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Pros - No longer an econobox. If you remember Sentras-past as tinny, tiny, rental cars, you’re going to have adjust your attitude. The Sentra is a very nice car. It now rides and drives more like a mid sized sedan than an entry level putt-putt. That makes sense, since our Sentra SR rang the bell at just over $25,000. Base price of our higher end SR CVT version is around $21,400, and our's had about $2,000 worth of luxury interior upgrades.
- Peppy. We were surprised to learn, after driving the Sentra, that the 2.0 liter four cylinder produces only 149 hp. It felt like more than that. The Sentra easily zipped around town, and never felt underpowered. The Continuously Variable Transmission (the CVT in the model name, for some reason. Maybe “Transmission!” was taken) was particularly impressive to us. It has none of the annoying whine, or rev searching that some other CVTs demonstrate. It worked very well, without calling attention to itself. Overall, the Sentra feels like smaller Hondas at their best; kind of fun and easy to drive.
- Comfy. The new Sentra is a substantial upgrade, in terms of ride, from the last generation. Bumps are very well absorbed producing a ride quality that one generally doesn’t expect from a compact car. Driving the Sentra produces a calm ride that’s easy to live with.
- Handling. Despite the comfort tuning, handling is quite good, with a reworked rear suspension that results in little body lean. The steering is pretty nimble and precise. This is the first Sentra we’ve ever found fun to drive. It really was.
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Mileage.We thought the mileage was impressive, at an EPA rated 32 mpg overall.
- Roomier.OK, it’s not a Genesis G90, but this is no longer a cramped economy car. It feels spacious and airy inside. Even the rear seats are well within acceptable size for adults. Our tester came with heated, leather, power-adjustable seats, and a well-made interior with better than average materials.
- Up to date. Controls are thoroughly modern, with an 8-inch touchscreen handling the bulk of the infotainment chores. It’s quite straight forward and easy to use, and took us no time to get the hang of. Other controls are simple and intuitive. A good, handy volume knob, easy to use temperature switches. You don’t see a lot of parking brake pedals anymore, but once we found it, it did the job.
- Safety. Commendably, the Sentra comes with the full suite of safety equipment that Car Talk recommends. They call the package Nissan Safety Shield 360, and it’s got all the bases covered; forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. A option package also gave our test car a surround-car view for backing up and parking, which is a plus.
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Cons - Not much. When loaded, the price of $25K is putting you near the class of a car a size larger. But realistically, your average Sentra SVs and SR are going to high teens and low twenties, with dealer discounts.
- A little low. It’s a sedan and sits somewhat low to the ground. So if you have trouble getting into or out or a car, try it out first.
- Rear seats. There’s enough room back there, but the rear seats are not truly comfortable for long trips. So don’t buy one of these for someone who’s going to make you ride in the back.
