Compare the2023 Mazda 3VS 2023 Honda Civic Type R

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda 3 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Civic Type R doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda 3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic Type R only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Mazda 3 and Civic Type R have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

The Mazda 3’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Mazda 3 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Civic Type R have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 available blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic Type R:

	Mazda 3	Civic Type R
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	89	325
Neck Injury Risk	17%	30%
Neck Stress	214 lbs.	241 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	205/212 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	444
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/201 lbs.	275/164 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic Type R:

	Mazda 3	Civic Type R
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	112	195
Abdominal Force	238 lbs.	286 lbs.
Hip Force	239 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	71 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	12 inches
HIC	199	260
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	805 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Mazda 3 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Civic Type R has not been tested, yet.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. With 3 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Honda.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Mazda 3’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 310) than the Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Mazda 3 Sedan gets better mileage than the Civic Type R:

			MPG
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
Civic Type R
FWD	Manual	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy

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

			MPG
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
Civic Type R
FWD	Manual	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Mazda 3 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Mazda 3 offers an optional system to automatically turn off the engine when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mazda 3 higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic Type R (6). This means the Mazda 3 produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic Type R every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Mazda 3 has a standard automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer an automatic transmission.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Mazda 3’s turning circle is 5.1 feet tighter than the Civic Type R’s (34.8 feet vs. 39.9 feet).

Chassis

The Mazda 3 Sedan is 5.3 inches shorter than the Civic Type R, making the Mazda 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback is quieter than the Civic Type R:

	Mazda3	Civic Type R
At idle	40 dB	43 dB
Full-Throttle	74 dB	88 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Mazda 3 Sedan has .3 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Type R.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Mazda 3 Turbo Hatchback has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Ergonomics

The Mazda 3 Auto offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When two different drivers share the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Mazda 3 Premium/Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Mazda 3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Civic Type R’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Mazda 3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Civic Type R’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Mazda 3 Premium/Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Mazda 3 Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Civic Type R’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Mazda 3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Civic Type R offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the Mazda 3 Turbo’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Civic Type R offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Model Availability

The Mazda 3 comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Honda Civic Type R isn’t available as a sedan.

Recommendations

The Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	Civic Type R
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	n/a
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	n/a