I am looking forward to buy a small car for my family(me,wife and a 4 yr kid). I am considering 2004 Nissan Sentra S or 2005 Toyota Corolla S. I want as many opinions as possible to take an informed decision.
I was comparing them and some other small cars at some websites and wanted to know the meaning of the following terms.
Battery: What is "Run down protection"?
Axle Ratio: Is lower value better or higher value?.What is it and how it affects the drivability?
Rear Seats: what is 70-30 split bench and what is 60-40 split bench?. Which is better?
OK. Here's one: but an off-lease car from a private party and save thousands. Buy an extended warranty if you worry about "used cars" and you're still thousands ahead.
Sounds like automatic shut off after an hour or so if you leave the lights, radio, etc on.
Mostly irrelevant. The axle ratio is designed in conjunction with the transmission ratios, tire size, and engine power curves to give you acceptable acceleration and reasonable RPM's on the highway. If the axle ratio is higher, you can accelerate faster at the expense of RPM's (mileage and wear) on the highway. If it's lower, you accelerate slower but get better milage and less wear. The more important question from your point might be the 0-60 acceleration time, 30-70 (or so) acceleration, and EPA mileage. I'd also drive the car fully loaded (wife, kid, and maybe the Salesman too) to see how it accelerates with a full load of passengers.
With a flip down rear seat for cargo carrying, they can split the seats on any percentage basis e.g. 60/40, 70/30, etc. If you flip down the 70% part for more cargo flat space, you only have 30% left for the kid. You can stick the kids in the 70% seat but then you'd only have 30% for cargo. I'd go 60/40 if I had a choice, but I would not base the buying decision on that feature.
How much you can tow with this car. Don't. Irrelevant.
You've probably alrady made your purchase decision. Ah, well. Here's my take:
PRICE. WIth similar trims & options, Sentra beats Corolla hands down.
FUEL ECONOMY. Corolla has an advantage in the area.
INTERIOR SPACE. Unless the 2005 model is planning to expand a bit, The Sentra's front seat space is adequate for most people who are not big or tall, the rear quarters tend to be cramped for people other than children (especially with the seats put back all the way). The Corolla has more room all around, but you sacrifice rear window visibility when compared to the Sentra.
SUSPENSION. Based on the 2001 Sentra GXE (S equivalent)/2003 Corolla S I had access to, the Sentra is more likely to transmit the smallest bumps to the passenger cabin, both in feel & noise. The Corolla almost isolates you from the road, which some people like. I found myself winding the windows down a bit to hear what's going on around the vehicle.
VARIOUS. The Sentra's external rear view mirror are bigger than Toyota's It wasn't obvious to find the interior roof light controls in the Corolla than in the Sentra. The Corolla does illuminate the ignition key insert. Don't know the Corolla's oil change interval, but the Sentra can roll for nearly 4,000 miles between changes.
Unless you're planning to swap in aftermarket performance parts, I don't think you need to worry about this issue for this class of car that starts in the low-to-mid teens.
That depends on what you think you may carry in the future. Take a tape measure, go to a dealer, and take a look.
If you have to ask this question, consider getting a larger vehicle. Both vehicles, when loaded with passengers & cargo (with an automatic) take (for me) uncomfortably longer to accellerate out of the gate in tight situations. Add a trailer, and you might as well cement the rear wheels to the ground.
If yoi're still determined to tow with these vehicles, you can probably e-mail a question to nissanusa.coim or toyota.com
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