Compare the2023 Honda Civic SiVS 2023 Mazda 3

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic Si are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Mazda 3’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Si has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic Si has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Civic Si and the Mazda 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic Si for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 3.

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Si’s warranty.

The Civic Si’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (200 vs. 191) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (192 vs. 186) than the Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic Si is faster than the Mazda 3 4 cyl. (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Si gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback:

The Civic Si has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Civic Si’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Mazda 3:

The Civic Si stops much shorter than the Mazda 3:

For better traction, the Civic Si has larger tires than the Mazda 3 (235/40R18 vs. 205/60R16). The Civic Si’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda 3 (235/40R18 vs. 215/45R18).

The Civic Si’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mazda 3 2.5 S’ standard 60 series tires. The Civic Si’s tires are lower profile than the Mazda 3 Hatchback/Select/Preferred/Premium/Turbo’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Si has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Mazda 3 2.5 S.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic Si has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda 3 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic Si has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic Si flat and controlled during cornering. The Mazda 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Civic Si has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Civic Si handles at .97 G’s, while the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Civic Si executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD (26.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Si a Mid-size car, while the Mazda 3 is rated a Compact.

The Civic Si has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mazda 3 Sedan (96.6 vs. 92.8).

The Civic Si has 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mazda 3 Sedan.

The Civic Si has a much larger trunk than the Mazda 3 Sedan (14.4 vs. 13.2 cubic feet).

Consumer Reports rated the Civic Si’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Mazda 3’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The Civic Si’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the Mazda 3 Carbon/Turbo.

The Civic Si will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic Si will retain 53.1% to 53.47% of its original price after five years, while the Mazda 3 only retains 49.31% to 50.91%.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic Si and the Mazda 3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic Sport was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 5 years. The Mazda 3 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic Si was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 26 years. The Mazda 3 has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic Si as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Mazda 3 has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Mazda 3 by over five to one during the 2022 model year.