As the two archrivals from the compact sedan class have been getting incrementally better, the decision to buy either one has been made harder and harder.

If a few years ago you would have not given the Toyota Corolla a second look due to its anonymous mass-market Indesit-inspired styling, nowadays it’s one of the most flamboyant in its class, whereas the Honda Civic, which was pretty good before but had some faults, has now been revamped and improved, becoming a worthy buy yet again.

However, the Honda now runs the risk of being overshadowed by the Toyota’s new, modern face, its smarter than ever interior and the peace of mind you get when you know it’s soundly engineered and built, with zero chance of an embarrassing recall… oh, wait.

The Civic 2012 model-year was seriously criticized, even by those who declared themselves fans of the brand, and Honda quickly went to work on that car with the aim of fixing all the niggles. The result of their work is the 2014 model-year Civic sedan, a car that KBB says is your choice of the two if you prefer direct steering, a generally sportier feel and are willing to sacrifice some comfort for it.

By Andrei Nedelea

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