The 2012 Honda Civic is one of the cars that defines a segment. When the Civic gets larger, people’s idea of a small car gets larger. And it has grown larger, the original Civic which debuted in 1973 weighed 1,500 lbs and was 139.8 inches long. The current model is more than three feet longer and weighs 1,100 lbs more. The polar opposite to the Civic in terms of consumer perception is the 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Despite the fact that the Elantra has been sold in America for 20 years, people are hesitant about the Korean car and it has traditionally been overshadowed by the Civic and the Toyota Corolla. The 2012 Honda Civic is available in Sedan, Coupe and Hybrid styles, while the Elantra is available as a Sedan or a Wagon, so we will compare the Sedan models right now.

The 2012 Honda Civic

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra

With the 2012 Elantra, Hyundai is finally setting the pace rather than trying to keep up with the Japanese competition. The Elantra has styling that is competitive with the current trends, rather than the last generation’s. It also has modern engines with some of the best performance in the class.
The 2012 Honda Civic is available with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 140-hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. The Civic is rated at 28-mpg city and 36-mpg highway with a 5-speed manual transmission or 28-mpg city and 39-mpg highway with an automatic. The 2012 Hyundai Elantra comes with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with 148-hp and 131 lb-ft of torque and is rated at 29-mpg city and 40-mpg highway with either the six-speed manual or the automatic transmission.
The 2012 Honda Civic is smaller inside than the 2012 Hyundai Elantra, with 39.0 inches of front head room and 42.0 inches of front leg room to the Elantra’s 40 inches of head room and 43.6 inches of leg room. The Civic does have a larger rear seat than the Elantra. Both have 37.1 inches of head room, but the Civic has 36.2 inches of leg room while the Elantra has just 33.1. Buyers will have to make the choice between passenger comfort and cargo space though, as the Civic’;s large back seat eats up the trunk space. The 2012 Hyundai Elantra has 14.8 cubic feet of cargo room, while the 2012 Civic has just 12.5 cubic feet of trunk space