There was a huge difference in quality between my first car vs. my high school girlfriend's first car. 1978 Chevy Monza 2.5 vs. 1978 Civic. The little engine in her car was very smooth and refined, felt well-balanced, and this was after it had taken abuse and neglect from both her brothers before being handed down to her. I don't recall her having a single problem with that car the entire time she had it.
The Iron Duke in my car was brash, noisy, rough, and hated to rev. Every gasket leaked, and things were always breaking.
I really think Cujet's post hit it on the head. Compared with the Civic, the Monza was just a rough-around-the-edges beast that needed a couple of years in finishing school to be on par with that Honda. Their engines had better balance, loved to rev, and didn't vibrate all the screws out of the car while doing it. This contributes to their famously reliable engines of that era.