Nissan Sunny vs Toyota Yaris Sedan, space or features?

Compact cars have always been one of the most popular models in the Middle East market, but the most popular one is the Japanese brand.

To consumers who are looking for a cost-effective, fuel-efficient car with comfort, many would have a difficult choice between the Nissan Sunny and the Toyota Yaris Sedan, which this article takes you through in detail.

Exterior

The Nissan Sunny has a clean and modern exterior design that reflects the Nissan family design style. In the front part, a large V-shaped grille is paired with sharp headlamps, giving an impression of stability without losing dynamism. The side lines of the body are smooth and streamlined, which not only increases the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle, but also makes the overall look more youthful. The rear design is simple and cleverly blends a sense of hierarchy, highlighting the vehicle's modernity.

The exterior design of the Nissan Sunny fully represents the Nissan brand's familial style. Its front part features the iconic V-Motion grille, and the large chrome trim enhances the visual impact as well as adds a touch of premium to the car. The S model is equipped with 15-inch alloy wheels and halogen headlamps, while the SL model is equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, and the headlamps have been upgraded to LED lamps.

The side of the car are smooth and elegant, and the line running from the front wings to the rear adds a touch of sportiness to the vehicle. A simple but elegant design at the rear, together with the large taillight clusters, makes the whole vehicle look both robust and stylish.

Compared to the Nissan Sunny, Toyota Yaris Sedan has a sportier exterior design, its front design is clearly inspired by the Toyota Camry, with sharp LED headlamps echoing the horizontal bar grille, creating a refined and aggressive face. Large air intakes and a body-colored front apron give the car a very ‘’premium ‘’ look.

The fastback-style of the sides, with its smooth C-pillar line running to the rear, is a design language that adds a sporty look to the car, and makes the Yaris Sedan one of the few cars in the market segment with a unique style.

The Nissan Sunny measures 4,496mm in length, 1,740mm in width, 1,455mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,825mm.In comparison, the Toyota Yaris Sedan measures 4,425mm in length, 1,740mm in width, 1,480mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,620mm. As you can see, the Nissan Sunny is slightly better on length and wheelbase, offering a more spacious cabin

Interior and Comfort

The interior design of the Nissan Sunny is overall simple and elegant, with a focus on practicality and comfort. The centre console features a simple layout with an easy-to-use 7-inch touchscreen entertainment system, paired with physical buttons to ensure that the driver can use it easily even while driving.

The interior of the entry S model has fabric seats, the driver's seat is manually adjustable while the front seats support sliding, tilting and height adjustment with basic safety features such as dual airbags and ABS+EBD. In addition, the steering wheel is made of polyurethane and supports up and down adjustment. The interior of the premium SL model features leather seats, the steering wheel and gearshift lever are also wrapped in leather, and it is equipped with a wireless charger and an automatic air conditioning system.

For seats, Sunny is made of leather, the front seats support manual adjustment, and the rear seats are spacious for long-distance travelling. The overall interior materials are in line with the standards of sedans in its class, with emphasis on comfort and durability.

The interior style of the Toyota Yaris Sedan is more refined, using more high-grade materials, and the overall design tends to be modern. The centre console has a layered design, with the top half covered in soft materials, and the instrument panel has been upgraded to a 7-inch all-digital display, which can be customised according to personal preference.

The basic models feature a 7-inch touchscreen, while higher-end models have a 9-inch. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, bringing a convenient smart connectivity experience. A wireless charger and rear air conditioning vents are also standard, providing more convenience for consumers. In addition, the premium YX model is equipped with Electric Parking Brake (EPB) and Auto Hold, which are not common in its class.

Nissan Sunny offers a more spacious rear due to its larger wheelbase, making it suitable for family use or long journeys. The Toyota Yaris Sedan, on the other hand, is slightly more compact in the rear, but it has a more technologically advanced interior with better materials and technology and has a significant advantage in smart features in particular.

Engine

The Nissan Sunny is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine with 118bhp and 149Nm of peak torque, mated to a CVT.

The Toyota Yaris Sedan is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine with 97 PS and 122 Nm of torque, and although the figures on the books are average, the actual driving experience is smoother thanks to the newly developed Dual Mode CVT transmission (D-CVT).

So Nissan Sunny has a slight edge in terms of power and torque, while the Toyota Yaris Sedan has a newly developed gearbox that gives it an edge in terms of fuel economy.

Safety

The Nissan Sunny offers a wide range of safety features including Intelligent Brake Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Rear View Camera, ABS+EBD braking system and more.The cabin is equipped with six airbags, front seats with seatbelt pretensioners and a Vehicle Stability Control (VDC) system is also offered as a standard feature.

Toyota Yaris Sedan Safety has always been Toyota's forte.2024 The Yaris Sedan comes standard with the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) active safety system, including Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), and Forward Departure Alert (FDA).Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) are also standard across the range, with full-speed domain Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKC) added to the Premium trim. Although the ACC function does not support automatic follow start after stopping, it is already a very practical configuration in its class.

The Toyota Yaris Sedan clearly has the edge when it comes to safety features, especially in active safety technology, with Toyota's Toyota Safety Sense system covering a number of advanced driver assistance technologies. But Nissan Sunny lacks a number of advanced active safety systems, although it does not perform badly in terms of safety features.

Price

The Nissan Sunny is available in three models priced:

The Toyota Yaris Sedan is available in three models priced:

Summary

Overall, the Nissan Sunny and Toyota Yaris Sedan have their own merits. There is no 100-point car, only the car that suits you.

For consumers with a limited budget who attach importance to space and basic features, the Nissan Sunny is definitely the more attractive choice; while for those who are willing to pay for higher levels of smart technology and safety features, Toyota Yaris Sedan is a much more suitable choice.

Read also: A young person's first car: why is the Toyota Yaris Sedan ideal?

Read also: Nissan Sunny priced from SRA 66,000, how to choose between 3 models?