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.
