First impressions of Nissan Sentra
Kicking Tire's Joe Wiesenfelder recently had a chance to drive the new 2007 Nissan Sentra and was kind enough to blog about it for all the world to see. Wasn't that generous of him? Anyway, the 2007 Sentra was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show way back in January. It had been so long since the last Sentra makeover that it was the only sedan left in the lineup that didn't look like an Altima. Well, they fixed that. The Maxima, Altima,
The new C-platform promised a larger, more refined and quieter package, and it appears Nissan has delivered. In fact, the new one is "so much better than the outgoing model, comparisons are pointless," according to Joe. As we've come to expect with all-new vehicle introductions, the new Sentra offers a bigger cabin and there is added sophistication showing itself in a "church quiet" cabin, among other things.
A new, larger 2.0-liter four should provide around 135 hp and 140 pounds of torque, and your choice of 6-speed manual or CVT transmissions put the power to the pavement. While not perfect, the manual seemed to be better than the CVT when it came to smoothness and noise. But not on gas mileage. The CVT is rated 29/36 mpg (city/highway), while the manual rates 28/34. Brakes were adequate if a bit disappointing in Nissan's choice of rear drums.
Surprisingly quiet with a good ride, decent handling, fairly smooth power and a good set of standard features should all help the Sentra gain some ground against the competition, especially with pricing that starts around $15,000. Personally, we'll wait for the SE-R variant to be introduced.
[Source: Kicking Tires]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Michelle 3:06PM (3/03/2008)
Where is the H2 sensors located on the 2001 sentra?
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tekdemon 5:23PM (10/06/2006)
About frickin' time...the previous sentra looked ridiculous being sold as a 2006.
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Gary Lowe 8:16PM (10/06/2006)
The previous Sentra looked ridiculous being sold as a 2003!
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MikeW 8:44PM (10/06/2006)
That solid axle, not integral trailing arms, isn't doing the Sentra any favors.
The MR20 looks like it was especially tuned for CVT duty. Peak torque @4800, peak power@5100
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MattB 11:42AM (10/07/2006)
The new Sentra looks very promissing. It's about time Nissan got around to updating this thing.
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Chivo 9:21PM (10/06/2006)
Is it just me, or does it look like an ION?
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carfan5 10:39PM (10/06/2006)
It has a little similarity to an Ion now that you mention it. But I think it is a little nicer and also looks a tad bit like a miniature maxima or altima.
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carfan5 9:46AM (10/07/2006)
Any idea on how reliable the plant is where this car is built in Mexico. Nissan has been having some quality problems of late. I like the car look and can't wait to test drive it.
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AJ 10:53PM (10/06/2006)
I have to agree with Chivo. I think the Saturn ION and this car was separated at birth.
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David P Brown 11:12PM (10/06/2006)
I dunno, I think it looks more like an old Echo!
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art 11:09PM (10/06/2006)
that interior=#1 reason NOT to buy a civic/corolla.
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jakes 11:22PM (10/06/2006)
For me, that is the best car in its category it have everything to be a sucess, the design gives a new look more attractive and sofisticated, the interior has a excelent appearance than the outgoing model and many of its competitors, maybe the bad point could be the low power and the drive sensation, but, the price is very "sexy" to choose another option If we look at this. Please make a 200-230hp engine for SE-R model (at least)...
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Luis Martinez 1:36AM (10/07/2006)
Huge step up but still trails the Civic and Corolla in fuel economy.
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PiCASSO 12:02AM (10/07/2006)
Aside from the Ion... it also looks like a Neon from the rear 3/4 view.
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Richard Barkins 12:44AM (10/07/2006)
I don't know about you guys, but the grill looks terrible on this Sentra. Looks like the bastard child of the Maxima, ugh.
Aside from that, the interior looks sharp and I'm sure the dependability will be good.
The only downfall I can imagine is the low HP - looks are of course subjective.
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Lee 1:01AM (10/07/2006)
"Brakes were adequate if a bit disappointing in Nissan's choice of rear drums."
Using drums in the rear is not a bad thing. This is not a performance car, its a FWD econo sedan.
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epp_b 12:57AM (10/07/2006)
The Sentra's design peaked two generations ago. It was simply the best balance between design and subtleness. This new design is following the unfortunate trend of car-makers trying to make their small cars look "big". They just end up looking ugly (especially with just about everyone making the back-end lines about five feet above the rear wheels in a failed attempt to make it's stance look bigger - yuck!)
It's the same story with the Corolla, Golf/Jetta, Focus, and so on and so forth.
The older ones just looked better, because they were small cars that were small, rather than small cars trying to look like mini-big-cars.
["I think the Saturn ION and this car was separated at birth."]
Ack! Sadly, you're correct on that one :(
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epp_b 1:35AM (10/07/2006)
["Using drums in the rear is not a bad thing. This is not a performance car, its a FWD econo sedan."]
Trust me, once you've had four wheel discs, rear drums simply don't cut it, no matter what car or class of car we're talking about.
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bobdobbs 1:45AM (10/07/2006)
Shame on Nissan for putting out pictures of this car with the most hideous wheel package imaginable, and then shooting it from down low. In the flesh, this car will be far more attractive.
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iQuack 2:27AM (10/07/2006)
Saw the '07 Sentra in San Francisco yesterday--driven by a company employee, I think, because the car had distributor plates on it.
New Sentra looks much like an Altima, but is shorter. The car is tall and wide. The deep red one I saw wasn't the top-of-the-line model, but its gray interior looked like the fabric was well above the usual entry level car.
Could be that Nissan doesn't want the bad press about cheap interiors as was the case when the latest Altima was introduced with an interior that looked like the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag.
I saw the new Sentra as it rounded a corner and parked, so I was able to ask a few questions of the driver who verified that the better models will offer leather, etc.
It'll surely be a success--a HUGE improvement over the current Sentra which needed a full redesign. Sentra has been neglected for years. Can't say I'd prefer the new Sentra over the new Civic--probably not.
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