Other changes include retuned springs and dampers to smoothen out suspension motion, reducing vibration and improving both ride and handling. As for safety, the Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS) Level 2 semi-autonomous driving function now works at highway speeds, up from the piffling 55 km/h limit of before. The adaptive cruise control also responds more smoothly to mimic a human driver better.

2.5 (non-turbo) should be quite hard to get, AFAIK they're made in Japan but only sold in Australia

For me it would be the proper plush carmats (no maggi mee nonsense) + 360 Camera + Full Active Safety Tech, Bose is a good to have as an option

I took a quick spin in the new Civic RS yesterday, in terms of the interior feel and NVH, it has really caught up, no longer can give mazda a clear win here
made me quite conflicted as well tbh

Looks
Personally prefer Mazda3 but the Civic's droopy nose seems to look much better by just adding the "Front Grille Garnish", that's my only main complaint on the new Civic design, other is acceptable
[attachmentid=11100044]
SA also pointed out that the matte finish on Civic RS rims might easily get scuffed, even service center ppl also slightly concerned when doing maintenance work

Handling
Both are good, but I'd say Civic feels Japanese (more supple) compared to the Mazda which feels more German (more direct), didn't get to properly taruh 90degree corner on Civic cause that area all traffic light junctions only
Brake pedal feel is very Honda as they bite quite early compared to the Mazda's where its more easy to adapt
One surprising point is the Civic steering only goes like one full circle + a little bit in each direction, super light to maneuver for parking, but does load up quite nicely when at speed. Mazda meanwhile has a heavier steering feel overall.

Power
Its Turbo + CVT vs NA + 6AT, obviously Civic will have some turbo lag and the non-direct feeling of CVT
Coming from AT, I'd still prefer the Mazda's linear response, but with the Civic on gentle acceleration you can feel it pickup speed effortlessly at 2k+ RPM once the turbos kick in
Going all out, do I feel like the Civic is accelerates way faster than the Mazda 3? honestly, nope, but then again, test drive don't include highways, so overtaking performance is TBD

Infotainment
Mazda - Where each item in the menu is at is more logical, and just with one knob to control, everything makes sense (if rotating doesn't work just try pushing the knob), at least until when you need to search for a Waze/Maps location
Civic - Items feel all over the place, angle of the screen is not very driver friendly, doesn't feel as classy, but you do have a touch screen
Sound quality wise I don't have a clear winner, but both of them are good enough, no complaints
One plus point for iOS users is the Civic RS (RS only) has wireless carplay, Android users just bring cable lah

Gauges
Civic gauge cluster feels very busy, too many icons here and there, many notifications pop up on the LCD display. It once triggered the Lead Car Departure Warning, reading the text also made me realized the screen is slightly lacking in resolution. Also disappointed that Honda didn't use the same Sport mode gauge design from the 10th Gen Honda Accord, which shows the boost gauge, instead changing modes is just a color change.
In this case I prefer the cleaner design of the Mazda's gauges, since there's not really too much useful information to cycle through on the Civic anyway
Now I have a question here: I know Civic is able to display on the LCD which passenger has not put on their seatbelt, but I didn't notice if I can know exactly which door is open, and I also want to know if Mazda is able to show that specific info

Interior - Feel
Mazda still feels superior as an overall package when it comes to interior finish, but Honda is not far away
Except for the finish on the gearknob / cupholder area, the Civic interior no longer feels cheap, door and middle armrests aren't Mazda levels of good, but its already satisfactory, if you're just driving normally and not trying to poke every inch of the interior surface just to compare
The only thing I hate on the Civic is the lack of lumbar adjustment for the driver(which is available on the Mazda), and a stupid clicking noise when you adjust the A/C vents pointing up/down. For RS, use of suede in the seats are questionable as they get warm pretty quickly, and Honda can only afford to put red lighting on the front door, even when the rear door has a similar design 

Interior - Space
No surprise, hands down Civic wins, even the Mazda sedan feels claustrophobic in every seat when compared to the Civic, apa lagi the liftback with dark interior
Mazda windows are smaller all round, no putting your shoulder on the window sill and driving like Takumi
Being able to properly open the glovebox, rear seat recline angle, rear seat thigh support, legroom, boot space, etc etc all goes to the Civic
No amount of premium materials can convince someone sitting in the back that the Mazda is better than the Civic, and to put the final nail in the coffin, Civic even comes with 2 USB ports in the rear.

One last item is the auto tilting side mirrors, I know the Civic doesn't tilt down when in Reverse, but I don't remember if the Mazda has them, hope someone can clarify

  at least civic has full features of honda sensing... bermaz just give you half bake i-activsense 

https://www.automachi.com/2022/03/2022-mazd...nched-malaysia/

hmm automachi announced with full color availability and price

fuhhhh red stitching, duno how accurate since pic is LHD

Limited to Liftback Ignite Edition only.

For me that's too much red tho, because the red is quite bright in color

I quite like the white on the 100 years edition interior, but in reality white = dirty fast

I'm considering both 408 n 3008 now. Been waiting for my m3 for too long sudah....