2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2019 Nissan Altima

The 2019 Nissan Altima had an exterior design that took its cues from its bigger sibling, the full-size Maxima sedan. It showcased a large trapezoidal grille, sharply raked headlights, and a black stripe in the C-pillar—a trend that many found overdone. These elements injected an air of excitement into the Altima. Inside, the Altima exhibited a modern layout that mirrored many contemporary cars; its floating center stack and the positioning of vents and dials bore resemblance to those in the Honda Accord and Kia Forte. This design was a testament to the industry's struggle with integrating evolving technology while maintaining a unique appearance.

Nissan addressed the issue by ensuring the 2019 Altima had a user-friendly interface with intuitive volume, tuning, and climate-control knobs. The Altima came in various trims: S, SR, SV, SL, and the top-tier Platinum. The base S trim was fitted with Zero Gravity seats, a comfortable feature designed for long trips. Other S-trim highlights included push-button start, an 8-way power driver’s seat, four USB ports, satellite radio, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The SR trim included 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a rear spoiler, and a dark chrome V-motion grille design. Inside, it featured a three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, cloth seats with leather inserts, and carbon grain door trim. The SV was notable for its value, offering 17-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, and Intelligent Climate Control. The SL trim added luxury elements like leather seating, a 9-speaker Bose sound system, and navigation with live traffic updates. The Platinum trim included nearly all features from lower trims plus 19-inch wheels and a 360-degree surround-view monitor.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback sported a bold look seen half a decade ago after a major redesign. For 2020, Honda toned down its aggressive styling somewhat. The enormous faux air intakes received body-color crossbars, a new grille, smoked headlights, and new wheel designs. The top-of-the-line Sport Touring trim had an eye-catching Platinum White Pearl paint that contrasted with glossy black detailing, eliciting admiration from onlookers.

The Civic Hatchback's interior was impressive, featuring high-quality materials with stitched leather on the steering wheel in the Sport Touring. Despite some hard plastic, the cabin felt solid and reduced ambient noise, contributing to a pleasant driving environment. The Sport Touring could be equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, adding to its driver appeal. The trim level was priced at $28,980 including destination charges, but base LX trim began at a more accessible $21,650. The Sport trim, although similar in look to the Touring, started at $22,750, and the EX and leather-lined EX-L trims followed at $24,150 and $25,350 respectively.

The 2019 Nissan Altima offered two engines. The base engine, a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, generated 188 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque—a slight improvement over the older model's 179 horsepower and 177 lb-ft. SR and Platinum trims offered a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine featuring variable compression technology. This innovation allowed the piston-arm assembly to adjust its length, providing V6 levels of power with the efficiency of a 4-cylinder. Both engines paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), delivering power to either the front wheels or an optional all-wheel-drive system, a first for Nissan sedans.

The AWD system performed confidently on snowy Boston streets, providing a secure ride without changing the driver's interaction with the car. While the Altima’s 2.5-liter engine sufficed for daily driving, its wide turning radius detracted from maneuverability. Fuel economy for the turbocharged engine was rated at 25 mpg city, 34 highway, 29 combined. The 2.5-liter engine offered better figures at 28 city, 39 highway, 32 combined, though AWD dropped these numbers to 25, 35, 29. Our mixed driving test yielded 28.9 mpg.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, particularly in Sport and Sport Touring trims, was not to be mistaken for a Civic Si. The Hatchback housed a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, producing 174 horsepower in the LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in the Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque was set at 162 lb-ft with the CVT and increased to 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission.

This powertrain provided adequate thrust for the front-wheel-drive Civic Hatchback, remaining quiet and refined throughout. However, the manual transmission had long clutch travel and gearbox throws, differentiating it from the Civic Si's tighter setup. The Si also offered a helical limited-slip differential for superior cornering excitement but was less comfortable for everyday use.

On the upside, the Civic Hatchback, with its compliant ride and quieter cabin, proved more suitable for daily driving. Fuel economy was commendable, with the EPA rating the car at 32 mpg combined. Our testing resulted in an even better 32.7 mpg, despite aggressive driving on a mountainous route.

The 2019 Nissan Altima boasted immensely comfortable Zero Gravity seats, which minimized fatigue during long drives. While the Altima didn't have the deepest center console due to the AWD and transmission tunnel, its numerous cubbies and cupholders provided good storage. The rear seat accommodated tall adults comfortably, and the trunk offered 15.4 cubic feet of space, which was competitive but not class-leading.

In comparison, the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered a more practical cargo area, boasting 25.2 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. While the maximum cargo capacity was less than that of an HR-V, the Civic Hatchback excelled in overall livability. It gained an edge with a long and deep center console storage area, configurable to hold large water bottles. Rear legroom was satisfactory, although rear passengers might feel the heat due to the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark-tinted rear windows.

The 2019 Nissan Altima came equipped with NissanConnect, a straightforward, contemporary infotainment system featuring large icons and easy-to-read fonts. The system included standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 7-inch Drive Assist display between the tachometer and speedometer allowed drivers to monitor various systems using a steering-wheel-mounted directional pad.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured digital instrumentation and, starting from the Sport trim, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It included Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, plus a satellite radio, navigation system, quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system in the Sport Touring trim. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were standard on most trims, simplifying entry and exit procedures.

The 2019 Nissan Altima included standard safety features like front and side-impact airbags, traction control, vehicle dynamics control, and a reversing camera. Higher trims included ProPilot Assist, delivering partially autonomous driving capabilities. This system assisted with maintaining speed and lane-keeping, enhancing safety on the road. Forward-collision warning and driver-alertness monitoring were standard across all trims.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driving-assistance features, including forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. However, the lack of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert was a downside. LaneWatch, which provided a view of the right-side blind spot, was some consolation but offered limited coverage. The 2020 Civic Hatchback received top crash-test performance marks but missed the IIHS Top Safety Pick due to Poor headlight performance.