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Nissan's Sunny or Toyota's Etios – which of the two is a better Japanese budget sedan? Well, this is a question many prospective customers are likely to grapple with.

So we decided to pit the two recent entrants against each other to see the outcome

Affordable mid-size sedans have become a big trend these days, with the result that almost every manufacturer in India seeks to put a model in this segment. Recently, Nissan entered this segment with their much-awaited sedan, the Sunny. Much-awaited because the Sunny had made its début in China earlier this year and since then we had been looking forward to its arrival in India. Now that it was here, we decided to pit it against its closest rival, the Toyota Etios, which had entered the market only a few weeks earlier and which also happens to be a Japanese car.

Both these cars are primarily aimed at the upwardly mobile customer, moving from his little hatchback towards a sedan. Needless to add, these are the customers who look for a product that is reliable, affordable, fuel-efficient and easy to drive in varying traffic conditions. Both the Etios and Sunny promise to be all of these. Therefore, a comparison was called for. Let's find out how these two Japanese offerings fared in our comparo.

Design, Features And Space
It becomes instantly apparent that the Sunny has an edge over the Etios in the styling department. But then Toyota are not particularly known for the looks of their models and the Etios is no exception. It has a very simple design, which the Indian customers have been hard put to embracing with open arms.

The Sunny, on the other hand, has a very modern and contemporary styling that will appeal more to the young customers. The huge headlamps on this sedan merge well with its front end and the chrome grille adds a certain touch of class to the overall look. The side profile also looks pretty good with a curving roof-line that merges well with the boot, giving the car a coupé-like look. The tail end is reminiscent of bigger Nissan sedans and the contemporary tail-lamps look stylish.

Coming back to the Etios, it has a simple front end with a dominating grille and the Toyota logo, which make the headlamps look small. The side profile of this car also does not add any flair to its appearance and the rear end is, well, just decent, nothing exciting. Overall, the Toyota design is not bad, but is too simple and, as such, the Sunny easily stakes a claim to being a better looking car between the two.

The interior and features of the Sunny are also comparatively better than the Etios'. The Etios' dashboard layout is simple and lacks feel, whereas that of the Sunny gives a better feel. The centre console on the Sunny is nicely laid out with the automatic climate control taking centre-stage and a better looking audio system giving the car an upmarket feel. The Sunny comes with a start-stop button, automatic climate control, electrically adjusted and closing rear-view mirrors and a blower for the back seat that sucks in air from the front air-conditioner vents and cools the rear seat more quickly. These are some of the things that are missing in the Etios. Besides, the quality of the plastic used in the Sunny is better than that in the Etios. One good-looking thing in the Etios is the flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in leather, which has a solid feel.

However, the Etios is slightly better than the Sunny when it comes to interior space. The leg and knee room at the front in the Etios is better and the boot is bigger by no less than 105 litres. The only place where the Sunny scores over the other car is the rear seat, which has 1,000 mm of maximum knee room, 90 mm more than that in the Etios.