Art of Gears
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The 2025 Honda Civic Loses 1 Thing Gearheads Love

By Barnell Anderson

The 2019 Honda Civic Type-R at the Cincinnati Auto Expo inside the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Cincinnati Auto Expo
The 2019 Honda Civic Type-R at the Cincinnati Auto Expo inside the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Cincinnati Auto Expo / Sam Greene, The Enquirer
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The Honda Civic has been one of the best small cars for a while now. It delivers solid performance and packs quite a bit into a small frame. As such, the 2024 Honda Civic has been quite popular. However, the 2025 Honda Civic is upon us, and it has people talking about what it lacks. However, the 2025 Mazda3 still has the celebrated component.

The 2025 Honda Civic Loses the manual that people love so much

The 2024 Honda Civic offers much of the same as the 2024 model. However, one difference is that most versions of what many call one of the best small cars won't have a manual transmission. Yes, you heard that right. Only the SI and Type R variants of the new model will have a stick shift. This takes the fun out of it for many people.

According to Car and Driver, the 2025 Honda Civic comes standard with a 2.0-liter engine that makes 150 horsepower. It's front-wheel drive and uses a continuously variable transmission. However, the one many people will want is the hybrid version, which uses a 2.0-liter engine and two electric motors to make 200 horsepower. This version is also said to average 50 miles per gallon, which is also appealing and makes it one of the best small cars.

Another of the best small cars is keeping its manual

The trend of automakers switching to all automatic transmissions isn't going anywhere anytime soon. However, the 2025 Mazda3, which is one of the biggest rivals for the Honda Civic, does still have a manual. Still, this is a much less popular car.

The 2025 Mazda3 uses a 2.5-liter that makes 191 horsepower and a torque of 186 lb-ft. Buyers can get either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual. Due to performance, this is also one of the best small cars on the market.

The 2025 Honda Civic will be a sales powerhouse just like the 2024 model. However, many buyers won't like that the manual transmission is less available than before.