2013 Honda Civic Versus 2014 Kia Forte

Our long-term Honda Civic is getting much more use this summer as competitors flow into our test fleet. While a few may have grumbled about us pitting the redesigned 2013 Civic against the outgoing and outdated 2013 Toyota Corolla, they shouldn't have much to complain about with us pitting it against the even more thoroughly overhauled 2014 Kia Forte.

Follow Our Long-Term Test Fleet

However, there was a bit of a disparity this time around too. Our Forte test car was a fully loaded EX trim with a 173-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The base Forte comes with a 148-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder that is more comparable to the Civic's 140-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder, the car's only engine apart from the hybrid and Si versions.

If the engine wasn't a big enough difference, the nearly $6,000 bump in the Forte's MSRP and all the associated goodies arguably didn't make for a fair fight. Would the results of driving the two be as one-sided as the numbers implied? Editors David Thomas and Joe Wiesenfelder took the two on a loop of city, suburban and highway driving to find out.

Top 10 Best Base Models

An ode to the base model.

Black door handles and a seat that can't move up and down/
paying monthly for not a lot has me feeling like a clown.

Just because you might not be able to afford more than the very least in a car doesn't mean you have to sing the base-model blues. Automakers are adding more features to their lowliest trim levels to entice shoppers even if some are stuck in the stone ages before the USB port became a necessity.

Here are 10 models that we consider to be solid picks, even in their base-model version.

Tracking the Fuel Economy of Cars.com's 2013 Honda Civic, 2013 Subaru BRZ

The past month was a good mileage month for our long-term 2013 Honda Civic and 2013 Subaru BRZ. Both testers bumped up their average mileage, and the Civic has a new best-recorded single-tank mileage of 35.6 mpg.

Follow Our Long-Term Fleet

Our 2013 Civic was stuck in city loops averaging 28.53 mpg for the first 2,500 miles. Now with more miles accumulating we're starting to see the 39 mpg highway rating in our recordings. The Civic's overall mileage average increased 1.75 mpg since the last update 1,200 miles ago. All fill-ups tallied in above 30 mpg instead of the mid-to-high 20s from earlier tanks.

2013 Honda Civic Versus 2013 Toyota Corolla

It's a battle as old as time itself ... or at least it seems that way to the people who work at a car research website; Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla? Which relatively bland economy car is the right one?

In February we purchased a 2013 Honda Civic to join our long-term test fleet, and part of our yearlong mission is to pit it against other compacts that come into our review fleet for shorter evaluations.

One such car happened to be a 2013 Toyota Corolla. It had similar miles on it to our Civic, similar equipment — save for ridiculous large wheels with a ridiculously large price tag attached — and an upgraded multimedia system.

On the road, though, there proved to be a stark contrast in performance. Did the recently updated Civic completely trash the soon-to-be-replaced Corolla? Or did Toyota deliver an upset?

Why I Drive the 2013 Honda Civic Like a Hybrid

Our long-term Honda Civic has only been in our fleet for a few months, but I've already racked up several weeks' worth of drive time in it. Besides the fact that it is a very capable commute car with a nice stereo and comfortable seats, I've found myself driving this car differently than I expected. I drive it like a hybrid.

Follow Our Long-Term Fleet

When I test hybrids I generally don't employ hypermiling techniques to rack up impressive mileage figures, but I do drive the cars "smarter" while still keeping up with traffic. That means accelerating smoothly without hammering down the gas pedal, coasting when possible and when in heavy traffic leaving room between the car in front of me to reduce braking.

The other day I realized I was doing all this in the Civic too.

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

A fleet of newcomers elbowed their way into the top five this week, leaving only one holdover on our list of most-watched videos. The 2013 BMW 135is bumped previous No. 1, the 2014 Acura MDX, down to third place. In the video, Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley says that with the less-is-more attitude of the small, light 135is, BMW harks back to the days before large and luxurious gained favor over a fun driving experience. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2013 BMW 135is
2. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
3. 2014 Acura MDX
4. 2014 Subaru Forester (MotorWeek)
5. 2013 Honda Civic

2013 Honda Civic Gains NHTSA Five-Star Safety Rating

The 2013 Honda Civic sedan has earned the highest safety rating of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker announced Thursday. This adds to the top honors the 2013 Civic received from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program, the Civic sedan received a five-star overall vehicle score despite scoring four stars in frontal tests. It received five stars in side-impact crashes and has a four-star rollover rating.

The 2013 Civic sedan and coupe previously received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from IIHS, which included a top score of Good in the stringent new small-overlap frontal collision test. Honda noted that the Civic sedan and coupe are the first and only small cars to earn the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ rating; however, IIHS is still implementing the new test, and in the past, we've seen additional vehicles added to the organization's award lists.

Related
Five New Cars Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+
2013 IIHS Top Safety Picks
More Safety News on Cars.com

Tracking the Fuel Economy of Cars.com's 2013 Honda Civic, 2013 Subaru BRZ

Cars.com's long-term 2013 Honda Civic and 2013 Subaru BRZ have accumulated roughly 1,000 and 1,100 miles, respectively, since our previous update a month ago. Surprisingly, both are within 2.7 mpg of each other in overall observed gas mileage despite one being an enthusiast's sports coupe and the other a bean-counter's economy car.

Follow Our Long-Term Fleet

The Civic's highest tank average of 33.58 mpg is up from its previous best of 33.11 mpg and bumps the overall average up a few ticks to 28.53 mpg after 2,500 miles. Hold on: 28 mpg? The Civic has half the total miles of our BRZ; it joining the Cars.com long-term test fleet a few months after the Subaru and has far fewer highway miles under its timing belt. Our Civic's overall average hovers right on top of its EPA-estimated 28 mpg city rating.

What's the Most Affordable Compact Sedan?

Car shoppers want a long list of features in a new car, even if that car is a compact sedan that starts around $16,000. That starting price usually doesn't include what many consider "must-have" features — chief among them an automatic transmission.

We took 11 compact sedans and looked at their prices when equipped with the following features:

• Automatic transmission
• Cruise control
• USB input
• Remote entry
• Tilt/telescoping steering wheel
• Steering-wheel audio controls

It may seem like a simple search, but if you're looking at a new Nissan Sentra, Dodge Dart or Volkswagen Jetta, you'll need to know the specific trim level, options and option packages to ensure you won't regret not having that one missing feature.

We took those as-equipped prices and then added five years of fuel costs to come up with the most affordable compact sedan on the market.

Having recently purchased our long-term Honda Civic that has all of these features in a base model, we thought it had a good shot of scoring well here. But the results were somewhat surprising, especially in terms of what car was No. 1.

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

The 2014 Acura MDX managed to hang onto the No. 1 spot once again this week on our list of most-watched videos, despite a flurry of competition from entries new and old. The 2013 Honda Civic and 2013 Toyota Sienna landed at Nos. 2 and 4, respectively, in their debut week, while our popular three-month-old 2014 Toyota Tundra video muscled its way back to the No. 5 spot. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2014 Acura MDX
2. 2013 Honda Civic
3. 2013 Land Rover Range Rover
4. 2013 Toyota Sienna
5. 2014 Toyota Tundra