you just can't accept that the Civic is an average performer, can you.
you can spit out all sorts of circular rhetroic about how they didn't shift it right, its front drive so it gets no grip, the gearing is the difference, etc. its pretty clear the cobalts' supercharged and non supercharged entries are not blown away by the civic. and the cobalt is only one competitor. I just picked it because of how MT was picking on it and it didn't seem right.
again i bring this up because....why did this car get COTY?...versus all the other subcompacts to the point where it is a landmark auto that stands out head and shoulders above all the others in its segment?
no pricing advantage
no engine performance advantage, except at above legal speeds on racetracks
no apparently greater fuel economy advantage
hybrid civic is not as good as prius apparently so what's the point
no space or utility advantage
certainly no styling advantage
no interior design sensibility or ergonomic advantage
no innovative driver convenience features
it might have a handling advantage. it probably shifts well and is built well. Subarus all do that these days too, though.
Simply put, this car is not enough of a standout performer nor does it bring enough new or unique to the table to deserve its merit as COTY. Case closed.