2020 Honda Civic vs 2020 Honda Accord

The 2020 Honda Civic was a standout in Honda's lineup, offering a compact car experience with a touch of luxury typically reserved for higher-end brands. It was available in three body styles—sedan, coupe, and hatchback—each showcasing a sharp design that belied its compact size. The sedan featured an elegant, elongated body with a svelte roofline, while the hatchback had a quirky, tall rear. The Civic's exterior was visually stimulating, with wide, arcing headlights and sweeping LED taillights accentuating its low and wide stance. The 2020 model carried over the grille, bumper, and wheel upgrades from the previous year, with additional enhancements for the Si and hatchback models, including new wheels and light changes.

Inside, the Civic boasted a simple yet high-quality interior, with soft-touch materials and a narrow centre stack. The 2020 updates included new dash accents and revised sport seats for the Si model. The interior was designed for comfort and functionality, with a deep storage bin and configurable cupholders. Rear passengers enjoyed ample space, although the lack of rear air vents was a notable oversight. The trunk offered generous cargo space, particularly in the hatchback model, making it a practical choice for those needing extra storage.

The 2020 Honda Accord was recognized as one of the most stylish Accords in history, with a sleek design that defied its mainstream family sedan category. The car's visual appeal was enhanced by 19-inch alloy wheels available on higher trims, while 17-inch wheels offered a more economical choice. The Accord was available in several trims, including LX, Sport, EX-L, and Touring, with a hybrid option also offered. The interior was a testament to quality, with soft-touch materials, comfortable leather seats, and a matte-finish simulated wood trim that added a touch of elegance.

The Accord's interior was spacious, offering more rear-seat legroom and cargo space than its competitors. The standard 12-way power driver's seat provided excellent comfort, while the rear seats were exceptionally comfortable with ample thigh support. The trunk offered 473 litres of space, accommodating full-size suitcases with ease. The cabin featured plenty of storage space, clear instrumentation, and ergonomic controls, making it a pleasant environment for both driver and passengers.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a range of engines and transmissions, all front-wheel drive. The base engine was a 2.0-litre inline 4-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque, paired with a six-speed manual or an optional CVT. The 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, available on higher trims, delivered 174 to 180 horsepower, with the Si model boosting it to 205 hp and the Type R reaching an impressive 306 hp. The Civic's engines were praised for their smoothness and responsiveness, with the manual transmission offering a tight, enjoyable shifting experience. The Si and Type R models featured adaptive dampers, enhancing handling and ride quality, though the Si's ride was stiffer than the regular Civic. Fuel efficiency varied, with the Si rated at 8.9 L/100 km city and 6.4 highway, while most CVT models achieved around 8.0 L/100 km city and 6.0 highway.

The 2020 Honda Accord prioritized fuel efficiency with its standard 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, producing 192 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque, paired with a CVT. The hybrid powertrain offered 212 horsepower and impressive fuel economy, averaging 5.5 L/100 km. For those seeking more power, the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine delivered 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission. The Accord's driving modes, Economy and Sport, allowed for personalized powertrain calibration, with Sport mode enhancing responsiveness. The Accord 2.0T was quick, though front-wheel drive limited power delivery under hard acceleration. Fuel consumption for the 2.0T was 8.6 L/100 km, better than the estimated 9.1 L/100 km. The Accord's adaptive dampers and accurate steering contributed to a fun and engaging driving experience, though the brakes could use improvement.

The 2020 Honda Civic's interior improvements included a volume knob and better cupholders, with more sound insulation in the hatchback. The EX hatchback featured an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, and the steering wheel offered controls for the central display and instrument panel. The Civic's storage was configurable, with a deep centre console and removable cupholders. Rear passengers enjoyed ample space, though the lack of rear air vents was a drawback. The trunk offered 416 litres of cargo space in the sedan, 343 litres in the coupe, and 728 litres in the hatchback, making it a practical choice for those needing extra storage.

The 2020 Honda Accord was essentially a full-size car, offering more rear-seat legroom and cargo space than its competitors. The standard 12-way power driver's seat provided excellent comfort, while the rear seats were exceptionally comfortable with ample thigh support. The trunk offered 473 litres of space, accommodating full-size suitcases with ease. The cabin featured plenty of storage space, clear instrumentation, and ergonomic controls, making it a pleasant environment for both driver and passengers.

The 2020 Honda Civic's infotainment system was outdated, with a slower interface and complex controls compared to newer Honda models. Bluetooth connectivity was standard, and the 7-inch touchscreen offered Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Civic Si introduced Active Sound Control, which could be turned off, and featured a 450-watt, 10-speaker stereo. LaneWatch, a camera-based blind-spot monitoring system, was effective, and Honda Sensing was standard on all trims, offering active lane centring, adaptive cruise control, and auto high beams.

The 2020 Honda Accord featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, praised for its user-friendly interface, volume and tuning knobs, and clear graphics. It included Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, with a ten-speaker premium audio system standard on Sport trim. Touring trim added HondaLink subscription services, a Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, and wireless device charging. The Accord's infotainment system lacked natural voice recognition, requiring specific prompts for accurate responses. A head-up display was exclusive to Touring trim, and the car offered excellent visibility with a reversing camera.

The 2020 Honda Civic came equipped with Honda Sensing, which included forward collision warning, emergency forward braking, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. The Civic earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS for all body styles except the Type R, which wasn't tested. It received the top "Good" rating in all six crash tests. The NHTSA rated the Civic five stars in all categories, except for four stars in the passenger frontal crash rating on the coupe.

The 2020 Honda Accord was named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS and received five stars in every assessment by the NHTSA. Honda Sensing was standard on all trims, offering forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, and traffic sign recognition. Automatic high beams were also standard. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was reserved for the Touring trim, while lower models featured LaneWatch. Honda Sensing could use refinement, as adaptive cruise control and warning systems occasionally gave false alerts.