Which is more fuel efficient, FD Civic 1.8 AT or the prevoius gen Mazda 3 1.6?

**extremeshot** · February 17th, 2013 01:13 AM

I'm planning to get one as a wife-mobile sometime middle of this year. I like the FD more but the Mazda 3 seems to be a more practical choice given it's lower re-sale value (lower entry price for me) and the slightly smaller engine. While on paper, the 1.8 should be eating up more fuel than the 1.6, I've heard a lot of comments about the 3 being matakaw sa gas and the 1.8 FD was being marketed as "2.0 power with 1.5 fuel efficiency".

Forget about all the other features since I like both cars and can live with either. It all boils down to fuel efficiency. So which is more fuel efficient? And how much is the margin?

**niky** · February 17th, 2013 11:56 AM

AT to AT, it's a wash in traffic, but if I recall, the Civic was better on the highway thanks to the fifth gear. Been a long time since I drove either.

**oj88** · February 17th, 2013 02:02 PM

I've never driven the Mazda 3. Though, I hope that the following resources about the Honda 1.8L engine might be able to help you in your decision.

This video best describes the Honda R18's features, including how it can achieve relatively good fuel economy for a 1.8L engine. Do know that the R18's i-VTEC mechanism doesn't work towards performance, rather, for fuel economy on highway runs.
Honda Worldwide

Some other "datasheets" you may be interested.

Technical Overview of Honda's new R18 i-VTEC Implementation
http://asia.vtec.net/Engines/R18A/index.html

**extremeshot** · February 17th, 2013 02:11 PM

Thanks for the inputs. Yes, I'm looking at an AT vs AT comparison. This will be primarily used for city driving so it looks like there's no real advantage for the Civic.

Please also share any real world fuel consumption of the two. Thanks!

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**Egan101** · February 17th, 2013 02:21 PM

*extremeshot - Please go check the Car Talk forum of Tsikot. Each manufacturer has their own section and it contains a thread for real world fuel consumption of cars from a manufacturer. See below thread for Honda cars.

http://tsikot.com/forums/honda-cars-...8/index67.html

**ghosthunter** · February 17th, 2013 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by extremeshot

I'm planning to get one as a wife-mobile sometime middle of this year. I like the FD more but the Mazda 3 seems to be a more practical choice given it's lower re-sale value (lower entry price for me) and the slightly smaller engine. While on paper, the 1.8 should be eating up more fuel than the 1.6, I've heard a lot of comments about the 3 being matakaw sa gas and the 1.8 FD was being marketed as "2.0 power with 1.5 fuel efficiency".

Forget about all the other features since I like both cars and can live with either. It all boils down to fuel efficiency. So which is more fuel efficient? And how much is the margin?

Based on our family experience with the Mazda3 1.6L AT, the mazda3 have poorer fuel economy.

**rukawa11** · February 17th, 2013 03:26 PM

mazda 3,

madali masira pyesa at mahal ipagawa.
mabigat ang kaha
malakas sa gas, mabagal
mababa resale value

**1D4LV** · February 17th, 2013 08:41 PM

the choice would seem logical... the honda fd.
the 3 has a heavier body, making it less fuel efficient.
and madami akong kilala na mabilis daw masira ang ilalim... in fact one of my friends nagpalit kaagad ng shocks and bushings after the second year.

**extremeshot** · February 17th, 2013 10:45 PM

Yeah, I really like the FD better. What lured me to the Mazda 3 is it's price and I thought, more efficient smaller engine.

How about maintenance cost? I kinda thought it would be the same (I own a Honda but no idea on Mazda) but from the comments here, it looks like the Mazda is more expensive to maintain. Is it?

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**Egan101** · February 17th, 2013 11:11 PM

*extremeshot - a smaller engine does not mean better fuel efficiency. Big factor is the power-to-weight ratio. A small engine pulling a heavy body will need to exert more energy to keep it running on a steady pace. Some will say that the TOTL 2.0L Mazda3 models have the same fuel consumption as its lower-end 1.6L models.