why people still want compare forte & civic.. why not compare the same price like:

1) FORTE 2.0 VS VIOS TRD OR ALTIS 1.8 OR CITY S, E
2) FORTE 1.6 VS VIOS S, E, J OR ALTIS 1.6 OR CITY S, E

wanna defend defend abit, based on what i read, not a current owner, hopefully future owner

0-100km/h - City wins a little bit than forte 1.6.  ( the car so light, 1160 kg vs 1260 kg) vios even better, 1050kg only
fuel efficiency - city also gives better FC than forte 1.6  ( weight problem as above) vios even better
top speed - forte is 190 km/h and city 180 km/h. (how often you will/ can hit this speed??? ( then ma no need compare lo)

for a better car, heavier is better if it translate to safety design. Like more expensive car, usually roomier and heavier.

If solely fuel efficiency, vios would win. Surprisingly myvi which is even lighter did not get better fuel efficiency.

But Forte gives a more premium feel, for more premium feel, with same price, and more features, worths it i guess. The only drawback is after sales service no good. But even a perfect car like BMW also plague by expensive part and reliability issue isnt it??