'08 Honda Civic or '09 Toyota Corolla?

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I am considering getting a daily commuter that will last until the doors fall off (>10 years). I have narrowed it down to these two with auto transmissions which are very close in MPG, hp, size, and safety. Which one is preferred and why?

Thanks.
 
I suggest renting both if possible and take on a long trip + city driving. Many car dealers will rent you one if it looks like you may eventually buy one. I have rented corolla's from Hertz and I have rented Civics from another rental company (can't remember which one).

I hesitate to give you my impressions of driving those cars as it is so subjective. Better to rent for yourself and develop your own impressions.

The suggestion I will offer however is to drive both the Honda fit and the Toyota Yaris in addition to the two you are considering. I think you may be surprised. Note that the Honda fit will have a new body style in the near future.

If you are curious as to hybrids, I have rented both the civic 4 door hybrid and the prius. I believe you will see a night and day difference in these two cars (again personal impressions withheld on purpose). Renting gives you a chance to live with the car for a little while and when you are done I think you will know exactly which car is best for you.

I think in terms of long term reliability and depreciation these cars are about the same which makes it a choice more on price and personal preference.
 
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Thanks, I will see if I can rent either.

I am looking for the "middle of the road" and in both cases the base engines will do as the are within a couple hp's of each other. I don't want a lawn mower engine 'cause I do want to be able to merge or accelerate out of harms way when needed. The others in the same size have smaller engines which concerns me. I am looking at the 4dr size for short family trips and so my wife can drive it also.
 
Does road noise bother you? Do you listen to any music while you drive? (I don't, which is why road noise is important to me)

If not, then the Honda Civic would be your best choice.
 
If you do your own work then the Toyota Corolla is easier to work on. These can be rented at Enterprise . The Corolla has a CHAIN to drive the cam, not sure on the Honda? I would say the Honda has better eye appeal.
 
I rented a 2008 Corolla LE from Hertz and a 2007 Civic LX from Alamo. I was much more comfortable in the Honda, not to mention the Honda has a sweet interior. For long term durability, I would say you cant go wrong w/ either of them. However right now is an ideal time to find a 2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix at closeout prices as the 09 is about to come out - the Matrix still gets great mileage and has some versatility and what I would consider a more unique design. Saaber1 has a great recommendation w/ the Honda Fit - car is fun to drive and gets great mileage - be careful on the options - its not hard for a Fit to exceed the price of a Civic LX.
 
Originally Posted By: carguy996
I rented a 2008 Corolla LE from Hertz and a 2007 Civic LX from Alamo. I was much more comfortable in the Honda, not to mention the Honda has a sweet interior. For long term durability, I would say you cant go wrong w/ either of them. However right now is an ideal time to find a 2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix at closeout prices as the 09 is about to come out - the Matrix still gets great mileage and has some versatility and what I would consider a more unique design. Saaber1 has a great recommendation w/ the Honda Fit - car is fun to drive and gets great mileage - be careful on the options - its not hard for a Fit to exceed the price of a Civic LX.


FYI link to review of the upcoming new fit: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=122688

I got the impression from this review that the new fit will have the CVT transmission (manual is available also)? I love the regular Honda automatic that comes in the non-hybrid civic and of course the manual but personally I would just as soon have a shotgun blast to the face as drive one of those whiny, nasty, noisy, Honda CVT trannys (o.k. flame suit on).

Matrix and it's Pontiac Vibe clone are excellent cars and as you said both fit and Matrix offer more versatility than the sedans.
 
The Corolla had a horrid driving position for me but you won't notice it on the typical 15 minute test drive. I bought a new '03 and soon after traded it off for an '04 Accord because it was killing me to drive it any length of time. Take a lengthy drive before you decide.
 
I dont have any experience w/ the Honda CVT Transmission, I cant see how they could be much better than any other manufacturer. Having driven an 07 Altima w/ the CVT and an 08 Mitsubishi Outlander w/ a CVT - Its safe for me to say I would never buy a car w/ a CVT - especially on a 4 cylinder - nothing like hearing engine drone consistently. It wouldnt be bad if all the engines attatched to the transmission didnt sounds like a 20 year old sewing machine.
 
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
The Corolla had a horrid driving position for me but you won't notice it on the typical 15 minute test drive. I bought a new '03 and soon after traded it off for an '04 Accord because it was killing me to drive it any length of time. Take a lengthy drive before you decide.


Agreed, The steering wheel to seat relationship is a little odd, and the tilt wheel does far enough to make it better, combine that with a high seat height and the cabin can seem a little cramped, especially compared to the Camry and Accord.
 
Originally Posted By: carguy996
I dont have any experience w/ the Honda CVT Transmission, I cant see how they could be much better than any other manufacturer. Having driven an 07 Altima w/ the CVT and an 08 Mitsubishi Outlander w/ a CVT - Its safe for me to say I would never buy a car w/ a CVT - especially on a 4 cylinder - nothing like hearing engine drone consistently. It wouldnt be bad if all the engines attatched to the transmission didnt sounds like a 20 year old sewing machine.


You are right on the money there. CVT's belong only on the go carts from where they came! Especially when we have technology like the VW/Audi/Veyron/soon Volvo/others Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) trannys. Those DSG's are amazingly smooth and precise.

I agree with the other posters' comments about the corolla also.
 
Originally Posted By: saaber1
Originally Posted By: carguy996
I dont have any experience w/ the Honda CVT Transmission, I cant see how they could be much better than any other manufacturer. Having driven an 07 Altima w/ the CVT and an 08 Mitsubishi Outlander w/ a CVT - Its safe for me to say I would never buy a car w/ a CVT - especially on a 4 cylinder - nothing like hearing engine drone consistently. It wouldnt be bad if all the engines attatched to the transmission didnt sounds like a 20 year old sewing machine.


You are right on the money there. CVT's belong only on the go carts from where they came! Especially when we have technology like the VW/Audi/Veyron/soon Volvo/others Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) trannys. Those DSG's are amazingly smooth and precise.

I agree with the other posters' comments about the corolla also.


You two are dead off the money. Couldn't disagree more. I love the CVT in my Prius. Of course, the trans in the Prius is not the typical cone-and-belt design seen in most CVTs, it's a planetary gear set. It never disengages, and it has no slippage. I find it's behavior to be turbine-like. There's never any shift shock. The engine's rpms slide up or down smoothly to whatever point is optimum. If I could have one of these cars with a good CVT, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
 
Originally Posted By: H2GURU
If you do your own work then the Toyota Corolla is easier to work on. These can be rented at Enterprise . The Corolla has a CHAIN to drive the cam, not sure on the Honda? I would say the Honda has better eye appeal.

The Honda 1.8 has a chain.

Originally Posted By: saaber1
but personally I would just as soon have a shotgun blast to the face as drive one of those whiny, nasty, noisy, Honda CVT trannys (o.k. flame suit on).

Add unreliable to that list.
wink.gif


Originally Posted By: ekpolk
You two are dead off the money. Couldn't disagree more. I love the CVT in my Prius. Of course, the trans in the Prius is not the typical cone-and-belt design seen in most CVTs, it's a planetary gear set. It never disengages, and it has no slippage. I find it's behavior to be turbine-like. There's never any shift shock. The engine's rpms slide up or down smoothly to whatever point is optimum. If I could have one of these cars with a good CVT, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

It seems to vary from vehicle to vehicle. Some CVT designs are better than others. Many auto magazines have commended Nissan for the excellent VQ35/Jatco CVT combination in the new Altima, yet they weren't big fans of the CVT in the 4-cyl.
 
The electric steering on the new corolla was getting a few complaints in initial reviews.
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: saaber1
Originally Posted By: carguy996
I dont have any experience w/ the Honda CVT Transmission, I cant see how they could be much better than any other manufacturer. Having driven an 07 Altima w/ the CVT and an 08 Mitsubishi Outlander w/ a CVT - Its safe for me to say I would never buy a car w/ a CVT - especially on a 4 cylinder - nothing like hearing engine drone consistently. It wouldnt be bad if all the engines attatched to the transmission didnt sounds like a 20 year old sewing machine.


You are right on the money there. CVT's belong only on the go carts from where they came! Especially when we have technology like the VW/Audi/Veyron/soon Volvo/others Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) trannys. Those DSG's are amazingly smooth and precise.

I agree with the other posters' comments about the corolla also.


You two are dead off the money. Couldn't disagree more. I love the CVT in my Prius. Of course, the trans in the Prius is not the typical cone-and-belt design seen in most CVTs, it's a planetary gear set. It never disengages, and it has no slippage. I find it's behavior to be turbine-like. There's never any shift shock. The engine's rpms slide up or down smoothly to whatever point is optimum. If I could have one of these cars with a good CVT, I'd take it in a heartbeat.


If the Prius had a manual clutch gearbox, it would be even efficient and much more fun to drive. They have a test mule running around as a baseline at Toyota.

The Corolla vs. Civic is easy. The Corolla drives like an appliance and the Civic drives like a car with some response. The Civic has a ridiculous non-ergo dash, which Toyotas are usually famous for, but if you can get past it, it is much more enjoyable car to drive, if you actually get involved with driving.
 
Originally Posted By: ffracer
...
If the Prius had a manual clutch gearbox, it would be even efficient and much more fun to drive. They have a test mule running around as a baseline at Toyota....


No, that's not correct. The concept of the HSD cars includes the motor-generators being an integral components in the transmission. It is not an "assist" arrangement, like the Honda. Take out the planetary gearset, and you take out the motor-generators.

Someone here (you, IIRC ffracer) once before insisted that this trans can "slip" like a traditional CVT or torque converter design. That's not correct either. The entire driveline is always connected, and there's no slippage, ever. The ICE is connected to the ring that carries planet gears between outer ring (which is connected to the large MG2, and which is connected to the drive wheels), and the center shaft, which is connected to the smaller MG1 (which acts as the starter for the ICE). You can be at a standstill, and rev the ICE, and there's still no slippage -- the outer ring stays still (hard connected to drive wheels), while the ICE simply drives the inner shaft, causing MG1 to charge the traction battery (and that power gets used later).
 
I have no problem at all with the Prius tranny. It is smooth and responsive for a car of this type and not noisy or harsh at all. It is light years away from the civic hybrid CVT. Thanks ekpolk for pointing out that not all CVTs are created equal. You couldn't get my to drive that honda hybrid again but the Prius is suprisingly powerful and is in a different league than the civic hybrid IMO.
 
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So of all the folks here commenting on how the 2009 Corolla drives ever drove one? (A 2009 is a TOTALLY NEW MODEL)

I like my Corolla (oh sorry, appliance) and for $14k out the door, there is not a better 40+ MPG EASY to work on car out there. (overall MPG for 100k is 43mpg)

Never had a problem and its never been back to the dealership for anything in 104k miles.

Nice simple car. For my 6ft 5inch frame its no problem to drive for hours on end.

To the OP, I'd wait at least 6 months if you decide on a Corolla to make sure they get everything right.

My dads 2001 new redesigned Civic was a problem child. 2002 they were a lot better.

Take care, bill
 
Funny how some people hate the term appliance. It is simply different strokes for different folks. Some people like to be removed from the road- there are many cars designed for that. Others like to have more aggressive handling- there are cars for that. Drive what you prefer, not what everyone else thinks is better. For the record, as I age I want to be further from the road- Grand Marquis here I come!

ref
 
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