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2010 Car Comparison: Mazda3 vs. Nissan Sentra vs Volkswagen Jetta

By Chuck Giametta
Last Updated: Jun 16, 2010

The Competitors
Some cars are category-stretchers. Take the 2010 Mazda 3, 2010 Nissan Sentra, and 2010 Volkswagen Jetta.

In their most basic form, they’re affordable and economical compact cars, basic transportation, really. But option their top-line models with leather upholstery and myriad other available features and they begin to imitate small luxury cars. Pick the performance versions and they become budget sport sedans.

Unfortunately, no matter which identity you fancy, factory incentives and deep discounts on desirable compact cars are difficult to obtain these days. Demand is relatively strong thanks to the increasing popularity of more fuel-efficient and more affordable models. That holds especially true for the sportiest versions, which are rarely discounted at all because they’re coveted by the “fast and furious” enthusiast crowd.

In the U.S. the Volkswagen Jetta outsells the other two compacts in this comparison review. The Jetta nameplate dates back to 1979 when it was created as a sedan version of the Golf to appease U.S. buyers who prefer a trunk to a hatchback. The current generation has been around since 2005, but the SportWagen station wagon version received fresh styling for an early-2010 entry; the Jetta line is due to be recast for the 2011 model year. The current Jetta line includes high-mileage “clean diesel” TDI sedan and wagon models that deliver better fuel economy than many costlier hybrid-powered gas/electric cars.

The Mazda 3 is the second-best seller in this trio. It replaced Mazda’s 323 and Protege nameplates, debuting for the 2004 model year and getting a thorough makeover for 2010. The 2010 Mazda 3 is offered in four-door sedan and four-door hatchback body styles. Its sportiest hatchback is marketed as the Mazdaspeed3.

The Nissan Sentra, known as the “Sunny” in its Japanese home market, originated in 1982 as a boxy small car available in five body styles. Today’s Sentra is a four-door sedan only. The current-generation model debuted for 2007 and received a minor refresh for 2010. Its high-performance variants are the Sentra SE-R and SE-R Spec-V.

The Similarities

  • The 2010 Mazda 3, 2010 Nissan Sentra, and 2010 Volkswagen Jetta all have front-wheel drive. This places the weight of the engine over the tires that also propel the car. That’s not always optimal balance for sporty handling, but it benefits wet-weather traction. It also constitutes efficient packaging by concentrating the drivetrain components in the nose of the vehicle, eliminating the large driveshaft tunnel and rear axle housing that intrude into the passenger space of rear-wheel drive vehicles.
  • All three are quite roomy for the compact class and seat four adults in reasonable comfort. Each can accommodate a smaller fifth rider squeezed in the back. All have split-folding rear seats to help maximize their trunk/cargo volume.
  • None offers a six-cylinder engine, but the Jetta comes with a five-cylinder and is the only one here to offer a diesel engine. Jetta’s upscale Wolfsburg Edition model and the sporty MazdaSpeed3 model feature turbocharged four-cylinder engines. Sentra is strictly a four-cylinder lineup.
  • All three cars come with manual or automatic transmissions, though some sport versions are manual only. Sentra’s “automatic” is really a continuously variable transmission, or CVT. And instead of a conventional automatic, Jetta diesel and Wolfsburg Edition models uses VW’s Direct Shfit Gearbox, or DSG, which is essentially a manual transmission that does not have a clutch pedal and can be set to shift like an automatic.
  • All come standard with torso protecting front-side airbags and head-protecting curtain side airbags for both seating rows.
  • Each comes with assorted cup holders, storage cubbies, and 12-volt power points. All offer such amenities as heated seats, leather upholstery, and GPS navigation systems.
  • Warranty coverage is equal. All three of these cars has bumper-to-bumper coverage for 3 years/36,000 miles and powertrain protection for 5/60,000.

The Differences

  • The 2010 Mazda 3 is available as a four-door sedan and a four-door hatchback. Redesigned for 2010, this Mazda’s styling is the most expressive -- and controversial -- of the three models reviewed here. Particularly divisive is its front-end treatment: depending on your interpretation it resembles a happy smile or an evil clown’s face.
  • The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta comes as a four-door sedan or a four-door station wagon VW dubs the SportWagen. Jetta’s styling has a sophisticated European flavor with strong character lines and minimal gingerbread. The SportWagen actually looks a bit sleekler than the sedan thanks to a model-year 2010 facelift.
  • The 2010 Nissan Sentra is only offered as a four-door sedan and suffers awkward proportions and inharmonious body lines.
  • The 2010 Mazda 3 i versions have a 148-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that can be mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic with a manual-shift mode. The Mazda 3 s models have a peppier 167-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a choice of a six-speed manual transmission or the aforementioned five-speed automatic.
  • The sporty 2010 MazdaSpeed3 comes only in the hatchback body style and uses turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder rated at 263 horsepower. The only available gearbox here is a six-speed manual. The MazdaSpeed3 also has steering, suspension and braking upgrades that improve handling and stopping abilities. It also features a few exterior cosmetic differences.
  • Most 2010 Nissan Sentra models use a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and either a six-speed manual transmission or a gearless CVT. A CVT combines the performance of a manual with the convenience of an automatic, though some drivers may be put off by a CVT’s absence of traditional gear changes.
  • The sporty 2010 Sentra SE-R and SE-R Spec V versions include a few styling tweaks and assorted performance upgrades. Foremost is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that nets 177 horsepower in the SE-R and a full 200 horses in the SE-R Spec V. The SE-R comes only with the CVT while the SE-R Spec V comes only with the six-speed manual.
  • The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta’s base engine is a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter five-cylinder and it mates with a five-speed manual transmission or a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic with manual-shift capability.
  • The 2010 Jetta sedan is offered as the Wolfsburg Edition named for VW’s headquarters city in Germany. It comes with a 200-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and either a six-speed manual or the DSG. Used with this engine, the DSG can be shifted manually via steering-wheel paddles or a separate gate on the floor-mounted transmission lever. DSGs deliver more precise and aggressive shifts than a typical automatic, for more spirited throttle response.
  • The 2010 Jetta sedan and wagon TDI models have a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine. This is a “clean diesel” that generates far less tailpipe emissions than previous diesel models and furnishes fuel economy that rivals that of many gas/electric hybrids. While 140 horsepower doesn’t look like much on paper, this turbodiesel four generates a generous 236 pound-feet of torque. Torque is the force that propels a car forward, horsepower is the energy that keeps it rolling, and 236 pound-feet is sufficient to produce quick launches. The Jetta TDI models use a six-speed manual or a version of the six-speed DSG that does not have steering-wheel shift paddles.
  • In addition to good performance and superior fuel economy, Jetta TDI models are eligible for a one-time $1,300 federal income tax credit extended to buyers of alternative fuel vehicles. On the downside, diesel fueling pumps, while not difficult to find, tend to be messier than gas pumps because spilled diesel leaves an oily residue while spilled gasoline mostly evaporates.
  • Comparing mainstream versions of the three cars in this review, the Jetta delivers the most-entertaining “European style” handling across the line, yet maintains a smooth ride. The Mazda 3 is arguably Jetta’s equal for handling, but can’t quite match the German-engineered car’s ride composure. Mainstream Sentra models have subpart handling and are about average in ride quality.
  • Of the sporty versions, the MazdaSpeed3 and Sentra SE-R and SE-R Spec V models furnish notably sharp handling, but at the expense of a rougher ride than many motorists might be willing to accept, particularly if they regularly traverse pockmarked urban roads..
  • The MazdaSpeed3 is fast, but suffers the bane of many powerful front-drive cars, torque steer. This describes a tendency for a car’s front end to pull to the side during rapid acceleration from low speeds.
  • Interior ambience of the three cars in this comparison is markedly different. All have clear instrumentation and easy-to-operate controls. The Mazda 3 has the most expressive shapes and attractive materials. The Jetta’s cabin layout is more sober than the Mazda 3’s, but also looks more grown-up and features high-quality materials that would do justice to far more expensive cars. The Sentra suffers by comparison, with a clean but undistinguished layout that’s let down by too many flimsy feeling plastic panels.
  • While all three of these cars have roughly equal passenger space, the Sentra is at a disadvantage for cargo versatility because it’s limited to a sedan body style with a 13-cufic-foot trunk. The Mazda 3 sedan has a 12-cubic-foot trunk while the Mazda 3 hatchback has 17 cubic feet of cargo volume behind its rear seat and 43 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. The Jetta sedan boasts a 16-cubic-foot trunk while the Jetta SportWagen has 33 cubic feet of cargo room behind its rear seat and an SUV-like 67 cubic feet with the rear seat folded.
  • Antilock brakes for surer stopping control and an antiskid stability system to reduce chances of sideways slides are standard across the Mazda 3 and Jetta lines. These safety features are optional on the Sentra.
  • The Mazda 3 is the only one of these cars available with xenon high-intensity headlamps.
  • For fuel economy, the Volkswagen Jetta is the leader of this trio. The 2010 Jetta TDI sedan and wagon are rated at 30/41 mpg (city/highway) with manual transmission and 30/42 with the DSG automatic. Jettas with the five-cylinder engine rate 22/30 mpg with manual transmission, 23/30 automatic. Wolfsburg Editions with the turbo gas four rate 21/31 mpg with manual transmission, 24/32 with the DSG.
  • With the base 2.0-liter engine, the 2010 Mazda 3 is rated at 25/33 mpg with manual transmission and 24/33 with automatic. Models with the 2.5-liter four rate 21/29 with manual, 22/29 with automatic. The 2010 MazdaSpeed3 is rated at 18/25 mpg.
  • The 2010 Nissan Sentra models with the 2.0-liter engine rate 24/31 mpg with manual transmission and 26/34 with the CVT. The Sentra SE-R is rated at 24/30 mpg and the SE-R Spec-V at 21/28.
  • The 2010 Mazda 3 has the lowest starting prices of these three, It starts just under $16,000 for the 2.0-liter sedan and ranges to around $24,000 for the MazdaSpeed 3.
  • The 2010 Nissan Sentra is priced from just over $16,000 for its base sedan and ranges to just shy of $21,000 for the SE-R Spec V.
  • The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta is in effect a premium compact car, with the base sedan priced from around $18,500 and the base SportWagen from around $20,000. Wolfsburg Editions are priced from around $23,400, while the Jetta TDI sedan starts around $22,700 and the TDI SportWagen starts just over $25,000.

The Winner
The 2010 Mazda 3. Every version of this compact Mazda has a sporty flair, while models with the 2.5-lliter engine have impressive performance and the MazdaSpeed3 is a rowdy rocket. All are very reasonably priced and the hatchback body style not only is a smart choice for versatility, it looks cooler than the sedan. We like the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta almost as much, especially the roomy wagon versions and high-mileage diesel models. But the VW is the priciest car here, and the model-year 2010 version of the sedan is a bit of a lame duck; a larger replacement is due for model-year 2011. The 2010 Nissan Sentra is a stalwart choice overall, but is limited to one body style, and can’t match the sophistication of the Jetta or the fun-to-drive nature of the Mazda 3.