One of the best ways to cope with pain at the gas pump is to look at downsizing your vehicle, and today’s compact cars are a great option that allow you to keep the space that you need to move around your family and friends while getting some truly great gas mileage. This class of vehicles is great for smaller families that haven’t grown into an SUV or van quite yet and are still very interested in a cost-effective option for their transportation.
Overall Ratings
The overall ratings for the Ford Focus exceed the Honda Civic by a fair margin, partially due to the ride and handling but also for the styling. The Civic is slightly more spacious and comfortable, but the bland design and poor handling don’t make it a favorite with reviewers and buyers alike. The Focus provides a higher level of interest with a more luxurious interior and some great interior equipage.
Negatives
The 2012 Honda Civic has a very bland exterior style; when paired with the Hybrid’s low-speed drivability, this is not the favorite pick in the compact car category. The 2012 Ford Focus, while slightly more appealing from the styling perspective, has seats that don’t fold neatly, excessive road noise and a cluttered interior layout that makes it more challenging to find what you’re looking for on the dashboard.
Interior
The hard plastic dash materials are akin to a child’s $0.99 toy, but the Ford Focus’s interior has soft-touch plastics that are grained to look like the finest leather instead of the rice-paper feel of the Civic’s interior. The seats of both vehicles are firm and supportive.
Fuel Economy
The identical highway fuel economy is only slightly different for the city, with the Civic getting 2 mpg less than the fuel-sipping Focus. Dimensions are similar, but the fuel tank capacity of the Honda Civic wins that battle with 13.2 gallons as opposed to the 12.4 gallons for the Ford Focus.
Safety Ratings
Both vehicles lose a few points on crash test ratings, but overall the Civic is the clear winner when it comes to safety – losing only a total of 3 stars to the Focus’s 6. The Focus suffers on rollover rating, several side barrier ratings and the combined side rating for both the front and the rear seats.
