Review by Jeff Wilson and Jacob Black; photos by Jeff Wilson
On the stage of international sporting competition, those who don’t make the podium are quickly forgotten. The reality is that the fourth and fifth place Olympic sprinters aren’t the fastest runners in the world, but they are still among the absolute elite of their sport. They’re competitive in a fiercely contested battle, if not the pinnacle players.
 2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
Does a similar reality apply in the world of compact cars? Are the competitors who don’t earn a podium finish in the sales race still worthy adversaries to those who do?
The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra have recently hogged most of the spotlight in the compact sedan category. They’re not only sales heavyweights for their manufacturers, but they’re also the darlings of the automotive press (okay, maybe not the Corolla), consistently outdoing each other with newer, better models.
While all the glory is bestowed on the three compact darlings (as well as the popular Mazda3, with an all new offering set to hit the market soon), it is important to remember that the also-rans keep getting better and better too. There are two new-for-2013 challengers that deserve a closer look – the Dodge Dart and Nissan Sentra – lurking in the shadows of the sales leaders.
 2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
By the halfway point of 2013, Nissan has found Canadian homes for 8,032 Sentras while Dodge has only wooed 5,113 Canucks into buying its snazzy new Dart. For perspective, the aging Mazda3 and Corolla have already earned driveway space at nearly 20,000 Canadian households each this year. The Civic and Elantra are rapidly closing in on 30,000 units apiece. Heck, even BMW’s pricey 3 Series is only a newt’s nose away from the Dart’s Canadian sales (and it’s actually selling in greater volume than the Dart, Stateside).
Ever the inquisitive lot that we are, at Autos.ca we wanted to drive a few of these also-rans and see if there is an obvious reason why each of them are getting annihilated in the compact car sales race or if it’s simply that no matter how good a competitive field, there must still be winners and losers to any race.
For both Autos.ca Editor Jacob Black and I, the Dart was the car we were most eager to drive based on its appearance alone. Its exterior is far more stylish than the Sentra’s, and looking long and low, the good ol’ Dodge is more Euro-chic fashionable than the import brand Nissan. By comparison, the Sentra stands tall and a bit dorky despite its optioned up SR trim level featuring snazzy wheels, fog lights and rocker skirts.
In fairness, on its own, the Sentra isn’t a bad looking little car – a tremendous improvement over the previous generation to be sure – but it’s just that the Dart looks more mature and expensive than it is.
 2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
In moving inside the cars the opposite becomes apparent. Although the Dart is optioned up with aromatic leather seats and the cool, modern Uconnect infotainment system, the simpler Sentra just makes more ergonomic sense. Gauges are large and legible and there’s no complexity or confusion to operating the simple climate and audio controls. Even connecting one’s phone via Bluetooth happens with a few simple voice commands in the Nissan. And although it’s comparatively plain in appearance, all the panels are well matched and fit together smartly with no squeaks or rattles.
Plus, that taller greenhouse I mentioned above? It allows for a brighter cabin and considerably better outward visibility, particularly in the rear three-quarter view.
Dodge is clearly trying to make the Dart a technologically cool hangout for youthful motorists. The Uconnect with its big 8.4-inch touchscreen works reasonably well, and for anyone familiar with modern phones or tablets, it’ll be simple to operate for most commands. Like any device with so many features though, it does require a bit of familiarization to be able to drill down to all the fine-tuning functions. Our test car (a Limited trim level) came equipped with the cool seven-inch configurable information display instead of traditional gauges. I moaned about seeing them in Jaguar’s flagship sedan, but they somehow seem more appropriate here in a funky little compact.
  2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
It’s when you start looking at the materials and the overall layout of the Dart’s interior that it begins to look a bit chintzy with cheap feeling expanses of black plastic on the dash, and the brittle-feeling high-gloss trim around the touchscreen. The seats too, though nicely trimmed in leather with impressive stitching, don’t provide any more comfort than the simpler fabric units in the Sentra. Special credit should be given to the creative storage bin under the front passenger seat in the Dart, and if you need to hide trinkets and trash around your car’s interior, the Dodge will serve you better than the Nissan.
Bright paintwork and snazzy wheels don’t make a performance car, and after very little time behind the wheel of each car, Jacob and I were reminded quite clearly that these are not sport sedans, but compacts designed to be budget friendly. While the optional 1.4L turbocharged four-banger is available for the Dart Limited ($1,300 mated to a dual-clutch six-speed transmission), our tester featured the “Tigershark” 2.0L. Producing the same 160 hp as the smaller turbocharged engine, it gives up nearly 40 lb-ft of torque that would help the Dart live up to its sporty exterior flair.
Still, 160 horses are notably more than the 130 produced by the Sentra’s little 1.8L mill. The 128 lb-ft of torque won’t set an enthusiast’s heart aflutter either, but the 150 kg lighter Nissan’s most disappointing driving attribute is its CVT transmission. Coaxing the relatively meager ponies out to play results in a chorus of moaning and mooing from the little Sentra’s engine bay with modest forward progress. Mercifully, Nissan would be happy to save you some bucks and sell you a more fun-to-drive Sentra with a stick shift instead.
It’s a shame our test Sentra was saddled with the CVT since the rest of its on-road presence was superior to the Dart’s. With a more sophisticated suspension calibration, the Nissan drives like a more expensive machine, soaking up bumps that the Dart crashes over.
Editor Black noted, “The Sentra is better connected and feels more planted than the Dodge. The Dart has a lot more body roll than I expected and wanted.”
Brakes on both cars were adequate, though Jacob noted the Dodge’s binders felt a bit spongy. He gave Dodge the benefit of the doubt and chalked that up to abusive treatment from overzealous journalists.
  2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
With more power, more style and more toys inside, it’s easy to declare the Dart the winner out of these two. But these cars aren’t supposed to be sport sedans. They’re sensible and practical choices for those who want as much value for their automotive dollars as possible. When price comes into play, the more refined Nissan simply cannot be ignored.
Fuel consumption of the Nissan is rated at 4.9 L/100 km highway and 6.6 city (versus 5.4 and 8.1 for our 2.0L Dodge) – a significant difference between the two that wasn’t actually realized on our spirited country test drive (which netted an average of 8.1 for the Nissan and 8.2 for the Dodge).
 2013 Dodge Dart vs 2013 Nissan Sentra. Click image to enlarge |
The Sentra also trumps the Dart in cargo capacity, with 428 L versus 371 L, made more pronounced by the Nissan’s much wider opening too.
What absolutely seals the deal for the Sentra is the price. All of the Dart’s toys and technology cost money, and when adding in leather seats, a sunroof and navigation, the Dodge commands a $9,000 premium over the Nissan. In this group, quality and value counts, and that’s where the Sentra really shines.
Is the comfortable, refined, high-value Sentra a strong enough contender to battle with the sales leaders? A future Autos.ca comparison test will tell.
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Pricing: 2013 Dodge Dart Limited
Base Price: $23,245
Options: Technology Group $1,250 (Blind spot and cross-path sensors, keyless enter, rain sensitive wipers, auto high beam headlamp control); Premium Group $500 (dual zone auto temperature control, remote start); Six speed automatic transmission $1,295; Power Sunroof $1,295; LED tail lamps $225; HID headlamps $775; Uconnect touch screen with Navigation $450; 9-speaker stereo plus subwoofer $500; Sirius XM radio $325; 17-inch polished wheels $300
Destination: $1,595
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $30,560
Pricing: 2013 Nissan Sentra SV
Base Price: $17,548
Options: CVT Transmission $1,300; SR Package $1,100 (17-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, sport fascia and skirting, spoiler fog lights, premium sport cloth seats), Metallic paint $135
Destination: $1,565
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $21,650
Competitors:
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Hyundai Elantra
Chevrolet Cruze
Mazda3
Kia Forte
Subaru Impreza
Ford Focus
Mitsubishi Lancer
Volkswagen Jetta
