2016 Honda Civic

While the 2016 Honda Civic EX-L model looks too exciting to let go of, it does hike the prices up considerably. Instead, opting for the Civic EX-T trim with the more powerful engine and added creature comforts offers great value at an MSRP of $23,075. Opting for the Honda Sensing safety suite would also add to the practicality for a minor added cost. 

Like most other affordable sedans, the 2016 Honda Civic also comes with a large number of trims. It offers five total trims – LX, EX, EX-T, EX-L, and Touring with the prices starting at an MSRP of $19,515 including the $875 destination charge. The Honda Civic LX 2016 is the only one with both a manual and CVT on offer. All the other trims are offered only in CVT, while all the trims only come with FWD. 

The LX, EX, EX, and EX-T sedans can be had optionally with Honda Sensing, a suite of safety features for another $1,000. The EX-L trim can also be coupled with Navigation while the Touring trim features all of this as standard. While the base LX trim is still pretty bare-bones, there is plenty of creature comforts and tech on offer with the Civic EX trim onwards. 

As optional packages, all the trims, except the Touring can be equipped with the Honda Sensing package, which includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, Honda LaneWatch, etc. You can also equip each trim, except the Touring, with the optional navigation package. Finally, there are numerous All-Season packages for extra protection.

Fuel economy is one of the strongest links in the 2016 Honda Civic’s repertoire. The base engine, paired with the manual transmission, helps the 2016 Civic returns a very impressive 27 MPG for the city, 40 MPG for the highway, and 31 MPG combined while the CVT is rated for 31/41/35 MPG in city/highway/combined conditions. 

The 1.5L turbo-4 engine on other hand does really well and is rated for 31 MPG in the city, 42 MPG on the highways, and 35 MPG combined as per the EPA. The 12.4-gallon gas tank capacity on the other hand falls short compared to its rivals which also limits its range to about 384 miles combined. 

The Mazda 3 sedan with its powerful four-cylinder engine is also the most frugal of the lot and also offers the longest range here. The Toyota Corolla manages to match the MPG ratings of the Civic, but it employs a larger fuel tank which results in a better driving range. The Sentra on the other hand is not only the slowest off the mark, it also has the least impressive fuel economy figures. 

The new interior of the 2016 Honda Civic is sure to catch people’s attention. With a new redesigned dashboard, that definitely looks better than the old one, Honda makes a step in the right direction. Lower-end trims get cloth upholstery and manual air conditioning, but the higher-end trims are greeted with leather and dual-zone automatic air conditioning. The higher trims also enjoy chrome interior trim while the dashboard looks pretty sleek and stylish and the layout is pretty ergonomic too. The lower-end trims offer a 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat that can recline with manual height adjustment.

Seats are covered in cloth trim and there are 3 upholstery color options on offer. The EX-T adds heated seats, while the EX-L introduces a heated 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The Touring trim introduces a 4-way power passenger’s seat. A heated leather steering wheel is also introduced. The standard cargo storage of the 2016 Civic is 15.1 cubic feet, but the Touring gets 14.7 cu-ft. With the rear seats down in a 60/40-split, space is further expanded. In-cabin storage solutions are also excellent with a very deep center console storage and various other cubby holes and storage pockets on offer to provide enough storage to carry everything for a family weekend getaway.

The new-gen Honda Civic now brings its trunk capacity on par with the Nissan Sentra as both sedans now also offer a similar spacious cabin. That said, the Corolla offers commodious rear-seat legroom, almost on par with the mid-size sedans, but compromises a bit in terms of cargo space. The Mazda has the most compact interior in this comparison. What also makes the cabin of the Civic 2016 feel more premium is the new set of infotainment systems. 

The base Honda Civic LX 2016 trim comes with a 5-inch infotainment touchscreen integrated at the center of the dashboard. The 2016 Honda Civic EX and higher models feature a 7-inch infotainment system. The system is not the most intuitive as it can confuse many. It’s also rather slow to input and not the most responsive. The graphics too aren’t the greatest but nothing worth complaining about in this regard as it does the job well for most parts.

Highlights of the infotainment system:

• 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system w/Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Integrated Navigation System w/Voice Activation
• HondaLink Real-Time Traffic Display
• Bluetooth HandsFreeLink wireless mobile phone interface
• 9-speaker sound system
• HD Radio and SiriusXM radio

The 2016 Honda Civic Sedan is now one of the best-looking sedans you can buy at this price. It looks sleek, stylish, and more handsome than ever. It will surely attract more people than the previous generation. Being one handsome sedan, the front fascia sports two stylish, slanted headlights that inspire a little aggression. The grille is minimal and has a horizontal bar across it. The side profile grabs attention as well, with a coupe-like sloping roofline that adds to the style and modernity.

The rear end is probably the most outlandish part of the entire exterior, with a seductive rear “C”-shaped taillight design that is sure to impress anybody. Overall, the new design is extremely welcoming with 8 different paint color options to choose from. The base trim offers just steel wheels, but one can get alloy wheels from the 2016 Honda Civic EX trim onwards. The Civic Touring model offers 17-inch alloy wheels along with other features like fully automatic LED daytime running lights that add to the modernity of the car.

In terms of exterior dimensions, there are hardly any major differences between the cars in this comparison as even the wheelbase is the same on all the sedans. The Nissan Sentra and Mazda 3 are the heaviest of the lot while the Civic is the lightest of them all. To offer a more sporty stance, the Honda Civic compromises on the ground clearance and has the lowest ride height, while the Nissan offers the highest ground clearance. 

Some exterior features include:

• Automatic LED Low/High Beam Daytime Running Headlamps
• Lip Spoiler
• Quasi-dual Stainless-steel Exhaust
• Power Heated Side Mirrors w/Convex Spotter and Turn Signal Indicator
• Speed Sensitive Rain Detecting Variable Intermittent Wipers
• Chrome Grille Bar, Door Handles, and Side Windows Trim
• Express Open/Close Sliding And Tilting Glass 1st Row Sunroof w/Sunshade
• 17-inch machined alloy wheels w/Painted Accents Accents

The Honda Civic has always been an extremely safe sedan and the 2016 model year is no different. It has been awarded 5-stars overall in NHTSA safety tests. Also, IIHS has rated it “Good” in all the categories and declared it one of the safest cars by rewarding it missing the “Top Safety Pick+” accolade for the 2016 model year just by a small margin due to poor base headlights. 

There are plenty of standard safety features on offer with the 2016 Civic with the new update. You can equip all the trims with the Honda Sensing safety package, which will add a lot of safety features, while the Touring trim enjoys it as standard.

Some of the most prominent safety features on offer include:

• Collision Mitigation Braking System
• Lane-keeping assist
• Lane departure warning
• HondaLink Assist Emergency SOS
• Honda LaneWatch right-side camera
• Back-up camera
• Dual-stage airbags

2016 Honda Civic vs 2016 Mazda 3

The Mazda sedan not only offers a better handling and performance package but it is also much more affordable than the Civic. It is also the more frugal one between the two and offers a better driving range. That said, Honda's new interior and feature list along with the higher reliability and safety ratings puts things in balance. The Civic also has a more spacious passenger and luggage space and since there is more performance on offer with the turbo-4 engine, the Civic is our preferred choice. 

2016 Honda Civic vs 2016 Toyota Corolla

The rivalry between Honda and Toyota has been on for ages and the Civic and Corolla are closer to one another than ever before. They both are similar in terms of dimensions, offer similar performance and MPG ratings, and both get high safety & reliability standards. While there is no competition to the cabin space offered by the Corolla, the Civic feels more premium with this new redesign. We would call it a tie here, but if it comes to nitpicking, we would opt for the sportier Civic 2016. 

2016 Honda Civic vs 2016 Nissan Sentra

While Sentra offers great value for budget buyers with its low starting MSRP, it is not without compromises. The performance is lackluster and the fuel efficiency isn't as good as the Honda. While both get an equally spacious cabin and trunk, the Civic looks better inside and gets plenty more technology and safety aids. Add to that the striking new exterior design of the Honda Civic and the Nissan stands no chance in this comparison. 

Honda is back with a bang with their tenth-generation Honda Civic. All of the complaints that buyers might have had with the previous generation are hopefully now eliminated. The Civic is an extremely popular and excellent choice for anyone looking for a cheap sedan. It is highly practical, extremely reliable, quick, handles well, and also has a mind-blowing fuel economy. With a gorgeous interior and outstanding exterior, there is nothing pulling the 2016 Honda Civic Sedan down.