The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid rolls into American showrooms today, and it’s likely to be both economical and an extraordinarily pleasant car to live with. However, if you’re looking for a truly cheap and cheerful hybrid sedan, the Honda Civic Hybrid might not be your first choice because it starts at more than what a loaded Corolla Hybrid costs.
To get into the lowest-cost 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid, you’re looking at the Sport Hybrid trim, which retails for $29,845 including freight. While that does include some lovely creature comforts like dual-zone automatic climate control, a moonroof, and heated front seats, that’s still a substantially more expensive entry point compared to the competition.
For example, if you want a high-spec Corolla Hybrid, like the XLE trim with leatherette, a moonroof, heated seats, and wireless smartphone charging, you’ll be looking at a sticker price of $28,345 including freight, or $1,500 less than the entry point for a Civic Hybrid. Even if you add the $600 JBL audio system, you can still have a nice vacation for the difference in price between the Corolla and the Civic.
OK with fewer features? No problem, the Corolla Hybrid range goes all the way down to the $24,595 LE trim. While fairly basic, it includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, power windows, single-zone automatic climate control, LED headlights, and sensible 16-inch wheels with reasonably priced tires. In this end of the market, many consumers are looking for affordable transportation rather than premium aspirations, so a $24,595 relatively basic hybrid sedan holds huge appeal, as does a sporty SE trim in-between the LE and XLE and the option of all-wheel-drive.
Of course, the Corolla Hybrid isn’t the only competitor to the Honda Civic Hybrid. Hyundai will sell you a brand new Elantra Hybrid for as little as $27,400 including freight, and while that trim doesn’t include heated seats or a moonroof, it does include a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, blind spot monitoring, and a surprisingly handy hands-free proximity-based trunk release. That’s not a bad tradeoff at all considering savings of $2,445 over the cheapest Civic Hybrid.
Alright, so the Civic Hybrid does have more power than either the Corolla or the Elantra, but fuel economy — the figure that really matters — isn’t a decisive win for Honda. The Civic is rated at 51 mpg city, 47 mpg highway, and 49 mpg combined, the Corolla Hybrid XLE is rated at 53 mpg city, 46 mpg highway, and 50 mpg combined, and the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is rated at 51 mpg city, 58 mpg highway, and 54 mpg combined.
Hang on, if the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid starts at $29,845, where does it go from there? That would be the Sport Touring Hybrid trim, which stickers for $32,845 including freight. It adds new wheels, Google built-in, leather seating, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, a nine-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a wireless smartphone charger, but that doesn’t seem like an overwhelming amount of equipment for a $32,845 compact car, especially when the loaded $30,600 Elantra Hybrid Limited adds the luxury of ventilated seats.
Will the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid be good? Probably. We already like the refinement and upscale materials inside the outgoing Civic, and the hybrid system in the current Accord impressed us. At the same time, we recognize that people looking for an entry-level hybrid vehicle are often shopping value. No matter how you slice it, $29,845 is a lot of money, and Honda would do well to offer the hybrid powertrain in less expensive trims.
(Photo credits: Honda, Toyota, Hyundai)
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I’m a fan of Honda and Toyota, but in this case, ventilated seats would certainly make me glance in the Hyundai’s direction.
I’m a fan of Honda and Toyota, but in this case, ventilated seats would certainly make me glance in the Hyundai’s direction.
Just getting rid of the sunroof would save about $1200.
Just getting rid of the sunroof would save about $1200.
the current civic is one of the best looking cars honda has made in some time, but the addition of the ant-eater snout is bad bad bad.
sad. 🙁
the current civic is one of the best looking cars honda has made in some time, but the addition of the ant-eater snout is bad bad bad.
sad. 🙁
I was a bit disappointed there isn’t a more basic trim on the Civic Hybrid. I very much want a hatchback and a hybrid as the next car. So I’m probably cross-shopping with the Prius. I hate that I can’t get the hybrid without a roof that opens. I intentionally got it with one car. Realized I didn’t use the feature much, but other creature comforts only seem to come on the trim with the opening roof. Not just a Honda thing. I know the fewer variations supposedly keeps costs low, but it does annoy.
I was a bit disappointed there isn’t a more basic trim on the Civic Hybrid. I very much want a hatchback and a hybrid as the next car. So I’m probably cross-shopping with the Prius. I hate that I can’t get the hybrid without a roof that opens. I intentionally got it with one car. Realized I didn’t use the feature much, but other creature comforts only seem to come on the trim with the opening roof. Not just a Honda thing. I know the fewer variations supposedly keeps costs low, but it does annoy.
Comparing the Hybrid to the Si: same HP, more torque, available hatchback, better MPG, has a lower MSRP (and probably won’t have as much ADM/TruCoat dealer add ons).
I haven’t seen if this hybrid will have an LSD; that and the gearbox are what make the Si fun. It’s not about the power.
Comparing the Hybrid to the Si: same HP, more torque, available hatchback, better MPG, has a lower MSRP (and probably won’t have as much ADM/TruCoat dealer add ons).
I haven’t seen if this hybrid will have an LSD; that and the gearbox are what make the Si fun. It’s not about the power.
I’m going to defend the Corolla a little, at least the version I own. I bought a 2021 Corolla Hatchback SE 6MT a little over two years ago. Yes it is good basic transportation. But it is certainly not a penalty box. I’ve been in the current gen Civic and while I think the interior design is better looking, the materials are very comparable. Feature for feature they are very similar as well. The entry level models depart on their engines though. The base engine for the Civic is way under powered at 158hp and 138lb-ft of torque. The Corolla has 169hp and 151lb-ft of torque. The Toyota CVT has a mechanical ‘launch’ gear and makes a huge difference in how the car drives. With a manual though, the Corolla is the epitome of having fun driving a slow car fast. I haven’t driven the base Civic with a manual but I can tell you the Honda CVT with that anemic engine is a SNOOZE.
Now credit to Honda, the turbo version of the Civic engine is WAY better than the Corolla. And you can get a manual still in 3 of the 4 hatchback trims. But now you are at the Sport Touring level which is a good $7K more than the entry model. For that money I would totally get the Civic Si with the 200hp engine. Boo to Toyota for killing the manual Corolla Hatchback.
These ‘entry’ level cars today have features only available on high end cars not that long ago. I’m a Gen-Xer so I remember cars that didn’t even have A/C or FM radios standard. Even economy cars today are luxurious by comparison.
My Corolla SE has leather steering wheel, lane keep assist, radar cruise, 6 speaker stereo, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Auto Climate control, Proximity Key/Push Start, ABS, Power Windows w/one touch open close, power locks, power mirrors, tons of airbags and good crash ratings from IIHS. I’ve taken it on long roads trips and the noise levels are more than acceptable, while getting 40+ MPG. You can call the Corolla basic, but it has everything I need and want out of a car.
Now excuse me while I take my wife’s MDX to dinner tonight. 🙂
I’m going to defend the Corolla a little, at least the version I own. I bought a 2021 Corolla Hatchback SE 6MT a little over two years ago. Yes it is good basic transportation. But it is certainly not a penalty box. I’ve been in the current gen Civic and while I think the interior design is better looking, the materials are very comparable. Feature for feature they are very similar as well. The entry level models depart on their engines though. The base engine for the Civic is way under powered at 158hp and 138lb-ft of torque. The Corolla has 169hp and 151lb-ft of torque. The Toyota CVT has a mechanical ‘launch’ gear and makes a huge difference in how the car drives. With a manual though, the Corolla is the epitome of having fun driving a slow car fast. I haven’t driven the base Civic with a manual but I can tell you the Honda CVT with that anemic engine is a SNOOZE.
Now credit to Honda, the turbo version of the Civic engine is WAY better than the Corolla. And you can get a manual still in 3 of the 4 hatchback trims. But now you are at the Sport Touring level which is a good $7K more than the entry model. For that money I would totally get the Civic Si with the 200hp engine. Boo to Toyota for killing the manual Corolla Hatchback.
These ‘entry’ level cars today have features only available on high end cars not that long ago. I’m a Gen-Xer so I remember cars that didn’t even have A/C or FM radios standard. Even economy cars today are luxurious by comparison.
My Corolla SE has leather steering wheel, lane keep assist, radar cruise, 6 speaker stereo, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Auto Climate control, Proximity Key/Push Start, ABS, Power Windows w/one touch open close, power locks, power mirrors, tons of airbags and good crash ratings from IIHS. I’ve taken it on long roads trips and the noise levels are more than acceptable, while getting 40+ MPG. You can call the Corolla basic, but it has everything I need and want out of a car.
Now excuse me while I take my wife’s MDX to dinner tonight. 🙂
Damn, Thomas, where are you going for vacation on $900? That barely covers a single domestic round-trip flight plus 1 night in a hotel. I think you and I have different definitions of a nice vacation.
Honestly driving my Corolla to Florida from where i live and a fairly inexpensive airbnb for a few days I’m able to make that 900 into a pretty decent trip. But it totally depends on where you’re from for sure.
Thanks, I thought the same thing. It’s going to cost me $160/day to board my dogs when I go away this fall.
Take the dogs on the vacation?
Damn, Thomas, where are you going for vacation on $900? That barely covers a single domestic round-trip flight plus 1 night in a hotel. I think you and I have different definitions of a nice vacation.
Honestly driving my Corolla to Florida from where i live and a fairly inexpensive airbnb for a few days I’m able to make that 900 into a pretty decent trip. But it totally depends on where you’re from for sure.
Thanks, I thought the same thing. It’s going to cost me $160/day to board my dogs when I go away this fall.
Take the dogs on the vacation?
Personally I would never cross-shop the Civic and the Corolla. Although they started out as direct competitors, I feel like that is not where they have ended up. Toyota is still aiming for basic, affordable transportation, and they give you the driving experience, interior, and NVH to match. Honda is aiming for a more premium, enjoyable experience. I see the price difference as appropriate.
Some people have said that maybe the Prius is a better comparison in terms of price/features, but even the Prius is still a more “tinny”-feeling car compared to the Civic.
But maybe I am the wrong person to be making this comparison, since the only reason I would consider the Civic in the first place is because they offer a hatchback.
so my ex had the 10th gen sport touring, and my brother has the 11th gen si; agree that they are nicer than corolla, but not about nvh thing.
civics have barely any sound insulation (main reason why they are so lightweight), these things can be downright *loud* depending on road surface.
Yeah, you’re right that Hondas have a decades-long reputation for road noise. The article did not mention it, but the 2025 Civics have active noise cancellation for the first time. What took them so long? And what does Honda have against noise isolation anyway?
Several YouTube folks doing test drives today noted that this model uses different tires that are much quieter. YMMV.
From what I’ve read the tires are quieter because of resonator inserts clipped into the wheels. I expect other makers to quickly adopt them, but obviously not in time for 2025 models.
That figures. These folks are more influencers than serious car critics.
If you’re the wrong person, then we both are. The Prius Limited is likely to be my next car. It looks like the Civic Hybrid Hatchback in top trim will be right at the same price. I like the Prius’s looks better, but it’s more of a liftback. I’d trade those looks for a true hatch with better build and the new Honda tire noise resonators. If the new Civic had ventilated seats too it would be a no-brainer for me.
For me it’s the lack of a heated steering wheel on the Civic that’s hurting. As I get older I’m realizing that that is my must-have. I’m in a nice climate so I barely use the heated seats in my car, but I use the heated steering wheel every morning during 3 seasons.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid is also missing the heated steering wheel. The Kona and Niro both have it, but both of those give me pause for various reasons.
I like heated seats because I’m old and have a bad back. I live in SoCal so that wheel heat just isn’t crucial to me, but when I use it on rentals it’s undeniably nice to have. I’m coming around on it. My ideal car has cooled seats but heated lumbar support at the same time. ONE DAY, ONE HAPPY DAY.
Personally I would never cross-shop the Civic and the Corolla. Although they started out as direct competitors, I feel like that is not where they have ended up. Toyota is still aiming for basic, affordable transportation, and they give you the driving experience, interior, and NVH to match. Honda is aiming for a more premium, enjoyable experience. I see the price difference as appropriate.
Some people have said that maybe the Prius is a better comparison in terms of price/features, but even the Prius is still a more “tinny”-feeling car compared to the Civic.
But maybe I am the wrong person to be making this comparison, since the only reason I would consider the Civic in the first place is because they offer a hatchback.
so my ex had the 10th gen sport touring, and my brother has the 11th gen si; agree that they are nicer than corolla, but not about nvh thing.
civics have barely any sound insulation (main reason why they are so lightweight), these things can be downright *loud* depending on road surface.
Yeah, you’re right that Hondas have a decades-long reputation for road noise. The article did not mention it, but the 2025 Civics have active noise cancellation for the first time. What took them so long? And what does Honda have against noise isolation anyway?
Several YouTube folks doing test drives today noted that this model uses different tires that are much quieter. YMMV.
From what I’ve read the tires are quieter because of resonator inserts clipped into the wheels. I expect other makers to quickly adopt them, but obviously not in time for 2025 models.
That figures. These folks are more influencers than serious car critics.
If you’re the wrong person, then we both are. The Prius Limited is likely to be my next car. It looks like the Civic Hybrid Hatchback in top trim will be right at the same price. I like the Prius’s looks better, but it’s more of a liftback. I’d trade those looks for a true hatch with better build and the new Honda tire noise resonators. If the new Civic had ventilated seats too it would be a no-brainer for me.
For me it’s the lack of a heated steering wheel on the Civic that’s hurting. As I get older I’m realizing that that is my must-have. I’m in a nice climate so I barely use the heated seats in my car, but I use the heated steering wheel every morning during 3 seasons.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid is also missing the heated steering wheel. The Kona and Niro both have it, but both of those give me pause for various reasons.
I like heated seats because I’m old and have a bad back. I live in SoCal so that wheel heat just isn’t crucial to me, but when I use it on rentals it’s undeniably nice to have. I’m coming around on it. My ideal car has cooled seats but heated lumbar support at the same time. ONE DAY, ONE HAPPY DAY.
When did it become mandatory for every factory stereo system to be branded as coming from an speaker/audio company, especially in this case where it’s the base model.
I “feel” like this started popping up in the late 90’s-early 2000’s in the luxury brands, but that might be a false memory.
I think you’re right-I had a used ’98 audi years ago with a “bose” sound system. I’ve owned 2 cars with Bose branded sound systems and have ridden in a friend’s car with one and they all genuinely had great audio. BUT I think it’s stupid that it’s become the standard now, especially in the case of this car (and possibly others) where even the base model car has a branded stereo. Kind of makes sense to me on the premium stereo offering, but when you’re base car has a branded stereo it’s hard to argue that I should pay more to get Bose vs JBL-at least in my experience with home audio JBL stuff is pretty solid.
Do you mean base model as the entry level offering in the overall lineup or just the trim levels? Only the top Civic trims (former Touring/Sport Touring/Si) get the 12-speaker Bose, the lower trims are 4 or 8 speakers unbranded.
Even back in the early 90s, Nissan offered Bose audio in the Maxima, Honda offered Bose on some early special edition Accords*, JBL could be optioned on Camrys and Tauruses, so it could be found on nicer trim ‘regular’ brands. It started to trickle into smaller cars more in the 2000s, Jettas with Monsoon sound like Pontiac offered, the original Focus with Sony sound, Mazda offered Bose on the 3, Toyota pushed Pioneer in Scions, etc.
*Aside from earlier days, any Honda models offering a name brand audio is actually pretty recent, even the most expensive offerings like the Pilot didn’t until the current generation. Acura had their ELS system, but is making a big deal about offering B&O in the facelifted MDX.
Well shoot I need to slow down and read more thoroughly lol, I misread the article as saying the base hybrid Civic came with a JBL sound system. So yes some version of this has been common for awhile and ideally I’d retract my original comment…
lol, makes much more sense now! I do see how it can read that way.
welcome to late stage capitalism…
sigh, I suppose ’80s dystopian sci-fi predicted this
Full disclosure: I work at Harman though not in our automotive division.
We actually partner with, and manufacture these systems for, the auto manufacturers. So in the lower tier autos like a Civic you’ll find the JBL systems we make while stepping up to an Acura will give you access to Harman Kardon systems. We also do Mark Levinson for even higher tiers.
My guess is (because I don’t know) is the base model systems get a standard audio system made by Bosch. They make everything. But companies like ours have a full staff of audio engineers to design a better system so Honda doesn’t staff that particular area of expertise.
We actually design a lot of the full infotainment suites with the manufacturers for those systems but I do not know the extent the manufacturers are designing and dictating to us or if we are doing all of it.
I’m sure it’s similar to the others in the space. I hope I get to learn more about all that while I’m there. Only just started with them a few months back.
So what’s the difference in cost to get a decently powered chip into a infotainment system instead of whatever gets used that generates a laggy experience?
I think it started around when Chrysler did the Infinity system with the little joystick.
Probably right after makers abandoned the DIN and double DIN form factor and integrated audio with other controls. The iPad On The Dashboard Era basically destroyed the aftermarket head unit market for new cars.
When did it become mandatory for every factory stereo system to be branded as coming from an speaker/audio company, especially in this case where it’s the base model.
I “feel” like this started popping up in the late 90’s-early 2000’s in the luxury brands, but that might be a false memory.
I think you’re right-I had a used ’98 audi years ago with a “bose” sound system. I’ve owned 2 cars with Bose branded sound systems and have ridden in a friend’s car with one and they all genuinely had great audio. BUT I think it’s stupid that it’s become the standard now, especially in the case of this car (and possibly others) where even the base model car has a branded stereo. Kind of makes sense to me on the premium stereo offering, but when you’re base car has a branded stereo it’s hard to argue that I should pay more to get Bose vs JBL-at least in my experience with home audio JBL stuff is pretty solid.
Do you mean base model as the entry level offering in the overall lineup or just the trim levels? Only the top Civic trims (former Touring/Sport Touring/Si) get the 12-speaker Bose, the lower trims are 4 or 8 speakers unbranded.
Even back in the early 90s, Nissan offered Bose audio in the Maxima, Honda offered Bose on some early special edition Accords*, JBL could be optioned on Camrys and Tauruses, so it could be found on nicer trim ‘regular’ brands. It started to trickle into smaller cars more in the 2000s, Jettas with Monsoon sound like Pontiac offered, the original Focus with Sony sound, Mazda offered Bose on the 3, Toyota pushed Pioneer in Scions, etc.
*Aside from earlier days, any Honda models offering a name brand audio is actually pretty recent, even the most expensive offerings like the Pilot didn’t until the current generation. Acura had their ELS system, but is making a big deal about offering B&O in the facelifted MDX.
Well shoot I need to slow down and read more thoroughly lol, I misread the article as saying the base hybrid Civic came with a JBL sound system. So yes some version of this has been common for awhile and ideally I’d retract my original comment…
lol, makes much more sense now! I do see how it can read that way.
welcome to late stage capitalism…
sigh, I suppose ’80s dystopian sci-fi predicted this
Full disclosure: I work at Harman though not in our automotive division.
We actually partner with, and manufacture these systems for, the auto manufacturers. So in the lower tier autos like a Civic you’ll find the JBL systems we make while stepping up to an Acura will give you access to Harman Kardon systems. We also do Mark Levinson for even higher tiers.
My guess is (because I don’t know) is the base model systems get a standard audio system made by Bosch. They make everything. But companies like ours have a full staff of audio engineers to design a better system so Honda doesn’t staff that particular area of expertise.
We actually design a lot of the full infotainment suites with the manufacturers for those systems but I do not know the extent the manufacturers are designing and dictating to us or if we are doing all of it.
I’m sure it’s similar to the others in the space. I hope I get to learn more about all that while I’m there. Only just started with them a few months back.
So what’s the difference in cost to get a decently powered chip into a infotainment system instead of whatever gets used that generates a laggy experience?
I think it started around when Chrysler did the Infinity system with the little joystick.
Probably right after makers abandoned the DIN and double DIN form factor and integrated audio with other controls. The iPad On The Dashboard Era basically destroyed the aftermarket head unit market for new cars.
Civics are a little overpriced in general, IMO, though for what they want for the hybrid, I’d get an Si for (theoretically) less were I going Honda, though if they had a manual with the hybrid, that would change my mind, especially with the problematic 1.5T. Of course, I kind of went through this in ’22 sans hybrid option and went with a GR86 over a more expensive as-base-as-I-could-spec-hatch-with-a-manual that I was unlikely to find without ADM, anyway. At this point, the Civic is really closer to a Camry in size (unfortunately), so it’s more of a nominal Corolla competitor out of tradition than present reality. Don’t know about the Hyundai as I have less than no interest, but the Corolla is not only smaller and boring as one would expect (if not as bad dynamically as I thought it would be, it was no fun at all), but feels like a class cheaper car. As for mileage, shopping at that end of the scale, the real world difference in fuel cost is negligible, though consumption/waste is probably a higher priority with shoppers than the cost savings so much (especially considering the higher vehicle purchase cost). Overall, I think it’s a bit expensive, but not outrageous considering the prices of the industry as a whole. I’d have to drive one to see if it’s better than the Corolla in more than acceleration, but my top pick here would be the Prius (!—Who the hell even am I anymore?!).
If nothing else the corolla has a woefully boring interior that imo is worst in class. Sadly I think the Prius also suffers from a subpar interior even as Toyota significantly upgraded the rest of the car.
It’s definitely typical Toyota with a cheaper seeming and more boring designed interior compared to competitors.
Yeah I guess that is their MO, but it feels like the delta between toyota interiors and the competition was not always quite this big?
I’m trying to think. Before VW kicked everyone in the ass and got them to make better interiors (I can finally thank them for something) around the turn of the millennium, it was tough to gauge good from bad as most seemed pretty cheap and bland, especially the generation that started 5 years or so leading up to the millennium (after the unfavorable yen/dollar ratio left the Japanese making lower profits, so they started cutting back on quality). I think the 4th and 5th gen Celicas were decent, but that might be faulty memory. IIRC, the Corollas were terrible or maybe that was just my ex’s mother driving one that’s affecting my evaluation (it probably was bad, though). The other issue clouding my mind is the prevalence of that Athena-awful plastic tan that made everything it was slathered in look cheap and ugly. My mk1 Legacy had a dark medium blue that looked like it was of much better quality as well as appearance compared to my sister’s with that tan, so I don’t feel fair judging a car if I only saw them in that color. I really liked the Hondas of the early and mid ’90s and I was never a big Toyota fan partly because of the interiors, but the controls always felt anti-driver with terrible feedback and I often didn’t like the cars themselves much in general, even though I respected the durability. Against GM and Ford, though, I think Toyota held their own.
Yeah agreed, and that’s sorta my point is that even GM (notoriously some of the worst interiors) is now making an econo car with a nicer looking interior than Toyota in the Trax.
Lol yeah ’90s beige/tan interiors especially when EVERYTHING was that color as such a bad time for car interiors.
I thought it was funny when the mk3 Focus came out and it got criticized for the interior, which was certainly nothing special, but still better than the contemporary Corolla my friend had and much better to drive with better mileage, more power, better handling, more space (at least with the hatch), more solid and premium feel, and it was just as reliable (with the 5MT). Probably even cost less.
Not to mention the Corolla’s oatmeal dynamics.
Most of the new Prius interior doesn’t impress me but doesn’t bother me. That new steering wheel and gauge cluster area though. It’s just hideous. It’s a shame, I think the exterior looks really cool.
Yeah honestly I mostly hate the steering wheel so much, the rest is just kind of bland. But that’s a huge part of interior design it’s the aspect of the car I interact with the most. It is a shame because the outside looks really good and then it makes the interior look worse by comparison. Like if it looked like a typical Prius I would expect the interior to be somewhere between weirdly bland and ugly but on the new Prius the outside sets an expectation that isn’t matched by the interior.
I’m a Honda fan but the Toyota is up on both power and torque compared to the Civic and has a better transmission (real 1st gear into the CVT).
Not that comparing tin can commuters really matters much though.
I’d have to drive them both, in my experience the small amount of extra power the Corolla has won’t offset it’s otherwise crappy driving dynamics. Also Honda makes smoother better sounding 4 cylinder engines, typically.
I think they’re referring to the Prius, because the Corolla Hybrid has significantly less power than the Civic. That the Civic is close in fuel economy to the Corolla while having considerably more power, plus the better driving dynamics, could justify it being more expensive.
Ah oops, yeah agreed, at least for me it would. And it makes sense, the Civic has always been the slightly nicer to drive alternative to the Corolla.
Civics are a little overpriced in general, IMO, though for what they want for the hybrid, I’d get an Si for (theoretically) less were I going Honda, though if they had a manual with the hybrid, that would change my mind, especially with the problematic 1.5T. Of course, I kind of went through this in ’22 sans hybrid option and went with a GR86 over a more expensive as-base-as-I-could-spec-hatch-with-a-manual that I was unlikely to find without ADM, anyway. At this point, the Civic is really closer to a Camry in size (unfortunately), so it’s more of a nominal Corolla competitor out of tradition than present reality. Don’t know about the Hyundai as I have less than no interest, but the Corolla is not only smaller and boring as one would expect (if not as bad dynamically as I thought it would be, it was no fun at all), but feels like a class cheaper car. As for mileage, shopping at that end of the scale, the real world difference in fuel cost is negligible, though consumption/waste is probably a higher priority with shoppers than the cost savings so much (especially considering the higher vehicle purchase cost). Overall, I think it’s a bit expensive, but not outrageous considering the prices of the industry as a whole. I’d have to drive one to see if it’s better than the Corolla in more than acceleration, but my top pick here would be the Prius (!—Who the hell even am I anymore?!).
If nothing else the corolla has a woefully boring interior that imo is worst in class. Sadly I think the Prius also suffers from a subpar interior even as Toyota significantly upgraded the rest of the car.
It’s definitely typical Toyota with a cheaper seeming and more boring designed interior compared to competitors.
Yeah I guess that is their MO, but it feels like the delta between toyota interiors and the competition was not always quite this big?
I’m trying to think. Before VW kicked everyone in the ass and got them to make better interiors (I can finally thank them for something) around the turn of the millennium, it was tough to gauge good from bad as most seemed pretty cheap and bland, especially the generation that started 5 years or so leading up to the millennium (after the unfavorable yen/dollar ratio left the Japanese making lower profits, so they started cutting back on quality). I think the 4th and 5th gen Celicas were decent, but that might be faulty memory. IIRC, the Corollas were terrible or maybe that was just my ex’s mother driving one that’s affecting my evaluation (it probably was bad, though). The other issue clouding my mind is the prevalence of that Athena-awful plastic tan that made everything it was slathered in look cheap and ugly. My mk1 Legacy had a dark medium blue that looked like it was of much better quality as well as appearance compared to my sister’s with that tan, so I don’t feel fair judging a car if I only saw them in that color. I really liked the Hondas of the early and mid ’90s and I was never a big Toyota fan partly because of the interiors, but the controls always felt anti-driver with terrible feedback and I often didn’t like the cars themselves much in general, even though I respected the durability. Against GM and Ford, though, I think Toyota held their own.
Yeah agreed, and that’s sorta my point is that even GM (notoriously some of the worst interiors) is now making an econo car with a nicer looking interior than Toyota in the Trax.
Lol yeah ’90s beige/tan interiors especially when EVERYTHING was that color as such a bad time for car interiors.
I thought it was funny when the mk3 Focus came out and it got criticized for the interior, which was certainly nothing special, but still better than the contemporary Corolla my friend had and much better to drive with better mileage, more power, better handling, more space (at least with the hatch), more solid and premium feel, and it was just as reliable (with the 5MT). Probably even cost less.
Not to mention the Corolla’s oatmeal dynamics.
Most of the new Prius interior doesn’t impress me but doesn’t bother me. That new steering wheel and gauge cluster area though. It’s just hideous. It’s a shame, I think the exterior looks really cool.
Yeah honestly I mostly hate the steering wheel so much, the rest is just kind of bland. But that’s a huge part of interior design it’s the aspect of the car I interact with the most. It is a shame because the outside looks really good and then it makes the interior look worse by comparison. Like if it looked like a typical Prius I would expect the interior to be somewhere between weirdly bland and ugly but on the new Prius the outside sets an expectation that isn’t matched by the interior.
I’m a Honda fan but the Toyota is up on both power and torque compared to the Civic and has a better transmission (real 1st gear into the CVT).
Not that comparing tin can commuters really matters much though.
I’d have to drive them both, in my experience the small amount of extra power the Corolla has won’t offset it’s otherwise crappy driving dynamics. Also Honda makes smoother better sounding 4 cylinder engines, typically.
I think they’re referring to the Prius, because the Corolla Hybrid has significantly less power than the Civic. That the Civic is close in fuel economy to the Corolla while having considerably more power, plus the better driving dynamics, could justify it being more expensive.
Ah oops, yeah agreed, at least for me it would. And it makes sense, the Civic has always been the slightly nicer to drive alternative to the Corolla.
Current 2024 Civic Sport Touring (non-hybrid) starts at $31,450 so I don’t find the hybrid’s pricing surprising at all.
Is the fuel economy even that important on Hybrids anymore? It’s not like there’s one hybrid available and you have to make it part of your lifestyle to own it. Hybrids are everywhere now – they’re not special. They look like everything else and you don’t need to sacrifice style, space or driving dynamics to buy them. I can completely see buying the hybrid version of something just because that’s what the dealer has on the lot – with no real concern over fuel economy.
Current 2024 Civic Sport Touring (non-hybrid) starts at $31,450 so I don’t find the hybrid’s pricing surprising at all.
Is the fuel economy even that important on Hybrids anymore? It’s not like there’s one hybrid available and you have to make it part of your lifestyle to own it. Hybrids are everywhere now – they’re not special. They look like everything else and you don’t need to sacrifice style, space or driving dynamics to buy them. I can completely see buying the hybrid version of something just because that’s what the dealer has on the lot – with no real concern over fuel economy.
My fiancee and I bought a Corolla Hybrid about 6 months ago, primarily for her to drive. MSRP right around $27k. Coming from a 20-year-old dying shitbox, all she wanted was basic, affordable, reliable transportation and the car has certainly delivered on that. She is thrilled with it.
Of course, it is not an “enthusiast” car by any means, but the thing that really caught me off guard was the lack of basic comfort/ergonomic features. I daily a 2016 VW GSW which, adjusted for inflation, is not too far off in price than the Corolla, so I was expecting similar cheapness/lack of features. But the Corolla brings cost-cutting to a new level. A few things that I’ve found frustrating:
– Center armrest is not adjustable.
– Lack of driver storage space (no overhead sunglasses storage, center console bin is tiny, door pockets hardly fit a water bottle, etc).
– The intermittent wiper speed is not adjustable and the lowest setting is way too fast for when there is only light drizzle.
– Most of the buttons are not back-lit and difficult to use when driving at night.
– No pocket on the back of the front seats.
– Probably more that I can’t think of off the top of my head…
Maybe my expectations were too high, but I think that if the Civic offers some of these features that the base Corolla lacks, coupled with the perennial lack of availability of all Toyota hybrids, I wouldn’t be surprised to see even the most budget-minded people willing to spend a little extra to get into the Civic.
My wife dailys a 2005 Pontiac Vibe and her work has a couple of corolla hybrids for company cars and she’s even complained how they barely feel nicer inside than her car, and definitely feel really basic compared to other cars in the same class.