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Hybrids are here to stay. Their sales charts are on fire, landslides of models are being rushed to market, and the technology is a breakthrough with real benefits and no symptoms of a fad. They are the future, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, most of us are stuck in the present, and for those who hope to get the most transportation for the least currency in 2004, the best solution remains the cars named after their still-unmatched excellence in this game: economy cars. When you take the term literally, the higher-fuel-economy hybrids put them to shame, but in total cost per mile, the old reliables win hands down. Cars like the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, and Toyota Corolla are the bread and butter, the tried and true, and the real deal. So let's look at the latest versions of three familiar friends we've known since the days of Datsun.
Starting with them, their Sentra is all grown up now. It has always been the third-best seller of the three, and having bowed in 2000, the Sentra is the most senior of citizens here. Four years don't automatically doom a car to obsolescence, but the current Sentra never felt cutting edge at any point in its lifetime. That could be because its engineers were confined to an economy-minded budget. Take its rear suspension: a rigid axle. Pure old school. Broken pavement gets the rear end unsettled and jittering. Hitting certain sizes of bumps while cornering can make L-turns feel like U-turns. Now in 2004, models with the standard 1.8 engine (126 HP) don't even get a stabilizer bar for the front suspension, which is standard on just about every car these days. Coupling a cheap rear suspension with an incomplete front suspension is a sure-fire recipe for a trippy car. There's also the forgettable steering, which recalls the days when economy cars drove like the tin cans they resembled. Not much else is memorable, either. From gas mileage to seat comfort to noise levels, everything falls center on average.
The sport-minded Sentra SE-R (automatic only) and SE-R Spec V (6-speed) models try harder to make an impression. They add disc brakes at all corners and a stabilizer bar in front. Whether you like it or not, they also stiffen the bar in the rear, stiffen the shocks and springs (even more so on the Spec V), and inflate the 15-inch wheels to 16 or 17. The steering, brakes, and transmission are all tuned to respond with sudden response - too sudden, in my book. Finally, there's the SE-R's one competitive advantage: the ground-stomping torque of a 2.5 liter engine (also available on the calmer 2.5S model) - largest in the field. But the simple act of cranking up humdrum hardware to maximum intensity is a little like watching Gigli on a high-definition TV: the satisfaction doesn't go up much. Without a worthy suspension or steering (or shifter, many criticize) or a redline higher than 6,200 RPM, how can it become the racer it aspires to be?
Not only is the Sentra not all it could be, it's not even what it used to be. Memories of the 1991-1994 Sentra bring to mind the simple, effective independent strut suspension, the quick and satisfying steering, and the perfectly-balanced SE-R model that exceeded all expectations and all competitors. The state of the current Sentra calls into question the habit of redesigning cars for the sake of newness. Wouldn't both corporation and consumer be winners today if Nissan had simply stuck to that 13-year-old design and stuffed a few air bags on the inside?
Those who embrace change should note one recent development: since production moved south of the border in 2000, reliability has plunged to the point of the Sentra ranking lowest among all Japanese makes.
The Sentra may have come a long way, but on the road of progress, it's been spending too much time in reverse.
The de-contenting plague of the compact-car spectrum isn't unique to the Sentra, though. Sales leader Honda Civic, now in its seventh generation, has shed a few parts of its own over the years - rear disc brakes on the Civic EX and Honda's famous double-wishbone front suspension, to name two. It's perhaps no longer as fun as it once was, and the hardware downgrades have cost it some credibility in the tuner world. In exchange, the Civic has advanced in size and space and holds a few key points in its favor. The Civic sets the standard for resale value, which might make the ever-increasing MSRP easier to swallow. Its motors reign supreme in output efficiency and environmental friendliness. Finally, the Civic is alone in offering three body styles, even if not all styles can be had with the six available engines. Or the three transmissions.
For a car whose ad line reads "Simplify," this is one complex child. The Honda hierarchy in use since 1990 - DX, LX, EX - still applies, but that's just the starting point. Civic DX is still the stick-only stripper. Next, and new for 2004, is a "Value Package" that adds air conditioning, a CD player, and replaces manual-only with automatic-only. The popularity-leader Civic LX offers both transmissions and adds power windows, locks, and mirrors, cruise control, a tachometer, keyless entry, 15-inch wheels, and front and rear stabilizer bars. The Civic EX adds VTEC valve timing to the engine (boosting horsepower from 115 to 127), a sunroof, antilock brakes, two extra speakers, variable wipers, and upgrades the steel wheels to stylish alloys. Finally, there are the natural-gas-powered, 100-horsepower Civic GX (Earth's cleanest combustion-powered car) and the 85-horsepower Civic Hybrid. Following Honda tradition, there are no options to be added (except side air bags); simply pick a trim line and live with it. While this facilitates shopping, it also limits the possibilities and sometimes interferes with needs. Vertically-gifted people wanting to avoid the sunroof have always had to avoid the high-end EX model Hondas.
Still with me? The coupe lineup deletes the two specialty models and the DX, then adds the efficiency-minded HX, which is almost equivalent to an LX except for missing stabilizer bars and shrunken wheels. The Civic HX gets VTEC (which adds - hold your breath - 2 horsepower) and is the only way to get a Continuously Variable Transmission to replace the 4-speed automatic on a mainstream-model Civic. Finally, there's the racy Civic Si model, which only comes as a hatchback, and is the only way the hatchback comes. Si is to Civic what SE-R is to Sentra: suspensions, wheels, and engines get the "Fast and Furious" treatment. Power and torque get big boosts over other Civics (to 160 and 132), thanks to sharing its 2.0 engine with the Acura RSX.
But in today's raging horsepower climate, 160 ain't what it used to be for a so-called sports model. More pressingly, all of the Honda Civic's engines, as marvelous as they are, are a bit on the small side and therefore torque-deprived, which puts modest limits on flexibility and immediacy in normal driving. Steering and handling don't rise above this lukewarm level. The Civic's repair record and resale value are probably enough to make it a smarter buy than the Sentra, but except for people who have a pressing need for a coupe, a hatchback, or a CVT transmission, that doesn't spell first place when there's Toyota to contend with.
Remember the Toyota Corolla's TV commercials from two years ago? "It just wants to have fun." See, now that Toyota is the world's biggest carmaker, they can afford to defend against truth-in-advertising accusations. Still, there could be some unintentional truth buried in there. After all, fun is a form of pleasure, and the Corolla is the most pleasurable car. Since it serves the higher principle, maybe it doesn't need to be fun.
And where do those pleasures come from? Looking nice never hurt anyone. The interior is very inviting with its rich textures, well-placed control, supportive front seats, and useful rear seat. The Corolla S model (which stands for Sport, which refers to appearances only) actually looks classy when dressed up with the optional six-spoke wheels and tasteful spoiler.
Pleasures also come from having a partner that's well-mannered and willing. Driving never feels like work with nicely weighted, intuitive steering. It's never painful when the ride is cushioned. The Corolla takes your lumps for you, whereas the other two pass on the message in the form of kicks and thumps to your backside. The Corolla likes to whisper, not yell; engine, road, and wind are all lowest. Peace and quiet may sound like dull qualities to emphasize, but maybe Toyota had the right approach. Since only so much can be done to make sports cars out of these, why not go for a luxury feel? By being best at eliminating the bad stuff, the Corolla at least secures dominance in being outstandingly unobtrusive.
And while all good things must come to an end, history has proven the Toyota Corolla to delay the inevitable. The Corolla has garnered more Consumer Reports "excellents" in reliability than any economy car over the past decade. Its terms of agreement seem to be this: feed me gas twice a month and feed me oil twice a year, and I will run forever.
When it's buying time, making hardware choices is easy, since there aren't any. Across all three Corolla trim lines - CE, S, and LE - the engine comes one way: a competent, 130-horsepower 1.8 unit that ties the Civic for best gas mileage, yet beats both Civic and Sentra in acceleration. Suspension equipment and tuning are uniform, ditto the brakes, and all wheels are a right-sized 15 inches. Pick the automatic and receive four gears; row your own and get five to play with. The sedan is the sole body type, though that expands to two if you count the Toyota Corolla-based Matrix wagon.
Still, it's not perfect. Like the Sentra, the Corolla downgraded to a beam-axle suspension for last year's redesign, ensuring that both ride and handling are not at optimal levels. As with the other two cars, I wouldn't mind having disc brakes on the Corolla's back end or more than four gears in the automatic. But as the one that's easiest to like, easiest to live with and the most faithful over time, it's hard to imagine a more rewarding relationship.
Go with the Corolla. It's not the most exciting, but it does everything right, has no real flaws, and has the best repair record.
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