2017 Chevy Cruze vs 2017 Honda Civic

Safety

Honda is criticized by numerous consumers due to its lack of common driver assist technology. While it still has advanced safety features to help a driver safely depart a lane or come to an emergency stop if a vehicle is getting too close in front, the Civic is lacking three key features that the 2017 Chevy Cruze has due to Honda’s oversight: side blind zone alert, rear-cross traffic alert (which is a benefit of blind spot monitoring technology), and rear parking assist.

While the forward collision alert system on the Civic is present, it’s also notorious for being overly sensitive, according to both expert reviewers and consumers. This can prove a frustrating (and potentially dangerous) driving experience. So even though Honda’s 2017 Civic does share some similar safety features with the 2017 Cruze, clearly some of the similar systems aren’t as dialed-in as Chevy’s.

Side blind zone alert on the Chevrolet uses radar to detect if it’s safe to change lanes or not. If it isn’t, a warning will alert you that there is a vehicle in your blind spot. It’s simple, but extremely helpful, and potentially life-saving.

Rear-cross traffic alert is another system that goes hand-in-hand with blind-spot monitoring, and uses some of the same sensors on the rear-sides of the vehicle. The intent of this safety feature is to help the driver when backing out onto a busy street or a crowded parking lot. If the system detects a car or pedestrian crossing behind you from either the right or left, it will provide an alert that let’s you know it isn’t safe to back out.

Front and rear park assist on the Cruze is also something that hasn’t made its way onto the Civic quite yet. Rearview guidelines are provided on the Civic for the rearview camera, but no sensors for front or rear park assist availability. The way the system works on the Cruze is simple. At low-speeds, and when in reverse, the system activates (along with the rearview camera). The system will then alert you if you’re getting too close to an object behind you. While having a rearview camera and mirrors typically cover 90% of the area that you’re backing into, that other 10% you can’t see could be hiding something waiting to put a dent in your shiny new paint job.

Chevrolet also has a safety feature supported by OnStar, which is their Automatic Crash Response system. With this available system added on, sensors will alert an OnStar Advisor if a collision occurs. Then, the Advisor will be automatically connected to you. That Advisor is then able to assist you by asking if you need help, and if you do (or are unable to respond) he or she will send emergency services to your location via GPS assistance. Therefore, you can rest assured that no matter what happens during a collision, help will be on the way.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze has evolved quite drastically over the years. When it was first released, it was still a tough contender. But now in 2017, it’s beating quite a lot of competitors, which many people find odd, considering the 2017 Cruze only has one engine option. Most of its competitors, like the Civic, have two.

But, that doesn’t hold back the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine from getting 28 mpg city/39 mpg highway standard with the manual transmission equipped. Nor does it stop it from putting out 153 horsepower/177 lb.-ft. of torque across all the trims, absolutely decimating the Civic’ 138 lb.-ft. To the credit of the Civic though, its base engine does put out more horsepower at 158. Those numbers come from the Civic’s new powertrain pairing of the Civic’s optional 1.5-liter engine, by the way. Giving the Civic a fuel economy rating of 31 mpg city/42 mpg highway with the automatic CVT equipped.

Here’s the catch: with the Civic, the base engine is a 2.0-liter engine that provides you with 27/40 mpg with the manual, while the Cruze’s 1.4-liter engine returns 28/39. However, the 2.0-liter base engine on the Honda is said to be very underwhelming when it comes to real-world performance, whereas the Cruze gets 1-more mpg city/1-less mpg highway for better real-world performance. With the optional automatic transmission equipped, the Cruze’s fuel-efficiency is further increased to 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway, sitting just behind the Civic’s optional 1.5-liter engine that gets almost 40 less torque than the Civic. With the Civic’s optional 1.5-liter engine also providing underwhelming performance in comparison, especially in the acceleration department.

If you want to nitpick numbers, then the Civic comes out on top. If you want to look at the 2017 Cruze vs 2017 Civic from a practical and real-world perspective, the Cruze comes out on top. Simply because all you need to do for the Cruze to get Civic-like fuel economy is opt for the automatic transmission on a higher trim level. Of course, this is way cheaper than going up in trim level or buying the optional 1.5-liter engine on the Civic.

Passenger/Cargo Space

With compact cars, it’s extremely important to get creative with the passenger/cargo space that’s available. Other than features like sliding rear seats, fold-down seats, or storage compartments nestled here and there, the only way to truly increase the passenger and cargo space is simply with a good design.

Which is where the Cruze is winning. Just because these are small sedans doesn’t mean they need to be the smallest in the segment. As you can see, the Cruze is sitting at a length of 183.70 inches and a height of 57.40 inches. Compared to the Civic’s length/height of 182.30 inches/55.70 inches, this helps create a more open cabin in the Cruze. However, that’s not the only factor. It also depends heavily on what automakers decide to put inside the cabin that might take up passenger/cargo space. The Civic beats the Cruze in terms of trunk volume by over 1 cu. ft., and virtually ties the Cruze in front/rear legroom thanks to both models having a wheelbase of 106.3 inches - a huge factor when it comes to legroom.

But, the Cruze gets a leg-up on the Civic when it comes to rear hip-room, a factor more crucial than you might think, considering this determines how comfortable rear passengers will be when sitting three across. With 51.90 inches of rear hip room in the Cruze, the Civic’s 47.30 inches of rear hip room will feel more cramped than you might suspect, especially when trying to seat three passengers. After all, that’s more than 3 inches of space lost between passengers in the back.