This Honda Civic is FAR ahead of its competition. So many features are standard. The interior is on par with luxury cars; everything is thought out really well and you can just tell someone really took the time to understand the users and designed the car around them. The seats are so comfortable. They are even more comfortable than my GLS450! I would rather drive this Civic than my GLS450.
It does lack in power, but i think that is pretty obvious (you are not buying a sports car). However, it does handle exceptionally well. It is so light and nimble, and is a joy to drive. The apple carplay integration is phenomenal; makes the car seem like its worth 20k more when you have the nice Spotify interface on the high-res screen, or the well-designed apple maps, which is now great for navigation. The instrument cluster is also very good-looking and high quality.
This car is in its own league. Corolla is not even near the quality that this car holds. And the Mazda is no way near.
Does the touring models sway bar fit the ex?