2020 Honda Civic vs 2021 Toyota Camry

The 2020 Honda Civic was lauded as the crown jewel of Honda's lineup. Despite its status as a $20,000 compact car, it offered a bounty of choices and a level of engineering excellence often attributed to luxury brands like BMW. The Civic came in three body styles—sedan, coupe, and 4-door hatchback—each accentuating its sharp design despite its small footprint. The sedan mimicked the sleek roofline of the coupe, but with an elongated and elegant body. The creases on the body panels, wide arcing headlights, and sweeping LED taillights emphasized the car's low and wide stance. The hatchback's tall rear was a bit quirky, specifically the Type R model, which looked like a car straight out of an anime. Nonetheless, the Civic's exterior was visually stimulating without any hint of cheapness.

The 2019 model year introduced several upgrades to the grilles, bumpers, and wheels, which carried over to 2020. The Civic Si sedan featured new matte-black 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights with gloss black trim, standard LED headlights, an updated grille, and a new rear bumper. The Si coupe had similar upgrades. The 2020 Civic hatchback received new bumper and light changes, plus new wheels in gray or black.

Inside, the Civic's minimalist interior featured a narrow center stack and minimal instrumentation. It was built with soft-touch materials and high-quality switchgear. New gloss-black trims on the steering wheel and dash, along with metal shift knobs and a pulsing red start button, added to its aesthetic appeal. The Si model introduced three new dash accents and revised sport seats with red bands woven into the fabric.

The 2021 Toyota Camry, meanwhile, attempted to distance itself from its legacy of being a bland midsize sedan. Designers worked hard to make the Camry exciting, adding styling details like flared wheel arches and thin headlights and taillights that visually widened the car. However, SE, XSE, or TRD trims included fake vents that cluttered the vehicle visually. The LE and XLE models featured a somewhat cleaner but still massive grille.

Exterior styling updates for 2021 were modest but noticeable, especially on the TRD performance model, which received a larger rear spoiler. The existing Nightshade Edition, based on the SE trim, carried over with blacked-out exterior trim and wheels. Standard 17-inch alloy wheels were found on the base LE trim, while 18-inch and 19-inch wheels were available on other trims.

Inside, the Camry's design was similarly chaotic to its exterior. The dashboard looked stitched together from various elements, with a hodgepodge of trim including contrast stitching, piano black plastic, and faux carbon fiber. Despite the disjointed design, XLE and XSE models were equipped with leather upholstery.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a variety of powertrain options across its lineup, all front-wheel drive (FWD). The base LX and Sport trims housed a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine, delivering 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. Standard on these trims was a 6-speed manual transmission, although a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was an optional upgrade. Higher trims like the EX were equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine, producing 174 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. The Sport Touring hatchback upped the ante to 180 hp with a standard manual transmission.

The Si version saw the 1.5-liter turbo engine boosted to 205 hp and 192 lb-ft, while the Type R’s 2.0-liter turbocharged engine reached an impressive 306 hp and 295 lb-ft. Both the Si and Type R were available only with a manual transmission. The Si featured adaptive dampers to minimize body roll, though it rode stiffer than the regular Civic. Nevertheless, the combination of great suspension, precise steering, and a torque-rich engine made it an engaging car to drive.

Fuel economy was commendable. Despite a 6% reduction in the final-drive ratio for improved acceleration, the Si managed 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. Most Civic models with CVT achieved at least 30 mpg city and up to 42 mpg highway.

The 2021 Toyota Camry, on the other hand, began with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine aptly named Dynamic Force. It produced 203 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque with FWD, and 202 hp and 182 lb-ft with AWD. The XSE variant’s dual-exhaust system kicked the power up slightly to 206 hp and 186 lb-ft with FWD. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Toyota also offered a 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 301 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque, and a Camry Hybrid combining a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist for a total output of 208 hp. Both the V6 and hybrid powertrains were exclusively FWD.

In practice, the Dynamic Force engine was surprisingly lively, offering a bubbly, eager-to-rev nature. Chassis tuning balanced handling and ride quality, making the Camry fun to toss into corners while maintaining a comfortable ride. The TRD model added sporty elements like stiffer suspension, larger brakes, and available Bridgestone Potenza summer tires, which further enhanced its performance.

Toyota’s AWD system, derived from the RAV4, could send up to 50% of torque to the rear wheels but reverted to FWD when extra traction wasn't required. This system didn’t impact passenger or cargo space, making it a practical addition.

For the 2020 Honda Civic, rear passenger comfort was notable across all body styles except the coupe. Despite the lack of rear air vents, the seating was spacious, with two-stage heated outboard seats as a luxury feature. Cargo space in the sedan offered 15 cubic feet, while the coupe had 12 cubic feet. The hatchback, however, boasted an impressive 26 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 46 cubic feet with them folded down.

The Civic’s three-spoke steering wheel included controls for the central display and instrument panel, which featured a digital tachometer and speedometer flanked by analog fuel and coolant gauges. The center console was versatile with deep storage bins, adjustable cupholders, and ample space for personal items.

The 2021 Toyota Camry, in comparison, prioritized rear headroom and legroom, though front space was slightly below average. The front seats provided enough adjustability for a comfortable driving position, combined with excellent outward visibility. Cargo space measured at 15.1 cubic feet—average for a midsize sedan but less than the Honda Accord’s 16.7 cubic feet. In-cabin storage was limited, with small cupholders and door bottle holders.

The Camry emphasized ease of use with analog controls for key functions, featuring large knobs for audio volume and tuning, and shortcut buttons for touchscreen menus. However, the placement of some controls was less ergonomically friendly, particularly the audio tuning knob.

The 2020 Honda Civic’s infotainment system was often criticized for being outdated, with slow operation and complex navigation. The 7-inch touchscreen became standard on all trims except the base LX and included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims featured a Garmin-based navigation system with fast, accurate voice recognition. New tech for 2020 in the Si included Active Sound Control, push-button start, keyless entry, and a power moonroof. Honda Sensing, standard across all trims, included advanced driver-assist features like lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and auto high beams.

The 2021 Toyota Camry’s technology suite started with a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa compatibility, Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, and SiriusXM. Upgraded trims received a 9-inch touchscreen, WiFi support, navigation, and a nine-speaker JBL audio system. Available tech included a 10-inch head-up display and dual-zone automatic climate control at higher trims. The infotainment menus were user-friendly, though the system’s graphics were plain.

Honda equipped the 2020 Civic with the Honda Sensing suite, featuring forward collision warning, emergency forward braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. Improved LED headlights helped the Civic earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick rating for all body styles except the Type R, which wasn't tested. NHTSA awarded the Civic five stars in all categories except a four-star rating for the passenger frontal crash on the coupe.

The 2021 Toyota Camry received the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating and the highest five-star rating from NHTSA. The new TSS 2.5+ safety package was standard, adding features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, and traffic-sign recognition. Enhanced capabilities included assistive acceleration for lane changes and improved forward-collision detection. Standard Rear Seat Reminder and available blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert added to the safety repertoire.