Civic starts at around 60% higher so not sure what you mean by “not that much more money.” It is a good car though.
I stand corrected on the price differential. However, my experience with Civic's has been that they last longer than cheaper priced cars I've owned, and incur less service costs. They are also a mature model, meaning the kinks have been worked out. Nissan is a proven company, so it may very well be the case that this new model will perform as well. I hope so, because competition keeps prices lower