Civic vs. Sentra

[silverrascal]

Had a Nissan Sentra as a rental and drove it for several excruciating days. Here's my comparison of the Sentra vs. the Civic on several points.

First off: appearance. No competition here, the Civic looks less econo box and more upscale than the Sentra in just about every way concerning the sheet metal. Civic wins.

Performance: ummm, what can I say? The Sentra was equipped with it's standard 1.8L 4 cyl. Good for 130hp. The CVT was terrible especially getting up to speed. Felt like I was going to tear the car apart every time I stepped on the gas to get on the highway or pass. Once up to speed it was fine. It's nearly 50 ponies down from the Civic turbo motor variant and the Sentra felt underpowered. Civic wins easily.

Handling: Now relatively speaking, the Civic is no Miata. This also applies even more to the Sentra. The steering felt disconnected. However, during a leg from San Jose to Monterey, there was a rather fun stretch of winding road that even in the Sentra felt composed thru the twisties. I saw several Civics going the oppo direction and I yearned to be in the driver's seat of my EX-T instead. Inconclusive winner but likely the Civic would emerge on top.

Interior fit and feel: The Sentra I rented was a base model and it felt so. Nothing great. Just functional. I felt challenged to find a perfect setting for the steering wheel orientation with the driver's seat. Only positive was its roominess in the cabin. But seats were lacking some support and even after a couple hours of driving, I felt worn out. The Civic I have driven over 3 hrs easily and felt less fatigued. Civic wins again.

Fuel efficiency: Drove a combination of city and mostly highway and got a combined 34 mpg in the Sentra. I'm pretty certain the Civic turbo would have easily added several more mpgs on similar trips. And would have done so with more aplomb. Winner is Civic.

Conclusion: I'm aware I'm comparing a Sentra with a price point that's easily several thousand dollars less than the Civic. I didn't think the difference would be so glaringly obvious.

Anyway, I won't be trading in my EX-T anytime for a Sentra!

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[ichii]

Yeah, I don't think anything really comes close to a Civic right now beside the Mazda 3, but I really hate their infotainment thing.

 

[Snoopyslr]

I drove a lot before I settled on the Civic EX-T. My criteria was comfort, quiet, and MPG.

2015 Chevy Cruz - Felt like a 1998 Dodge Neon. Noisy. Rough. The only thing that I liked was the option to get a turbo diesel. Couldn't bring myself to buy one tho.

2015 Ford Focus ST - Very fun car. INSANELY cramped interior given the size of the car (I'm 6'0" 210lb). I drove an ST3 with Recaro seats and all the bells and whistles. Was really fun getting on the highway and hammering corners, but I already have a car for that. Estimated MPG of 31 sounded EXTREMELY optimistic if you ask me. Good car, not what I was looking for.

2015 Nissan Sentra - Decently quiet interior and very roomy. Not much to complain about...... except there is zero "wow" factor to it. It's an economy car and that's about it.

2015 Mazda 3 - Very similar to the Focus ST without the speed and handling. I like hatch backs, but wasn't very impressed.

2015 Subaru Imprezza - Very nice car. AWD N/T hatchback. Ride was quiet and soft. Steering was a bit disconnected, but comfortable.


In conclusion, there is only one reason I didn't get a 2015 Subaru Imprezza. The "wow" factor of the 2016 Civic. I knew from the second I got in, this was the car I wanted. Don't regret my decision at all.

 

[Sean2903]

I drove a lot before I settled on the Civic EX-T. My criteria was comfort, quiet, and MPG.

2015 Chevy Cruz - Felt like a 1998 Dodge Neon. Noisy. Rough. The only thing that I liked was the option to get a turbo diesel. Couldn't bring myself to buy one tho.

2015 Ford Focus ST - Very fun car. INSANELY cramped interior given the size of the car (I'm 6'0" 210lb). I drove an ST3 with Recaro seats and all the bells and whistles. Was really fun getting on the highway and hammering corners, but I already have a car for that. Estimated MPG of 31 sounded EXTREMELY optimistic if you ask me. Good car, not what I was looking for.

2015 Nissan Sentra - Decently quiet interior and very roomy. Not much to complain about...... except there is zero "wow" factor to it. It's an economy car and that's about it.

2015 Mazda 3 - Very similar to the Focus ST without the speed and handling. I like hatch backs, but wasn't very impressed.

2015 Subaru Imprezza - Very nice car. AWD N/T hatchback. Ride was quiet and soft. Steering was a bit disconnected, but comfortable.


In conclusion, there is only one reason I didn't get a 2015 Subaru Imprezza. The "wow" factor of the 2016 Civic. I knew from the second I got in, this was the car I wanted. Don't regret my decision at all.

From what i see you have a WRX in my opinion you made the right choice going with the civic. As you already have a subaru for a fun car so now you have a comfort car haha

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