Is the Honda civic(NOT SI) much faster than the Mazda 3? Which has better handling?

Is the civic much faster than the base Mazda 3? Which has better handling?
The car I'm comparing is a 2006 Mazda 3 I touring sedan with a 5 speed manual vs a 2007 Honda Civic lx with a 5 speed manual as well. Also which car can take sharper corners at higher speeds?

Every car made is fast enough to go the speed limit and they all handle well enough to be reasonably safe at legal speeds. That's all that matters. A license to drive is not a license to race, so if you ever do get a car I suspect you'll be learning that rule the hard way.

Both cars will be extremely similar. If anything the biggest difference would be which car has the better tires.