Honda Civic vs. Nissan Sentra

After decades of churning out hits, Honda hit a sour note with the 2012 Civic redesign. We gave it kudos for its good fuel economy and decent rear-seat room. But we panned its choppy ride, vague steering, cheap interior, and raucous road noise, among other faults. Overall its road-test score slid from a very good 78 to a mediocre 62, pushing it off our ­recommended list. After a quick remix Honda has now released a fresh version of the Civic for 2013 that remedied most of our previous complaints.

The updated car rides a lot better and has a quieter cabin and improved steering, and the interior looks much nicer. The Civic now scores a 71 in our testing, enough to regain our recommendation. Moreover, it's now a solid competitor in the compact-sedan class and benefits from traditionally strong resale value and a track record of good reliability.

The Nissan Sentra was once a worthy choice in this class. But with its 2013 redesign it seems to be following in the tracks of the 2012 Civic. The latest edition scores just a 64—10 points below its predecessor and too low to be recommended. The Sentra looks good on paper, with lots of features and one of the roomiest rear seats in the class. But on the road its deficiencies, including a jumpy ride, clumsy handling, and constant engine drone, become apparent. This version is too new for us to have reliability data.

The Civic is the clear choice between the two revamped models. But in our Ratings both still trail the class leaders: the roomy all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza, value-packed Hyundai Elantra, and engaging-to-drive Mazda3.

Though the 2012 Civic was almost devoid of sportiness, steering and handling were recalibrated for the update. It's still not as agile as the Ford Focus or Mazda3­—or even some previous Civics—but it's responsive, well-balanced, and predictable, with decent steering feedback.

Unlike many small cars, the Sentra's handling borders on klutzy. The body leans early in turns, and it takes a good deal of wheel winding to get around a corner. The steering provides very little driver feedback.

Both cars were secure and predictable when pushed at our track, understeering benignly at their handling limits. And drivers felt confident while negotiating our accident-avoidance maneuver. Overall, we found the Civic's handling more rewarding.

The Civic's update cured the previously unsettled ride. Now it provides laudable isolation and ranks as one of the better riding compact sedans. Though the Sentra's ride has a cushy veneer, it quickly firms up when encountering bumps. Even moderate ones transmit rubbery kicks into the cabin, and the ride is jittery at highway speed.

Honda mostly tamed the offensive road noise that plagued last year's model, but with some engine hum and wind rush entering the cabin, you still can't call it quiet. But it's much better than the Sentra, which suffers from boomy engine noise as the continuously variable transmission causes the engine to rev high.

With 130 hp, the Sentra has 10 hp fewer than the Civic. But sometimes that deficit feels like more. Acceleration times at our track aren't bad, but real-world-driving feels lethargic, and the Sentra's 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine seems overworked. Though we have often praised Nissan's CVTs, the Sentra's doesn't live up to that standard. Not only does the CVT hold the engine revs high to wring out power, but it's also sometimes slow to respond and there's too much engine braking when descending hills.

The Civic EX makes better use of its own 1.8-liter four, which is coupled with a smooth five-speed automatic transmission that works well. But it has larger steps between gear ratios than the six-speed transmissions in most other compact cars. You can get an optional five-speed manual with the Civic or the base version of the Sentra.

Both interiors are well trimmed, with soft-touch surfaces and nicely assembled components. Gone are the oddly grained hard-plastic panels of last year's Civic, though the molded stitching across the dashboard looks fake. The Sentra has extremely squishy door armrests, which we liked.

Drivers of these cars will appreciate the abundant head and knee room, as well as the tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, although we'd like to see the Sentra's extend further.

With its wide, supportive seats, the Civic gets the nod for front-seat comfort. By contrast, the uneven support in the Sentra has garnered lots of complaints. The Civic's rear seat is pretty good; it's more supportive and roomier than in the typical cramped small sedan. But it can't match the Sentra's roomy rear seat, which is even more spacious than in some midsized sedans and has better seating posture. Still, seating a trio in back might be a bit tight in either car.

Controls and gauges are mostly simple. The Civic has a dual-tier dashboard with a digital speedometer atop a lower tachometer. But some drivers might prefer the Sentra's larger traditional gauges.

The Sentra's optional $650 touch-screen navigation and audio system is simple to use and has a dedicated tuning knob, but some buttons are small and tightly clustered. The Civic's single knob for radio tuning and volume requires you to switch back and forth between its modes frequently.

It's simple to pair a Bluetooth phone in either car. The Civic will alert you of incoming text messages and read them to you, but that feature doesn't work with all phones. The Sentra's system can use a phone's data connection to download weather forecasts and send Google search results to the navigation system.

Opting for the Civic's EX trim level brings standard automatic climate control, a nice convenience at this price.

The Sentra's trunk fits more luggage than the Civic's, and both cars have a 60/40-split folding seatback to create more room. But the trunk hinges in both cars could damage items below them when you shut the lid.