Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Ford Focus: Which one is the best value for money?

By Farzana Chaumoo

These three rivals, as well as a few others in the segment that include the Jetta and Sentra, give a good run for its money. While the Corolla has aged, it has been well received in South Africa and is our value pick. The Focus is bringing new buyers forth to the brand and Honda’s radical-looking Civic, well, is trying to take on the more established cars.

Space

While they are closely matched, Ford takes the win in family sedans for the one with most interior and boot space, which is closely matched by Honda.

From these, Honda is the only car that exhibits some design flair in terms of its profile, sleek lines, futuristic detailing, and low nature. It also draws the most attention. However, when you get into the cabin, it takes some getting used to “with a facia seemingly lifted straight out of the set of Star Trek”. But the radicalness of the Civic doesn’t limit its practicality for a family car. Its boot may be the smallest in the segment but its interior space is ahead of the Corolla and almost on par with the seemingly larger Focus and Jetta.

As the years go on, the Focus is becoming more modern, however, both the Focus and Corolla are known to be more conservative. The car offers a spacious, practical cabin with a smart design. Although, some of the black plastic may take away from the overall ambience of the car.

Corolla’s are everywhere on the road. Older models interiors can be found with “ghastly plastic grey ‘wood’ trim” and some features seem to be “tacked on as afterthoughts”.

All three have excellent build quality.

Powertrains

The Civic range starts with a 1.5 VTEC TURBO engine that produces 127 kW of maximum power at 5500 rpm and 220 Nm of maximum torque available in a broad range between 1700 and 5500 rpm to enhance all-round drivability.

In the similar region, the Focus can be found with the fuel-efficient 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that delivers 132 kW of power and 240 Nm of torque. The EcoBoost engine uses a six-speed manual transmission while a six-speed SelectShift Automatic is optionally available.

Toyota’s smaller engines for the Corolla are much weaker, and in matching power output figures, the 1.8-litre 16V, DOHC Dual VVT-i petrol engine, fitted in top-end models, develops 103 kW at 6400 rpm, and a maximum torque of 173 Nm at 4000rpm.

Comfort and features

The Civic doesn’t lack in much. Its kitted with full leather upholstery with heated seats in the front, extensive use of attractive soft-touch and accent materials, a high-deck centre console that encompasses key features such as an Electric Parking Brake and Brake Hold function and a steering wheel with tilt and telescopic adjustment.

In 2016, rear-seat knee space was increased by 55 mm, along with further gains in shoulder room for the rear occupants. Boot capacity was also improved by 20 percent.

The Civic can also be had with a raft of additional advanced safety features.

Despite its ‘Uber status’, the Corolla is not as bare as you’d expect. You can expect to find an Audio Touch Screen/DVD increased from 6.1” to 7” (on Prestige models). There are also upscale touches in the interior which include a piano-black centre-cluster surround and chrome-plated ornamentation. In 2017, the instrument panel was updated with a layered structure, along with a redesigned climate control panel and circular air vents.

You won’t find leather trim in the Focus, nor cruise control but there are curtain airbags. But comfort is not compromised because of this. In 2015, Ford redesigned the centre storage console to offer more space and included a new sliding, integrated armrest. The adjustable console accommodates a variety of bottles and cups with the capacity to simultaneously hold a one-litre water bottle and a 0.4-litre cup. For comfort, Focus occupants is expected to experience superior interior quietness, achieved with thicker carpets, thicker side window glass, and improved engine bay insulation. The number of buttons in the cabin was also reduced as customers desired more simplicity inside the car.

Value for money

The Focus sedan offers a lot of kit for the money, as well as torque turbo engines for similar money to the mid-level Civic and Corolla.

The Corolla is always a good buy, competent in all fields, and the low depreciation will get you more cash back when you sell it. The current Corolla is almost due for replacement, so some nice run-out specials will become available on the current generation model soon, so Corolla’s value proposition will be on the rise over the next years. A new Corolla is the best value of these three cars.

The Civic isn’t the value winner it once was. And the last three generations of Civic sedans were rather dull to drive, and not very well-kitted for the money.