2020 Honda Civic vs 2019 Nissan Altima

For the 2019 Nissan Altima, designers took inspiration from its upscale sibling, the Maxima sedan, to create a visually stimulating exterior. With a large trapezoidal grille, sharply raked headlights, and a black stripe in the C-pillar, the Altima borrowed stylish cues meant to inject excitement into its look. Yet, inside, the Altima's layout was familiar, featuring a floating center stack similar to the Honda Accord and Kia Forte, a design trend seen across the industry in 2019. This layout hinted at a broader industry challenge of integrating evolving technology in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

The Altima’s interior included traditional, easy-to-use knobs for volume, tuning, and climate control, acknowledging that drivers appreciate simplicity alongside new technological features such as navigation and Bluetooth. This practical approach was complemented by a comfortable seating arrangement featuring Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats, especially standard on the base S trim, which included push-button start, an 8-way power driver’s seat, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Higher trims like the SR added 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, and a rear spoiler, while the interior featured a leather-wrapped steering wheel and cloth seats with leather inserts. The SV trim balanced cost and features, adding fog lights, automatic high beams, and heated side mirrors, alongside a heated steering wheel and a power moonroof. For those desiring a touch of luxury, the SL trim introduced leather seating and a Bose premium sound system. The range-topping Platinum trim combined all these features while adding distinctive touches like 2-mode memory settings for the driver’s seat and a 360-degree surround-view monitor.

In contrast, the 2020 Honda Civic was a cornerstone of Honda's lineup due to its broad appeal and engineering excellence. Available in sedan, coupe, and hatchback body styles, the Civic boasted a sharp design, low and wide stance, and eye-catching features like LED taillights that blended visual excitement with a lack of cheapness.

For 2020, the Civic retained the grille, bumper, and wheel updates from the previous model year but added new matte-black 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights with gloss black trim, and updated grilles and rear bumpers on the Si models. The hatchback also received new bumper and light changes, plus new gray or black wheels.

Inside, the Civic's simple, high-quality interior featured soft-touch rubbers, high-quality switchgear, and pleasing design elements like gloss-black trim and a red-accented instrument panel on Si models. New for 2020 were additional interior styling changes, like three new dash accents on the hatchback and revised sport seats with red fabric bands on the Si.

The 2019 Nissan Altima offered a choice between two engines: a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder reserved for SR and Platinum trims, replacing the previous year's V6. This new engine utilized variable compression technology to deliver power akin to a V6 while maintaining the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder. Both engines were paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and available in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive—an Altima first.

The AWD system proved itself on snowy Boston streets, offering confidence without altering driver interaction. Despite not being as athletic as some competitors, the 2.5-liter engine provided adequate power for daily driving, though the wide turning radius limited tight-space maneuverability. Fuel economy for the 2.0-liter was 25 mpg city, 34 highway, and 29 combined, while the 2.5-liter base engine offered 28 city, 39 highway, 32 combined, with AWD models seeing slightly reduced numbers.

The 2020 Honda Civic sported four engines and two transmissions across its lineup, all front-wheel drive. The LX and Sport trims featured a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 6-speed manual or a CVT. The EX and higher trims incorporated a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder producing 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, with hatchbacks in Sport or Sport Touring trims pushing this to 180 horsepower. The Si models upped the ante with a 1.5-liter boosted to 205 horsepower, while the Type R’s 2.0-liter engine delivered a whopping 306 horsepower.

The Civic's engines were smooth and responsive, with the manual gearbox offering a tight, satisfying shift experience. The CVT also performed well, avoiding the high-rev hold common in lesser systems. The Civic Si's adaptive dampers enhanced handling, though it rode stiffer than other models, and the Type R stood out for its composed, powerful performance.

Fuel economy was respectable across the board, with the Si rated at 26 mpg city, 36 highway, and 30 combined, while most CVT models achieved at least 30 city and up to 42 highway.

The 2019 Nissan Altima featured Nissan's lauded Zero Gravity seats, designed for long-distance comfort by mimicking a natural spinal position. While the center console storage was minimally affected by the AWD system's transmission tunnel, the rear seat space comfortably accommodated tall passengers. The trunk offered a competitive 15.4 cubic feet of cargo space compared to 16.7 in the Accord, 15.1 in the Camry, and 16.3 in the Sonata.

The 2020 Honda Civic improved interior usability with features like a volume knob and better cupholders. Enhanced sound insulation was added to the hatchback, and the EX hatchback featured an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat. The steering wheel housed controls for central and instrument panel displays, and the center console offered a versatile storage system. The Civic's rear passenger space was roomy, though it omitted rear air vents, which was a notable oversight.

Cargo capacities varied by body style: 15 cubic feet in all sedan trims, 12 cubic feet in the coupes, and 26 cubic feet in the hatchback, expandable to 46 cubic feet with rear seats folded. This made the hatchback particularly versatile for cargo needs, outpacing the Altima's trunk space.

The 2019 Nissan Altima's NissanConnect infotainment system featured a straightforward and user-friendly interface with an 8-inch touchscreen. Standard features included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 7-inch color Drive Assist display conveyed essential information such as fuel economy and driver assistance features.

The 2020 Honda Civic's infotainment system lagged behind competitors, but it included a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all trims except the base LX. Higher trims offered navigation from Garmin and unique features like Active Sound Control and LaneWatch, which provided a live feed of the right-side blind spot. Standard automatic climate control and additional features like rain-sensing wipers and LED headlights on higher trims enhanced the Civic's tech suite.