CAR GAZING
Compact Nissan grows up
Sentra, no longer smallest Nissan, matures in 2009
By Derek Price
The Sentra used to be Nissan's smallest and cheapest car.
In recent years, though, it's grown bigger and become more cushy, leaving room at the bottom of Nissan's lineup for the new Versa.
This follows the trend of a lot of compact cars. The Honda Civic spent too much time at the all-you-can-eat bar, so it was replaced by the Fit. The Toyota Corolla gorged itself on holiday sweets, so the Echo – and later, the Yaris – took its spot on the cheap list.
This leaves today's Sentra in an interesting position. It used to be Nissan's economy car, so it gets great gas mileage and drives with the spunk of a low-cost runabout. But at the same time, it's become a much more mature vehicle with a quiet cabin and controlled, unflustered ride.
It's turned into a grown-up car.
First of all, it's designed to be efficient, not muscular, with a small, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 140 horsepower and gets 33 mpg on the highway. Routed through a continuously variable transmission, the Sentra doesn't feel underpowered, but the acceleration is far from exciting.
The driving feel, though, is far smoother than you'd expect in a car this size. It's not harsh or rough like a lot of compact cars, with a soft suspension that's perfect for effortless highway cruising. It can be fun to drive when you really push it, but it's designed more for comfort than sportiness.
If it's excitement you want, you'll be much happier with a high-performance version of the Sentra called the SE-R. It comes with a more powerful engine and much firmer suspension for more precise handling.
Inside, the Sentra's cabin is a surprisingly nice space. Soft-touch materials on the dash feel like they could belong in an Audi or Volkswagen, companies that have made the best automotive interiors in recent years. The back seat feels a bit cramped compared to other cars in this compact class, but the front seats are perfectly comfortable.
Storage space is a big plus in the Sentra. It has a lot of simple but innovative features that make it more practical, like cup holders that are adjustable for different size containers, and a trunk divider that can split the storage space into two different compartments. It makes great use of the available volume.
Pricing starts at $16,730 for the base model. A better-equipped Sentra S costs $17,760 with an automatic transmission, while the more luxurious Sentra SL is $19,660.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.)
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