The 9 Gen. Civic may not be superior over the 8 Gen. Civic in terms of design but to state the obvious, as the years roll by, times have a tendency to change. What this means for the car business is that, by and large, newer cars are incrementally better than older cars; they are safer, produce fewer emissions, offer more features and have more quality baked right in and all this applies to the 9 Gen. Civic when comparing it with the 8 Gen Civic. Coming to the R18 Motor which we are going to get in this car, it’s been updated to provide improved emissions and better fuel economy. The manufacturer estimates that this Civic, when equipped with the automatic transmission, will deliver 7.2 L/100 km in the city and 5.0 L/100 km on the highway. Reading some reviews over the internet on the 9 Gen. Civic, i wanted to quote this paragraph i read which compares the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elentra and the all new Honda Civic when it comes to Autocrossing which is a competition based on pure driving skills, brakes, handling and the right speed.
Counterpoint: In the parking lot of the stadium, an autocross event was staged with three competitors: the aging and generally unloved Toyota Corolla, the brand new and generally loved Hyundai Elantra and the latest Civic sedan. The Corolla did not shine around the pylons, full stop. While some pundits figured the Elantra was the slickest at pointing and shooting from one marker to the next, and then cornering and braking under duress, I preferred the Civic. I found it to be more connected to the driver and a touch more glued on the tarmac.
Also,
With attention to detail, Honda engineers boosted front shoulder room to 56.6 inches, which is more than that of the Elantra and Corolla.
This, plus a low, open dashboard design, helps create an airy environment for front-seat passengers.
In the back seat, legroom has been increased. Two adult passengers traveled comfortably with 36.2 inches of legroom, more than the 33.1 inches in the Elantra.and just 0.6 inch less than the mid-size Accord sedan.
Secondly, as the 9 Gen. Civic is lighter than the current 8 Gen. Civic and with the same R18 motor which pulls 140 horses, we can expect a lot more bashing up of Corolla 1.6 and 1.8's when it comes to a 1/4 mile drag