Compact Nissan sedan gets major refresh, still needs more power
The Nissan Sentra got a huge midcycle refresh for 2016. The compact sedan had 550 parts replaced as Nissan invested three times what it normally invests for a usual refresh. It makes sense to keep the Sentra humming: Sales were up 11 percent last year and Nissan told us that 93 percent of Sentras bought in the last 10 years are still on the road. Unfortunately, the engine remains the same — a 1.8-liter making 130 hp with a wishy-washy Xtronic CVT transmission — but almost everything else is new.
Since the Sentra is a little less concerned with GT-R driving dynamics and more concerned with being a car for normal people, we’ll start with things non-enthusiasts are concerned about.
First off, it’s surprisingly quiet. Nissan added an acoustic windshield, a feature more often found on Mercedes and Lexus cars, along with more sound-deadening material comically named Autozorb. That keeps the wind noise out from the front, and road noise seemed to be significantly reduced as well. Rough pavement and potholes only register a muted thud in the cabin, as opposed to a loud bang as with many cars in the segment.
For the safety dance, the Sentra comes with Siri Eyes Free, standard, and offers forward emergency braking, intelligent cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert and blind spot warning as options. In fact, if buyers opt for the SV trim with the Driver’s Assist package, they’ll get most of the safety features as well as navigation and Sirius XM traffic for just over $ 20,000, including destination.
Nissan significantly reworked the sheetmetal of the Sentra, at least as far as midcycle upgrades go. The smallish sedan gets a new front fascia, grille, fenders, hood and headlights. New LEDs are offered on SR and SL models. The rear gets new taillights too, and two new 17-inch wheel designs are also available.
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What’s it like to drive?
Nissan added new Continental tires to improve handling, and retuned the Sentra’s shocks and springs. It also remapped the steering system and increased the stiffness of the steering shaft. Add all of that up, and you get a surprisingly sharp but stable little sedan. Bumps don’t seem to affect the steering mid-turn, but there is a bit of body roll. We suppose most people call that comfort, which we think is some sort of German word meaning non-enthusiastic driving.
Power is a bit weak from the 1.8-liter four/CVT combo. With 130 ponies and 128 lb-ft of torque, the Sentra is down from its main competitors. The base four in the Ford Focus is 160 hp and Honda Civic gets 158 hp. The Civic actually gets an extra tick of gas mileage as well. Its highway rating is 41 mpg; the best Sentra gets 40 mpg. On the other hand, a cheap Civic is about 20K, while the Sentra comes very well equipped at that price.
Where the Maxima and its CVT take off with the urgency of a snowmobile on steroids, the Sentra gets going at a … leisurely pace. Flattening the pedal at about 40 mph makes the car get up a bit, but otherwise, it’s just plain sluggish.
Inside, the new Sentra gets the steering wheel from the 370Z, minus the badging, a six-way power driver’s seat on the SL and SR trims, an LCD display and new console, shifter and seat fabrics. We only tried the leather seating, which was plush and supportive during our slow-speed maneuvers.
Seven option packages are available for the 2016 model year, including a new Technology Package with Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) and NissanConnect Services Powered by SiriusXM.
Do I want it?
The base Sentra S model with a manual will start at $ 16,780, and that might be the best choice; though we didn’t get to test it, if you’re trying to wring all 130 hp to the max, a six-speed is the way to do it. The Fuel Economy plus S trim stickers for $ 18,030, the SV starts at $ 18,550, the SR comes in at $ 20,410 and the top SL model is $ 22,170. All in all, a fully loaded Sentra will hit your wallet for less than $ 25,000, and that’s with a full suite of near-luxury safety and convenience features.
It does look cool, especially in our Sentra SR trim’s Red Alert hue. The company did well with the midcycle design refresh. The seats are also comfortable and the radio works seamlessly with iPhones and Androids. It also has one of the largest interiors in its class. Add it all up and there is a lot to like in the Sentra for a first car/college kid/transportation appliance buyer. But for the enthusiast, there’s nothing to see here.
