A point by point comparison between 2013 Nissan Sentra and 2013
Honda Civic features.
All the car segment throughout the auto industry have been
under tough competition and compact car segment is no different from them. And
that is the reason every brand keep on doing one or other new thing to its
product in order to remain in competition. Honda and Nissan approaches also
seems somewhat similar like that. The new Honda Civic gets revised dynamics and
features while the latest Nissan Sentra has been given a complete makeover and
has been blessed with a redesigned body and innovative technology base. The
article here tries to find out which car has been bestowed with a better
approach in terms of competition and sales potential.
Looks
and Design
The old model didn’t has that visual appeal that is now
carried by the 2013 Nissan Sentra specifications on outer front. The awesome
LED lights that have embellishing its front fascia adds up to its gorgeous
appearance. The 17 inch wheels and chrome ascents are the two feature that adds
to the beauty of the beast. All these additions along with some additional
packages can be availed by payment of few extra bucks. The basic model price
has been quoted as $19, 820 which means that the 2013 Nissan Sentra price in
India will be somewhat around INR 10 lakhs. Additional features can be availed
with some more extra bucks. The base model bears the LED lights but is devoid
of side view mirrors along with mounted turn signals that provide the car a
completely mature look. Honda Civic on the contrary bears much balanced and
well-designed features on external front. The car looks classic with its
revamped front and rear ends. However, its resemblance is much closer to Honda
Accord which is not a very bad thing. The 2013 Honda Civic price has been
quoted as $23, 765 (for the top-end model EX-L) and $18, 165 (for the low end
model LX). The superior features that are adorned by the high end model are
navigation, fog lights and alloy wheels.
Interiors
On the inside front, the complete scenario gets reversed as
for this end Honda Civic enjoys an edge over Nissan Sentra. The materials and
fabric that has been used in the former one are of much better quality as
compared to later one. The style and design of Honda Civic makes it a much
complete package while Nissan Sentra fails to give any new impression. Some of the defining features of Honda Civic interiors are
auto on/off head lamps, automatic climate control, moon roof, leather
upholstery, seat warmers, and sporty black leather seats. All these features
are although available in its top end model only. The passengers sitting inside
the car may feel over loaded with information as the car has been provided with
three different screen displays. On the front the digital speedometer changes
colors as per the driving behavior of the driver. In the right you will find
Honda’s i-MID display screen that auto recognizes anyone who has ever seated
before in car. And the third one is the navigation screen that can be operated
using both touch and manual controls. The controls may offer a bit difficulty
for the front co-passenger as all the controls have been angled towards the
driver.
In Nissan Sentra there is not so much to talk about. It
offers not much in respect to techy and comfort features. But the standard
features that are common with Honda Civic are seat warmers, eco-driving coaches,
and navigation. While the features that make it distinct are dual zone climate
control and push button start. The interior designing of the car seems
uninspired. But it offers better than Civic is space. This car offers about an
inch more front head room than Honda Civic while the rear legroom extends Civic
by half inch. The boot space of Sentra is considerably bigger than Honda Civic.
Driving
Dynamics
Honda Civic again here takes a step ahead of Nissan Sentra in
this segment. The car this time has been loaded with better driving dynamics
and steering wheel. The engine and throttle of this car is much more responsive
as compared to that of Nissan Sentra. The driving experience of Honda Civic
gets a bit dull only when Econ mode is activated. Nissan one the other hand has provided Sentra with different
driving modes. There are three ideal driving modes that the Japanese car maker
has provided to its car: Sport, Eco, and Normal. The CVT transmission also
provide Sentra a bit more initial sensitiveness as compared to Honda Civic.
Specifications
In terms of power Honda Civic earns more score as its 1.8 L
engine smokes out power worth 142 PS while the same capacity power mill of
Sentra generates power worth 132 PS. The torque value of both the engines is
same although. Honda Civic power train works with a 5 speed transmission while
Nissan Sentra has been blessed with a CVT. The 2013 Honda Civic mileage figure
equals to 28 mpg on city roads and 39 mpg on freeways while that of Nissan
Sentra equals to 30 mpg and 39 mpg respectively. On an overall, Civic stands behind Sentra in respect to
mileage figure on papers as well as road tests.
Final
Verdict
These two compact cars stand face to face with each other
since their launch. The recent model of Honda Civic brings it back in the top
list of its segment. Nissan Sentra on the other hand with less new features is
affordable and offers better fuel efficacy. But still, Honda Civic is a much
refined vehicle. And as per the latest tastes this vehicle suits the customers
more than Nissan Sentra. Its driving dynamics, quality of interiors, power,
pick up and several other features are so that Nissan Sentra just seems a dumb
players against it. But we hope that Nissan will soon make up to its weak
points and will take a stringer stand against Honda Civic.