Km/L. Mind you i am normally hard on the gas pedal. I dont think the Civic 1L turbo will do more than 10-12Km/L in the city where Mazda will do around 9Km/L. I think 6Mn is a good price. If you can find a vehicle sold by an owner im sure you can negotiate for around 6Mn

matroska · September 14, 2018

2 hours ago, GK_007 said:

yeah indeed. you are not concerned about the 1L motor ? Man under the hood that looks like a whole mess. will it work long years. only sumanadasa will know is'nt it

well it's a petrol engine after all it's new to Honda but many other manufacturers like Ford have been successfully using 1L Motors for a while now. Ground clearance still remains the biggest head-ache for me but the prospect is too tempting specially after doing a minor test-drive.

GK_007 · September 15, 2018

On 9/14/2018 at 2:07 PM, Quiet said:

On average fuel consumption was 8-11Km/L. Mind you i am normally hard on the gas pedal. I dont think the Civic 1L turbo will do more than 10-12Km/L in the city where Mazda will do around 9Km/L. I think 6Mn is a good price. If you can find a vehicle sold by an owner im sure you can negotiate for around 6Mn

So it seems in terms of fuel efficiency, Mazda 3 1.6 is almost on same grounds as Mazda 6 2l skyactive is'nt it ?

Quiet · September 17, 2018

yeah if you are going for Mazda go for 6. Its an absolute pleasure to dirve

GK_007 · November 12, 2018

Thanks a lot everyone for the valuable opinions on helping me out to decide. Was struggling to decide between the new civic hatch and Mazda 3. Finally Mazda won over Honda, however its not a 3. But an Axela 2014.

Given the prices these days for 3s, even though I had to spend more for the Axela. Feel its worth it given the options and the fuel figures since I am doing close to 80kms a day. Considered 6 as well, but given the larger size and asking price, and fuel figures gave up the idea.

Again thank you everyone for your help, has been following mazda threads for long time old threads on Mazdas from @Supra_Natural, @iRage, @sathyajithj99 @Quiet, @Nirosha indeed made me a mazda fan and still learning from your informative posts. Keep up the good work guys.

Edited November 12, 2018 by GK_007

sathyajithj99 · November 12, 2018

1 hour ago, GK_007 said:

Thanks a lot everyone for the valuable opinions on helping me out to decide. Was struggling to decide between the new civic hatch and Mazda 3. Finally Mazda won over Honda, however its not a 3. But an Axela 2014.

Given the prices these days for 3s, even though I had to spend more for the Axela. Feel its worth it given the options and the fuel figures since I am doing close to 80kms a day. Considered 6 as well, but given the larger size and asking price, and fuel figures gave up the idea.

Again thank you everyone for your help, has been following mazda threads for long time old threads on Mazdas from @Supra_Natural, @iRage, @sathyajithj99 @Quiet, @Nirosha indeed made me a mazda fan and still learning from your informative posts. Keep up the good work guys.

Congratulations mate. If you don't mind please post some photos of your axela here.

GK_007 · November 12, 2018

3 minutes ago, sathyajithj99 said:

Congratulations mate. If you don't mind please post some photos of your axela here.

Sure will do.

matroska · November 12, 2018

Congratulations! Would love to see some pics. Hows the ground clearance on the Mazda? Guess I was overly paranoid about the Civic earlier. Driving it now and so far clearance hasn't been an issue so far ?

GK_007 · November 12, 2018

24 minutes ago, matroska said:

Congratulations! Would love to see some pics. Hows the ground clearance on the Mazda? Guess I was overly paranoid about the Civic earlier. Driving it now and so far clearance hasn't been an issue so far ?

Thanks. Yeah, ground clearance is not bad. Mazda has couple of cms more than the civic. Will post some more pics soon.

iRage · November 12, 2018

Congrats !

Is that a matte finished roof or just morning dew ?

GK_007 · November 12, 2018

Just now, iRage said:

Congrats !

Is that a matte finished roof or just morning dew ?

Thanks Irage Previous owner has put up a matt black sticker on the roof and the side mirrors. Don't think they blend well with the rest of the car though, thinking of removing ..

RWD · November 12, 2018

GK- Congrats. So you decided to go for the Axela after all. Good choice.

Agreed take off the matt black sticker. Car looks classy as it is and doesn't need to be riced.

It's a very solid car and should serve you well for a long time. Also hybrid will save you some fuel.

Edited November 12, 2018 by RWD

GK_007 · November 12, 2018

GK- Congrats. So you decided to go for the Axela after all. Good choice.
Agreed take off the matt black sticker. Car looks classy as it is and doesn't need to be riced.
It's a very solid car and should serve you well for a long time. Also hybrid will save you some fuel.

Thanks RWD. [emoji4] Yes, it was a difficult decision. Risk is there with the hybrid battery, and value depreciation. But did not worry too much, as I fell in love with everything else. [emoji4]

Sent from my [device_name] using http://AutoLanka.com mobile app powered by Tapatalk

kmeeg · November 12, 2018

8 hours ago, RWD said:

Agreed take off the matt black sticker. Car looks classy as it is and doesn't need to be riced.

If it was me I’d be scared to remove the sticker thinking that removal process would damage the original paint job.

The only place I would ask is 3M tint city in Maradana. Am I wrong? Will it not have any damage to the paint and you just have to do a proper wax job?