It's like a scoop of Vanilla ice cream: a safe flavour choice, but nothing very special...
Its pretty nice, but overall, it's just a car.
It feels like Nissan has too many cars in its lineup. For North America, Nissan has 8 different cars in its lineup (not including sports cars, SUVs, crossovers, or trucks). With all of these different cars, some of the less exciting ones easily get lost and forgotten. The Sentra feels like one of those forgotten cars. It is Nissan's compact sedan that is stuck between the Altima and the Versa. The Sentra is not a bad car, but to make sure I don't say too many negative things about it, I will keep this review short and to the point.
Lets take a look:
Different Styles:
The Sentra is only available as a 4-door sedan. It only comes with a 1.8L, 4 cylinder engine and either a 6-speed manual or a CVT transmission.
Styling and Comfort Impressions:
The pictures posted in this review are a bit misleading, but Nissan only has pictures of their highest trim level Sentras. Besides the highest trim level, the Sentra is a very plain looking car on the outside. It has decent proportions with large windows and tires that fit well. It at least doesn't really try to look like something that it is not (which is sporty).
Going inside, it doesn't get much better or much worse. The base trim level is pretty much the definition of boring. Its all grey, and hard, cheap plastic is used everywhere. At least it comes with power windows and air-conditioning unlike the Versa. Going up to the mid and upper trims adds a bit of colour, a better media system, possibly fake wood trim, and leather heated seats.
At least both the headroom and legroom in both the front and rear seats is pretty good. The comfort of the seats in general are just ok; not enough side support though. The visibility is good in all directions.
The sound system isn't the best. It comes with only 4 speakers but can be upgraded to 6 or 8. Its not a super loud, clear or powerful system; a bit disappointing for a car in today's compact class. When upgraded to the top end Bose system it then sounds pretty good. Finally, the trunk. It's actually pretty large and has a nice large pass-through once the back seats are folded down. It is not a flat surface as the seat backs sit about 4 inches higher then the rest. It is a good size but other cars in its class are better.
Driving Impressions:
The Nissan Sentra is the new Toyota Corolla in terms of how it drives, actually in most aspects. It works, but it is in no way fun or exciting. The engine feels under powered. It has "eco" and "sport" modes that do change the feel slightly in terms of the how it revs. But it doesn't matter if a car is willing to stay in a gear longer if it just doesn't have the power or torque to back it up. The engine is rough and a bit noisy under basically any type of acceleration. The overall sound level is ok in the city but it gets noisy on the highway. While the engine may be rough, the actual ride of the car is pretty smooth if not a bit too soft.
Overall:
The Nissan Sentra is just a car. If you need a "car" to get you places then this one will do it. But it won't do it quickly, or with any flash, or any fun, or great music. It should provide reliable transport for about 4 adults. It would be good to provide as a starting car for a new driver or as a rental or if you just don't really care about cars and just need something that isn't super tiny to get you around. It also loses its value pretty quickly, bad news for current owners, but good news for people looking for a used car deal!
Links:
Nissan Canada
Facts/ Figures:
Price (for mid trim level): was about $22,000+
FWD
Max HP: 130
Max Torque lb/ft: 128
MPG (approx*): 29 city. 39 highway.
Cargo room (approx*): 15 CuFt
Length: 182"
Width: 69"
Tank Size (gal): 13.2
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 435
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $13 ,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).Links:
Nissan Canada
Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
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J.K.
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