Rivalry on the roads between Honda Civic 2017 and Toyota Corolla Altis Grande Facelift 2017 gets to extreme. Corolla Facelift is making an entry on Pakistani roads, and therefore it is the perfect time to make a comparison between the two most talked about sedans.
There is a lot to talk about. So let’s get started with the comparison:
Exterior Features
There is no second thought to the fact that both Toyota Corolla Altis Grande and Honda Civic 1.8 Oriel comes in impressive exteriors. Toyota Corolla Altis Grande possesses a much sleek and prestigious look, and the introduction of LED taillights and LED DRL, this iteration has auto leveling Bi-Beam headlights, which are best and exclusive in this category. But, these are certainly not superior to the projector lamps of Honda Civic. After almost a decade, Corolla is equipped with sportier two tone alloy rims. Along with that some other exterior changes include gorgeous black plastic grill on the bottom half of front bumper with vertical side accents, and side skirts. Both give the vehicle a unified look.
On the other hand, Pakistanis are pretty much familiar with the design of Honda Civic. The exterior is highly commendable, and features like LED DRLs and taillights made an entry when the car was launched in Pakistan. The new Honda Civic comes with newer pair of alloy rims, and misses out on side skirts, but that isn’t much to worry about.
In our opinion, exteriors of both vehicles are superb and it merely depends upon the personal preference of the car buyer, which one to choose.
Interior Features
Coming to the interiors of the car, Toyota IMC has made few changes. There is a lack of insulated feeling in Toyota Corolla which is very much there in Honda Civic. The new circular Air conditioner vents present in Toyota Corolla are an absolute joy to have. Moreover, a revised instrument cluster with TFT color display along with other infotainment system adds to the taste. Climate control feature is revised that gives a sophisticated look to the console. Dashboard design is not outstanding, but newer cabin equipment is cool.
Talking about Honda Civic, the interior is sleek design along with digital instrument cluster. There is an impressive infotainment system housed in the centre console and climate control with circular knobs, and two way slider buttons. Civic comes with rear A/C vents which are outstanding considering the climatic conditions of Pakistan. This feature helps the car cabin to cool down faster in Honda Civic; however, Corolla has not received this upgrade yet.
There are a lot of chances that Honda Civics’ interior has an edge over Toyota Corolla. However, Honda Civics’ rear headroom is tighter due to sport back design, making it difficult for taller passengers to adjust.
Safety & Other Features
Both Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic for the first time offer amazing functionality to compete with international counterparts. Before the launch of Civic X, Toyota Corolla has topped the list with better features, but the tables turned on the side of all new Civic. But, not to forget, Corolla Facelift received some goodies which are an exception. First of all, let’s talk about the features which are present on both vehicles.
- 2 SRS Airbags
- Power Steering
- ABS, VSC and Traction Control (Traction Control was missing on pre-facelift Corolla)
- Climate Control
- Cruise Control
- Force Limiter for Seat Belts
- Push Start & Keyless Go (Was missing on pre-facelift Corolla)
- Sunroof
- CVT Transmission
- Retractable Power Mirrors
- Bluetooth Connectivity and Hotspot
- Rear and Front Camera (Front Camera was not an option in pre-facelift Corolla)
So, it is clear that Toyota Corolla now offers features which were missing on the pre-facelift model but present on the new Civic X. These additions make Corolla technologically advanced. However, there are few things which are exclusive to both vehicles. Let’s see what those are.
Honda Civic:
Digital Instrument Cluster
Electronic Parking Brake with Auto Brake Hold
Emergency Stop Signal
Rear A/C vents
Hill Start Assist
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Toyota Corolla:
- Sports Mode
- Brake Assist
- Manual Mode with Paddle Shifter
- Bi-Beam LED headlights with Auto Leveling
- Auto Reverse Link
- Blind spot warning
Surprisingly, both vehicles are equally competent in terms of safety and equipment. PKDM Civic X misses on LED headlamps, blind spot monitoring and side curtain airbags (also absent in Toyota Corolla Altis Grande) which we believe Honda Atlas will have when the facelift arrives in 2019.
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Engine and Performance
Both Honda Civic 2017 and Toyota Corolla Grande 2017 come with a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated water cooled inline-4 engine producing 141HP and 138HP respectively. However, in terms of performance, Toyota Corolla performs slightly better. Toyota Corolla does 0-100km/h just under 10s while the Honda Civic does it in 11s mark. The added benefit of sports mode also helps sharpens things up and improves throttle response of the 1.8 Corolla Grande.
In case of Civic, slower pick up time is due to more curb weight, while Toyota Corolla Altis Grande weighs a little less. On the optimistic approach, Civics’ low center of gravity helps it sit more planted to the road and gives a more sporty driving experience.
Price
If you are thinking that any of these cars are cheaper, then this is not the case. Talking about top line models, car buyers are paying equally good amount. The Honda Civic VTi Oriel Prosmatec 1.8 2017 comes with PKR2.5 Million whereas similarly, top of the line Toyota Corolla CVT-i 1.8 Altis Grande 2017 costs PKR2.55 million.