Elantra Forum banner
Cancel

Is the Civic vs. Elantra battle on again?

13016 Views 23 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  CRUITic, 
T
I've been a Civic guy for a long time before the Elantra. But Honda really lost it's step. The way things are, it's only a matter of time before Elantra takes over. And I'm okay with that.

During 2011, Hyundai's Elantra came close to knocking the Honda Civic off its perch. Canada’s bestselling car had a tough year, getting through a redesign, production halts and bad press, while the Elantra was on fire, ending the 2011 calendar year with a 57% hike in sales compared to 2010.


2012 Honda Civic (Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com)
In fact, by the end of August 2011, only 110 unit sales separated the two compact cars (33,047 for the Civic, 32,937 for the Elantra) and we were expecting the Hyundai to blow past the the Honda in September. However, the Civic prevailed and widened the gap to earn the bestselling car title for the 14th straight year.

Well, after the first two months of 2012, it seems as though things are heating up again between the two. As we speak, both are offering very interesting incentives:

Civic Coupe & Sedan (excluding Hybrid)
1.99% leasing for 48 months
1.99% financing for 60 months
Cash purchase rebate up to $1,500

Elantra Sedan
0.99% leasing for 48 months
0.9% financing for 60 months

Elantra Touring
$500 rebate
0% financing for up to 84 months

I don’t want this to sound like a marketing line, but for the consumer, it’s a great time to buy one of these cars.

So far in 2012, the Civic has a good lead with 8,244 units sold versus 5,755 for the Elantra. Hyundai will soon be adding two more models to the family, namely the Elantra Coupe and the five-door Elantra GT; on the other hand, the practical Touring wagon will disappear, potentially sacrificing about 500 sales a month. Personally, I don’t think the Coupe and GT will compensate, as they’re not as family oriented.

What about the others? The Toyota Corolla (4,930 units) and Mazda3 (4,167) aren’t that far off, but the Chevrolet Cruze (3,443), Volkswagen Jetta (3,056) and Ford Focus (2,708) are further behind.

I guess the Honda Civic shouldn’t worry too much after all.
Click to expand...
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
K
indeed.

but on the daily i see more and more Hyundais being put int he road... i wouldnt be surprised if they shot up and caught up!
Reply
Save
Like
K
I dont see it happening you get a whole lot more car for the price of Hyundai then you do for the civic.
Reply
Save
Like
T
That is true. The Hyundai brand is one the rise, while the Civic reputation is dropping considerably.

I think the Civic is definitely riding the fumes of it past glories. It's a matter of time till the general public begins to recognize that Honda isn't what it used to be.
Reply
Save
Like
H
I would never buy the 9th Gen civic , the car is extremely ugly!

In terms of styling alone Hyundai wins all the way, the company is only 40 years old and their cars have evloed from utter sh!tboxes to something now extremely competitive!


Hands down the elantra coupe over the civic coupe!
Reply
Save
Like
K
I mean i could see it happening, Honda has a reputable name with super reliable cars, where as they had brand loyalty where as Hyundai is just getting their head in the game still.
Reply
Save
Like
K
No chance honda is loosing its grips.
Reply
Save
Like
T
KrNPwR said:
No chance honda is loosing its grips.
Click to expand...
You don't think Honda is losing it's product reliability or people's brand loyalty? Or either?
Reply
Save
Like
E
Honda has made a name for it self in terms of reliablity and there are alot of brand loyal consumers. But Hyundai is coming up strong in the segment too. its only a matter of time Hyundai surpasses Honda. In my opinion Honda lacks creativity in the design department. I got to agree the 9th gen civic is pretty hideous.
Reply
Save
Like
E
electric_circus said:
Honda has made a name for it self in terms of reliablity and there are alot of brand loyal consumers. But Hyundai is coming up strong in the segment too. its only a matter of time Hyundai surpasses Honda. In my opinion Honda lacks creativity in the design department. I got to agree the 9th gen civic is pretty hideous.
Click to expand...
Honda started designing ugly civic's since they released the 7th generation civic. Ever since that, 8th gen civic has only been the nicest civic for the past decade. 9th civic is so bad that Honda is revamping it for 2013, just a year after they were released in 2012.
Reply
Save
Like
H
So far in the battle for the compact segment the Elantra is striding forward in the front lines leaving Honda behind, not in terms of engineering but with up to date taste and design. Ive lost interest for Honda since the fourth gen. Their just so bland. Yes i can understand Honda reliability and engineering but, i would strangle myself if i had to drive the 9th gen every day.
Reply
Save
Like
G
I currently own an 8th gen and it does feel like a step down from when I owned my 6th gen. It does feel like Honda has lost all passion for the line.

The 9th gen is pretty horrendous.
Reply
Save
Like
B
Usually when new gen civics roll out from dealers. I would see lots on the streets. Like when he 8th gen came out they were everywhere. I would literally see 15-20 a day but now with the 9th gen i hardly see any.
Reply
Save
Like
E
booster-juice said:
Usually when new gen civics roll out from dealers. I would see lots on the streets. Like when he 8th gen came out they were everywhere. I would literally see 15-20 a day but now with the 9th gen i hardly see any.
Click to expand...

I guess it depends where you live. I live in a busy city and see a lot of 9th generation Civic....daily! People love them. The 9th gens meet the demand which is a cheap, reliable and fuel efficient vehicle.

Same goes for other new cars that have been out for the same time as the 9th generation civic. To me it seems some people are holding back on buying new cars, recession probably changed the way how they spend.
Reply
Save
Like
B
E-Coupe said:
I guess it depends where you live. I live in a busy city and see a lot of 9th generation Civic....daily! People love them. The 9th gens meet the demand which is a cheap, reliable and fuel efficient vehicle.

Same goes for other new cars that have been out for the same time as the 9th generation civic. To me it seems some people are holding back on buying new cars, recession probably changed the way how they spend.
Click to expand...
I guess it does depend geographically. Theres alot to offer on the market for cheap and reliable. just like the Elantra for example. I would take that over the civic right now. but if Honda deside to make a change to the 10th gen, may ill chime in then.
Reply
Save
Like
M
In my opinion with the 10th gen civic about to be released, Honda may get a legup on the elantra coupe. Hyundai needs a turbo version in the Elantra coupe to compete with the civic si.

Anyway, I traded in my 2012 civic ex for the coupe se and do not regret my decision.
Reply
Save
Like
I
from an enthusiast point of view I've been dissapointed in the recent honda civics. but the truth is that people buy the civic for it's name is supposed reliability. People will always buy civics. It has built a name for itself all these years. With that said I do find that the general criticism towards the newer generation civics has been more negative.
Reply
Save
Like
E
matrix058 said:
In my opinion with the 10th gen civic about to be released, Honda may get a legup on the elantra coupe. Hyundai needs a turbo version in the Elantra coupe to compete with the civic si.

Anyway, I traded in my 2012 civic ex for the coupe se and do not regret my decision.
Click to expand...
10th generation civic? HUH

9th generation Civic came out just early this year. I think your confusing the facelifted 2013 9th gen civic model for a 10th gen civic
Reply
Save
Like
M
I would say, There’s no question that the battle for the finest small- to mid-size sedan is fiercely fought among automakers here and abroad, and here at Family Hyundai we find that the two vehicles consistently preferred among Country Club Hills, IL drivers are the 2012 Hyundai Elantra and the 2012 Honda Civic. While it’s true that the Civic has a long legacy in the mid-size sedan segment, we think once you put it head-to-head with the new Elantra, you'll see that Hyundai's model provides the better value. With more power, better fuel economy, more standard features, and a lower price, we think smart buyers will see why we rank the Elantra as our top pick.
Reply
Save
Like
M
ElantraFan said:
10th generation civic? HUH

9th generation Civic came out just early this year. I think your confusing the facelifted 2013 9th gen civic model for a 10th gen civic
Click to expand...

My bad, I guess you can call it a "9th Genplus" ...
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
Elantra Forum
A forum community dedicated to Hyundai Elantra owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, modifications, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Elantra Sedan General Discussion General Discussion New Member Introductions Hyundai Elantra Coupe 2.0L Engine Discussion Noobie questions forum.
Top