The Honda Civic is the most popular car in Canada, and has been for 23 years. Let's face it, to achieve such a feat, a vehicle can't have too many flaws. So how can it be improved?

Well, Honda has spared no effort. They've been working on everything that can be done with the Civic, so the new model that's arriving in dealerships, the 11th in its history, is incredibly versatile.

In fact, if yesterday some models could give it a run for its money, that's no longer the case today. One of these vehicles is the Mazda3, barely renewed a few years ago and already behind the new 2022 Civic.

Here are a few examples that illustrate it well.

The interior design

Honda has candidly admitted that it was eager to improve the Civic's interior presentation. So they focused their efforts on transforming the environment into a hyper-friendly space. The dashboard has been simplified and a special effort has been made to improve ergonomics. The multimedia system has also been seriously updated and is better than ever.

Above all, the decision was made to put the driver at the center of priorities. You can feel it as soon as you sit in the driver's seat. And what can I say about some of the design touches, like the integration of the air vents inside a horizontal strip that cuts across the front end; magnificent.

Inside the Mazda 3, it's all very well, but you can already feel a certain delay in terms of style and technology. And it gets worse; the multimedia system offered by the company is anything but user-friendly. 

Another important point is the interior design. With the Civic hatchback, the person at the wheel has good visibility for lane changes and reverse maneuvers. With the Mazda 3, blind spots are such that entire vehicles can nestle behind the body panels. This is not safe or reassuring.

Driving pleasure

Since its debut in 2004, the Mazda has been cited as the benchmark for driving pleasure in the compact car category. It's still fun to drive this year, mind you, but Honda has raised the bar so much with its new Civic that Mazda no longer has the advantage it once did. In fact, it may have been the only thing that could give it a run for its money against the Civic. Those days are over; the 11th generation Honda Civic offers a crisp, clean driving experience.

Finally, if you take monetary considerations into account, no other car on the market offers the resale value of the Civic. That's not bad with Mazda, but wouldn't you want to get the best deal financially, too? We're talking about a depreciation of about 20 percent for the Civic in three years; it's around 25 percent with the Mazda 3.