Instead of turning its back on small sedans, Nissan turns up the style
Although buyers are hungry for utility vehicles, Nissan hasn’t neglected its small and midsize four-door car models, including the Sentra.
First introduced for the 1991 model year, the Sentra has been a bright spot on Nissan’s sales ledger: More than six million of the compact sedans have been sold worldwide. The latest edition, which arrives in early 2020, is totally new from the ground up in a concerted effort to keep pace with the class-leading Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra.
Compared with the previous Sentra’s bodywork, there really is no comparison. The design is leaner and more stylish, with an enlarged signature V-shaped grille, more prominent hood and fender creases and a tapered “floating” roofline that elegantly blends into the trunk.
Although only slightly longer and with more space between the front and rear wheels, the Sentra’s width has increased by about two inches and the roof has been lowered by about the same. Combined with the new bodywork, the effect is a more substantial and sportier-looking sedan with a lower center of gravity. The new Sentra could pass for its midsize Altima sibling.
The Sentra’s interior is as fresh as the exterior, with a flat-bottom steering wheel, seven- or eight-inch touchscreens (depending on the trim) and a 4.2-inch display between the speedometer and tachometer. There are also Zero Gravity posture-assist front seats that the automaker has installed in many of its other vehicles. They are designed to provide more back support, which helps reduce fatigue on long trips. From experience, they are effective.
Nissan has also added more sound deadening and improved the door and window seals.
The biggest complaint about the previous-gen Sentra was a lack of any kind of get up and go, an issue that has been rectified for 2020. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which makes 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque, replaces the 1.8-liter four-cylinder (124 horsepower and 125 pound-feet).
The engine is linked to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with builtin steps to simulate the driving characteristics of a conventional automatic. The previously standard six-speed manual gearbox has been retired.
Official fuel-economy stats haven’t been released, but Nissan estimates 32 mpg for combined city/highway driving, which is unchanged from 2019 despite the increased output.
Underpinning it all is a new platform that Nissan says is more rigid than before. The previous torsion-beam rear suspension has also been replaced by a multi-link independent setup to improve the ride and driving characteristics, especially during cornering.
Pricing begins at $20,000 for the base S, which is about $400 more
than the 2019 Sentra with the CVT. Included in that price is Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 grouping that bundles technology such as blind-spot warning and forward and reverse emergency braking. The only omission to that collection of active-safety technology is Intelligent Cruise control, which maintains a set distance from the vehicle in front.
The mid-grade SV gets that along with dual-zone climate control, upgraded cloth interior and 16-inch alloy wheels (steel wheels and wheel covers are standard). Other SV content includes heated front seats and outside mirrors plus an Around View monitor that gives the driver a 360-degree view of his or her surroundings.
At the top end, the SR gets LED headlights, running lights and fog lights, as well as a darkened grille and outside mirrors, a rear spoiler, extra body garnish and 18-inch wheels. Leathercovered seats are optional for the SR.
It appears that Nissan has gone to great lengths to create a competent compact sedan that’s head and shoulders above its predecessor. Will that be enough to meet or upstage the top competitors in its class? Or the small utility vehicles that buyers seem to want? Those would be lofty goals, but taken on its own, the new Sentra leaves little on the table.