Now, let's start with one of the most popular ones, the Toyota Corolla.
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| Toyota Corolla |
The Toyota Corolla is popular around the world. In Japan, there are even special Corolla dealerships. The Toyota Corolla is one of the most reliable vehicles in its class. They are known for lasting way more than ten years. Starting with where you sit, the interior feels nice, and the available navigation system is one of my favorites to use even though the screen is small. Even better, it starts at just about 17,000 dollars.
However, the Toyota Corolla is also one of the weakest and least interesting car in its class. This car has 132 horsepower in the base 4 cylinder and 150 horsepower in the Eco trim. It also looks like any other car on the road. Not only that, the transmission options aren't great. There is a droning CVT, a six speed manual, or an outdated 4 speed automatic transmission. This is a great car have, as long as you don't care that much about performance or styling.
However, the Toyota Corolla is also one of the weakest and least interesting car in its class. This car has 132 horsepower in the base 4 cylinder and 150 horsepower in the Eco trim. It also looks like any other car on the road. Not only that, the transmission options aren't great. There is a droning CVT, a six speed manual, or an outdated 4 speed automatic transmission. This is a great car have, as long as you don't care that much about performance or styling.
Of coarse, one of its main rivals, the Honda Civic, may suit you better if you are more into performance and looks.
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| Honda Civic |
The Honda Civic, like the Toyota Corolla, is one of the most reliable cars in its class. However, it is sportier and looks more interesting. It sports a much more powerful 2.0 liter V-TEC engine with 156 horsepower. However, if that isn't enough for you, you can roll with a much better 1.5 liter turbocharged engine with 176 horsepower. I am glad to say that it doesn't feel as cheap as the old one. Honda ditched the 2 level speedometer and tachometer system that looked all weird. The interior may not look as nice as the Toyota Corolla's interior, but it is still great. Soft touch plastics are everywhere.
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| Honda Civic |
However, not everything is great about this car. Transmission options are still pretty awful. There is a 6 speed manual, only on the LX trim (for now since they are still adding more trims including a Type R). Then, there is the CVT on all the other trim levels, no other options. The CVT is optional for the LX. For the interior, Honda wouldn't give us a volume knob. This makes me want to shoot the Honda Link developers in the face. A volume knob is the most efficient way to get the job done. Not only that, you have to pay a price for the better power (and V-TEC) over the Corolla. This popular compact sedan starts at over 18,000 dollars.
If the is too expensive, but you still want something nice, then look no further. Let's look at the Mazda 3 sedan.
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| Mazda 3 |
The Mazda 3 is arguably the sportiest in its class. It has a 2.0 liter SKYACTIV 4 cylinder with 155 power or an optional 2.5 liter SKYACTIV 184 horsepower. Best of all, the transmission options are great with a 6 speed manual available on every model, or a 6 speed automatic that works very well. The Mazda 3 is probably the closest thing in its class to being like a Mercedes Benz. Like a Mercedes Benz, it has a floating screen, a signature exterior design, and a knob to control the infotainment system. However, it also has a touchscreen if the knob isn't doing the trick for you. One thing that many people worry about is the price. This car starts at around 17,000 dollars. However, for all the fancy stuff such as the 2.5 4 cylinder engine, heads up display, and navigation system, it will cost about 25,000 dollars.
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| Mazda 3 By Manoj Prasad |
That is not to say that this car is excellent in every way because its not. For starters, it isn't as reliable as the Honda Civic, nor the Toyota Corolla. Cargo space also stinks with only 12.4 cubic feet in the trunk compared to the massive 15.1 cubic feet in the Civic's trunk. Not only that, but the infotainment system, like Mercedes Benz, is unnecessarily complicated. Even with its cons, this car is still great to drive and is great to live with.
Now, let's end this guide with another Japanese car, the Nissan Sentra.
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| Nissan Sentra No Updated Image Available at the Time |
The Nissan Sentra is Nissan's piece of the pie in this class. It is cheaper than all the other cars I mentioned so far starting at around 16,000 dollars. It has only one engine option. That is a 4 cylinder with 130 horsepower, less than the Toyota Corolla (shame). You can get a 6 speed manual in the S model, but you are able to "upgrade" to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). If you want to get a trim level better than the base S model, then you must get the evil CVT. It is like they force you to get an awful car or have a nicer car but with the droning CVT. For the interior, it's not that great, but I won't complain. The display in between the tachometer and the speedometer is nice and colorful. The design layout is logical. However, I must say that it is a little boring. The navigation screen is 5.8 inches large and the screen doesn't look very nice. However, I cannot complain too much since it is a cheap car.
That is the end for part one of the compact sedan buying guide. Thank you so much for reading. If you have a question, then send it to me at edster.chen@yahoo.com.
That is the end for part one of the compact sedan buying guide. Thank you so much for reading. If you have a question, then send it to me at edster.chen@yahoo.com.
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