When you bring in the most sales for being the best in your class, you get more than just bragging rights – you set the standards for all of those that follow behind you. Both Honda and Toyota have had their models dominating the compact sedan segment for decades by making sure they are giving their consumers exactly what they want. From the essentials to an attractive design, both manufacturers keep their number one sedans ahead of the competition with fresh designs and advanced features while maintaining their fuel efficiency and affordability throughout the years. For 2022, the rivalry continues between these sought-after vehicles – introducing the 2022 Honda Civic vs 2022 Toyota Corolla.
How They Came to Be
Honda introduced the Civic in July of 1972 and immediately became an influence on automotive design, with its size being between a minicar and compact sedan. When released in Japan, it became their market’s first fully modern compact car with a design never seen before in its class. The Civic inspired other Japanese manufacturers to create models like the Mitsubishi Mirage. This first-generation Civic was available as a sedan or hatchback and was manufactured with an engine that was more fuel-efficient and ran off leaded or unleaded fuel, which gave consumers a fuel choice that its competitors had not yet offered. This was crucial in helping the growth of sales for its class.
Introduced in November of 1966, the Toyota Corolla became the world’s best-selling car less than a decade later. It has since kept its title as one of the best-selling cars in the world. Originally offered in the USA as only a sedan, by 1974, the third generation Corollas added a liftback version to the lineup. In 1983, for the fifth generation, the liftback was replaced with the hatchback. Throughout the years, Toyota has continuously made upgrades to the Corolla to try and keep in front of its competitors in design, safety, and performance. With this determination, it’s no wonder why there has been an ongoing rivalry between the Civic and the Corolla for the number one spot.
A Redesigned 2022 Honda Civic Guaranteed to Blow You Away
Throughout the years, there have been many faces to the renowned Honda Civic – all of which have helped keep the Civic top of its class – but in 2021, this sedan was certainly due for a facelift. Its last redesign was for 2016, and after Toyota’s upgrades to the Corolla in 2020, Honda had to step up and put its Civic back in line for the number one spot. With a more mature design packed with advanced features for convenience and safety and more space for comfort, all while still maintaining the reliability, fuel efficiency, and performance we all know and love, the 2022 Civic will once again be in the running for the number one compact sedan.
With a sporty yet sophisticated look, the 2022 Civic is guaranteed to grab your attention. This model is designed with a lower and wider frame, an elongated hood with clean lines along the body, and is available in four different trims.
The LX is the base model with a 2.0L engine and 7-inch infotainment touchscreen.
The Sport offers 18-inch gloss-black rims and a chrome exhaust, adding to the Civic’s new athletic build.
The EX has a 1.5L turbocharged engine and dual-zone automatic climate control system.
The Touring trim offers wireless smartphone charging, a 12-speaker Bose audio system, a digital gauge display, as well as a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen.
With eight different color choices available with all the trims, you get a plethora of options to choose from for whatever impression you’re looking to make on the road while getting up to 36 MPG combined and providing up to 180 HP depending on which engine option you choose.
The new interior is guaranteed to keep its five passengers comfortable with 1.4 additional inches of second-row legroom, an available power moonroof, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control for the front – all of which come standard on the EX and Touring trims – as well as a body-stabilizing driver’s seat with available eight-way power adjustment, allowing you to always be comfortable while driving. Cargo space stays the same at 14.8 cubic feet, but the feeling of openness from the 2022 model is defined by style, with a decluttered cabin, textured trim panels, newly designed honeycomb air vents, and expanded glass areas for plenty of visibility and natural lighting.
All trims come standard with the Honda Sensing suite filled with safety and driver-assist technologies. Road Departure Mitigation will help you maintain your lane, while the Collision Mitigation Braking System can prevent front-end collision. There is even standard Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, so you can be assured you and your precious cargo will not only look and feel great on the road but stay safe as well.
Bring on the 2022 Toyota Corolla: Can It Take the Lead?
Toyota may have redesigned the Corolla for 2020, but even with the few added features for the 2022 model, it may not be enough to be number one for sales. Although Corolla takes the win with a lower starting MSRP and also offers eight trims instead of five, it falls a close second with most other features. Let’s take a closer look at what this model has to offer as we compare the 2022 Honda Civic vs 2022 Toyota Corolla.
With the expressive and stylish Apex and Nightshade trims carried over from its recent update, the Corolla does offer a more attractive and sportier look than previous years – but it still doesn’t quite steal your attention as the new Civic does. The Toyota also offers slightly less cargo room than its rival, coming in at 13.1 cubic feet of cargo room in the trunk. Plus, with less legroom for your rear-seat passengers at 34.8 inches versus the Civic’s 37.4 inches, the Corolla certainly takes second place for space.
Even the fuel economy and horsepower put the Corolla just slightly below the Civic with an estimated 34 MPG combined and a possible 169 hp with the available 2.0L Dynamic Force Engine. Although the Corolla seems to closely trail the Honda Civic in most aspects, it has scored a 5-star safety rating in the NHTSA crash tests. All its trims also come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 and the Star Safety System – this just might boost it in front of the Civic in safety. However, both models were named an IIHS Top Safety Pick in 2021.
And the Winner Is…
After a final tally, it does seem like the 2022 Honda Civic takes a slight lead over the 2022 Toyota Corolla. But you have to admit; it certainly is a tight race. Once again, it seems like these two long-time rivals are neck and neck in the race to be the most sought-after compact sedan. We’ll just have to see what the final sale numbers are at the end of the year to figure out what consumers prefer. Sometimes statistics like legroom or horsepower or the number of new features isn’t always what gives you the win in this race.
