Sorry, going to piss on your Civic flavoured chips….
We had a Mk1 1.6 petrol Zetec Focus new to 60k miles. Fantastic. Gutless but sweet to drive and got about 38mpg. No issues at all.
Changed for a Mk2 2.0l diesel Zetec Focus new to 60k miles. Great to drive and ~45mpg. However, alternator, EGR valve, DMF and 2 clutches later we got a….
1.8 petrol Civic. Not as nice as the Focus. Plasticky and cheaper feeling, squeaks and rattles, engine gutless unless thrashed, crap vis out back, harsh suspension and too light steering assistance. Up side? It looks nice, gets about 40mpg, the back seat is genius and nothing has badly gone wrong in 25k miles from new (well apart from squeaky rear suspension – a known issue and a failed blower fixed under warranty).
Bit disappointed really. Had Honda bikes for years and they’ve been like Swiss watches. Their cars, hmmmmm.