Originally posted by: sthaznpride17
Ok so i can offer some firsthand advice. I have a 2006 Honda Civic Black AT LX.
My friend drives a Mazda 3 (2.3) GT
His car is much better than mine. Ill list the downsides and upsides
Civic:
Looks ugly (Subjective)
Manual Trannies are almost impossible to get a hold of, My AT jerks like my 10 year old Camry
The 2 tier dash is cheap looking and I think it is stupid.
The steering wheel is small very very cool
The interior feels very economy (cheap)
It has Drive By Wire, which means there is a bit of lag when you push the throttle
WEAK, doesnt matter if it has VTEC its only SOHC, Vtec potential is brought out in the Si trim. 140 HP doesnt cut it for a driving enthusiast like myself. Feels like your going fast. But then you look at the digital speedo and you are like oh 35mph. Oh.
Handles pretty well for a FWD, less understeer compared to Camry
I got 29mpg mixed driving
Mazda 3:
Handles well, better than the Civic
More HP and torque, easier to accelerate.
Manual Tranny is awesome, even the AT has sportshift, Civic doesnt
Looks better (subjective)
Interior quality felt better, with leather seats

GT edition has Xenon HID's, Civic has regular Halogens (headlights)
Worst fuel economy (not by much) freind claims he gets 26mpg aggressive driving.
If my parents had not been making the decision I would have gone with the 3 hands down. Now if you are considering the Si by any chance, go for that. It is what makes Honda great.