Honda and Nissan are both Japanese car makers known for making reliable vehicles at an affordable price. If you are shopping for a new car, these are both brands to consider. But if you have to make a choice between the two, you will definitely have to do some research. Each has its share of attractive selling points, but which is best?
Well, we are taking some of the legwork off your hands by giving you a side by side comparison. Read on to find out more about both brands.
The Basics
Let’s start by going over some basic factors.
· Price: Hondas are typically more expensive then Nissans. However, this is due to their reputation for reliability which results in a higher trade in value. It also pays off with less maintenance and repairs down the road.
· Safety: Recently, auto manufacturers have been adding more safety features to their vehicles. In general, Nissan Mobility provides more features than Honda sensing. However, this can vary by model and year.
· Buying pre-owned: If you are buying pre-owned, a Honda may be a better bet. Their vehicles must pass a 182-point inspection as compared to Nissan’s 156-point inspection.
· Features and Capabilities: Nissan tends to offer more apps and connectivity options than Honda, but again, this will vary by model and year.
Car Comparisons
Now let’s do some car comparisons.
Compact SUVs: If you are looking for a compact SUV, top sellers for the brands include the Toyota CR-V and the Nissan Rogue. Let’s see how they stack up.
When it comes to MPG, the Nissan gets 26 city, 33 highway, as compared to Honda’s 28 city, 34 highway. The Honda offers 4 CR-V models, the LX, the EX, the EX-L and the Touring. Prices range from $25,000 to $33,000. Nissan has 3 Rogue models, the S, SV and SL. Prices range from 25,000 to 31,500.
When it comes to safety features, the CR-V has a sensing suite, a mitigation braking system, a departure mitigation system and adaptive cruise control. The Rogue offers a 360 safety shield as well as automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, a rear cross traffic alert and rear automatic braking.
As far as technology, the Nissan offers Apple Car Play, door to door navigation and Android Auto. The technology features the CR-V offers varies by model but all models offer some sort of navigation system as well as connectivity.
Mid-Sized Cars: Taking a look at mid-sized cars, the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima are two that seem to lead the pack. Let’s take a look at how they compare.
Nissan makes three Altima models, the S, the SR and the SR VC-Turbo. MPG is as low as 25 city, 32 highway and as high as 28 city, 39 highway. Prices range from $24,000 to $29,750. The Accord offers 4 different models, the LX, the Hybrid, the Sport and the EX. All cars have an MPG of 30 city, 38 highway and prices range from $24,000 to $27,950.
When it comes to safety, the Altima offers features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and rear automatic braking. The Accord provides a sensing suite, a collision mitigation braking system and a road departure mitigation system.
The Altima provides technology features including Apple Car Play, Nissan Door to Door Navigation and Android Auto. The technology the Accord offers differs from model to model. Both the Sport and EX feature Apple Car Play, and Android Auto as well as a navigation system. All cars offer smart phone connectivity.
Pick Ups Trucks: If you are looking for something with a bit more power, you might want to compare the Nissan Titan with the Honda Ridgeline.
Before comparing the two, it is worth mentioning that the Titan is a full-size pickup whereas the Ridgeline is a midsize pickup. Honda does not offer a full-size pickup truck so this will be a bit like comparing apples to oranges…but lets’ give it a go.
The Ridgeline is a midline pickup. It gets 19 MPG city and 25 highway. It has a 280-horsepower engine and it seats five. It’s priced at $33,900 The Titan has a 400-horsepower engine. The MPG is 16 city and 22 highway. This one will set you back $36,190.
When considering safety features, the Titan has a 360 Safety Shield, emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, traffic departure warning and high beam assist. The Ridgeline has a Honda sensing suite, a collision mitigation braking system and a road departure mitigation system.
As far as technology goes, the Titan has Apple Car Play, Door to Door Navigation, Android Auto, Nissan Connect Services and Nissan Concierge. The Ridgeline has Apple Car Play, Android Auto, an 8-inch display audio touch screen and a truck bed audio system.
Three Row SUV’s
If you are in the market for something spacious, a three row SUV may be more your speed. Your choices here will be either the Nissan Armada or the Honda Pilot.
The Honda Pilot has an MPG of 19 city, 27 highway. Available models include the LX, the EX, the EXL and the Touring. Prices range from $31,650 to $42,720. The Nissan Armada has an MPG of up to 14 city, 19 highway. Models available include the SV, the SL and the Platinum. Prices range from $47,100 to $60,530.
The Pilot offer safety features that include a mitigation braking system, a road departure mitigation system and adaptive cruise control. The Armada provides automatic emergency braking, intelligent blind spot and lane intervention, lane departure intervention, blind spot warning, intelligent collision warning and intelligent back up intervention.
Tech heads will be glad to know that The Pilot provides Apple Car Play Intervention, Android Auto Intervention and a Navigation system. The Armada comes with a selection of tech plans including Nissan Connect with Google Assist or Alexa as well as customizable alerts and emergency responses.
So, Honda or Nissan? They are both great cars and the one you choose will be a matter of personal preference. The type of car you are buying will also be a consideration. For instance, you may prefer Nissan’s pickup truck selection but have a sweet spot for Honda’s SUV’s.
We can’t tell you which car is best for you but we can tell you one thing…if you want your car to withstand the test of time, you’ll want to give it the proper care and maintenance throughout its lifetime. Once your warranty is up, it will be up to you to see to it that your car is functioning as it should and this includes making sure all fluids are topped off, getting brakes changed regularly, keeping up with oil changes and more.
Keeping your car in the best condition possible is a big responsibility and it can be a major expense, but there is one way to keep your expenses down, and that’s by buying your own car parts. In this economy, we are all looking to save anyway we can. Buying your own car parts helps you avoid mechanic markups so you pay for service only.
It also gives you the piece of mind in knowing your car is getting the very best in high quality parts.
Now, I know what you may be thinking. “I don’t know which parts to buy and finding the right ones can be so confusing”. Well, there’s a dealership that makes all that easy and that’s OEM Town.
OEM Town is an online car parts dealer that goes out of their way to make sure their customers are able to find the car parts they need. All you need to do is enter the make and model of your car and their web site will come back with results on all the parts you need. To make things even easier, you can also enter your license plate number and it will let you know the parts that are specifically recommended for your car.
Still confused? Their knowledgeable customer service staff will give you the guidance you need.
What’s more, all of OEM Town’s products are high quality and built to last.
Nissan and Honda are both great car brands. Be sure to get the very most out of the car you choose by buying quality parts from OEM Town. Good luck and happy driving!