Five-Point Comparo: Toyota Corolla Vs Honda Civic

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In this edition of the five-point comparo, we take a closer look at Toyota’s bestselling sedan and Honda’s contender to the champion in the midsize sedan segment. Does the Honda Civic pose a serious challenge to the Toyota Corolla in UAE? Let’s find out.

Design

The 2019 Toyota Corolla is now in its twelfth generation, with the company having revamped its design majorly. You can choose between three body types of the Corolla: hatchback, estate, and sedan. The Toyota Corolla sedan features LED lighting and alloy wheels as standard.

The Honda Civic has won an equally loyal fan following as the Corolla for its blend of great design, dynamics, and practicality. Now in its tenth generation, the Honda Civic in UAE only comes as a sedan. Honda has given it a bolder design for its new generation, along with a slightly larger footprint than its predecessor.

The 2019 Toyota Corolla wears a mature design that will age gracefully.

Safety

Toyota has given the Corolla a substantial safety net of systems like ABS, traction control, tyre pressure sensors, and so on. For its price, the Toyota sedan is well-equipped in this regard.

The Honda Civic trumps the Corolla by a fair margin in this regard. All trims of the Civic get six airbags as standard, versus the Corolla’s two. Also standard are features like ABS, traction control, tyre pressure sensors, and hill climb assist. This Honda sedan is loaded with safety tech.

Infotainment

While the Civic may not be as loaded as the Corolla in terms of creature comforts, it does boast of an involving drive.

This is where the Toyota Corolla claws back its advantage. It offers a touchscreen infotainment system that has an intuitive user interface. The instrument cluster is also digital. Toyota also recently started offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all its models, and could soon add it to the Corolla family as well.

The Honda Civic makes do with a smaller touchscreen than the Toyota, but both cars offer steering-mounted controls for music and telephony. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not yet available, but Honda could offer it in the next-gen Civic, whenever it is due.

Performance

The 2019 Toyota Corolla in the UAE comes with a choice of two powertrains. You can choose between a 1.6-litre inline-four engine that makes 121hp and 154Nm and a 2.0-litre inline-four producing 143hp and 187Nm. As for transmissions, a CVT is paired with both engines, sending power to the front wheels.

Three engines are on offer with the Honda Civic, namely a 1.6-litre inline-four good for 123hp and 151Nm, a 2.0-litre four-pot that generates 158hp and 187Nm, and finally a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that makes 180hp and 220Nm. The latter powers the Civic RS, a more performance-tuned version of the popular sedan. All trims get a CVT automatic transmission powering the front wheels.

Toyota released the Corolla hatchback first, followed by the estate, and later the sedan.

Pricing/Availability

The 2019 Toyota Corolla 1.6 SE is the car’s base trim, priced at AED 70,900 while the 2.0 Limited trim comes in at AED 82,850. You can find further details of the sedan at Al-Futtaim Toyota dealerships in the UAE.

Check out the Toyota Corolla Prices and Specifications in the UAE.

The 2019 Honda Civic in UAE starts at AED 62,900 for the base 1.6L DX trim while the RS version is priced at AED 101,700. For more information, head to your nearest Al-Futtaim Honda dealership or access their website.

Check out the Honda Civic Prices and Specifications in the UAE.

Verdict

The Toyota Corolla is a legendary nameplate now sitting on a global architecture. It is a well-rounded package that does everything you ask of it and returns decent economy too.

On the other hand, the Honda Civic is a city car with excellent driving dynamics, zesty design, as well as a performance trim on offer.

The Civic likes to play it bold with sharp creases and angular edges in its design.