Did American automakers make a mistake once they selected to stroll away from compact sedans? Nissan definitely thinks so, and the Japanese automaker sees an important alternative to realize market share in what’s nonetheless a vital phase. That’s one of many the explanation why Nissan put a lot effort into overhauling its subcompact Versa, reworking it from the butt of a joke to a legitimately compelling little four-door. Now, the corporate hopes to tug off an analogous makeover with its best-selling sedan, the Sentra.
At first blush, it appears to have labored. The 2020 Sentra is decrease, longer and wider than its predecessor, and the entire automobile has a extra sculpted, chiseled look. All dolled up in Monarch Orange, this SR mannequin is kind of engaging. I just like the stance this automobile has on its 18-inch wheels, plus the contrasting black roof and LED lighting parts look nice. Lower-grade S and SV fashions aren’t fairly as sharp, with 16- and 17-inch wheel choices, and dulled-down styling, however they’re hardly dumpy. Park the Sentra subsequent to rivals just like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, and Nissan’s little man can maintain its personal when it comes to curb enchantment.The Sentra’s inside can also be quite a bit nicer than earlier than. The general design is simple and inoffensive, with neatly organized local weather controls and a multimedia display screen perched atop the dashboard. You’ll undoubtedly discover proof of the Sentra’s quest for a low MSRP contained in the cabin, with some laborious, clunky plastics on the underside of the doorways and the middle console. But not less than Nissan’s tried to enhance this by placing the nicest supplies on the locations you may contact most. The steering wheel feels nice and the quilted leather-based seats you get on the SV Premium Package are pretty — particularly mixed with Nissan’s “Zero Gravity” seat cushions, which come on all Sentras.
A 7-inch coloration touchscreen show is customary, and does not actually provide a lot in the way in which of options. Move as much as the Sentra SV or SR and also you get an 8-inch touchscreen with satellite tv for pc radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The graphics are type of meh, and the display screen is not super-responsive to inputs. Nissan does not provide an embedded navigation possibility, both, which I’m truly OK with. The Apple- and Google-based techniques embrace map apps, and run extra intuitive software program than Nissan’s proprietary stuff. You’re higher off letting your telephone deal with the heavy lifting so far as infotainment tech is worried.Four adults will match simply positive contained in the Sentra, with loads of head- and shoulder-room up entrance. Rear passengers should not have an excessive amount of bother getting comfy, with an honest quantity of legroom and area on your ft beneath the entrance seats. The added width means there’s extra room for a 3rd passenger in again, too — a godsend for when the Sentra is inevitably pressed into cram-everyone-in-on-the-way-home-from-the-bar rideshare obligation. The sedan’s 14.3 cubic ft of trunk area is large enough to haul two folks’s value of baggage or a full load of groceries, although it is not as capacious as a Honda Civic or Kia Forte, to not point out hatchback fashions just like the Hyundai Elantra GT or Toyota Corolla.
SV and SR fashions get an 8-inch show with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
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My greatest grievance concerning the inside is that it is noisy. Whether driving down California’s Pacific Coast Highway close to Malibu or slumming it on the 101 freeway, there is a ton of wind and tire noise. Engine noise is fairly obvious, too, which I won’t thoughts a lot if the four-cylinder powertrain beneath the hood did not sound so awful.
All Sentras are powered by a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated I4 engine, making 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque — a pleasant bump over the 124 hp and 125 lb-ft from the previous mannequin’s 1.8-liter engine. Nissan’s constantly variable transmission is likely one of the smoother, better-tuned examples you should buy right now, however the Sentra’s engine drones as you speed up up to the mark. At least its comparatively environment friendly, with the EPA estimating gasoline economic system scores of 29 miles per gallon metropolis and 39 mpg freeway for S and SV fashions (or 28 and 37, respectively, for the SR). That stated, it is value noting that the Honda Civic sedan comes with a 1.5-liter turbo engine that is extra highly effective (174 hp, 162 lb-ft), extra environment friendly (32 mpg metropolis, 42 mpg freeway) and much more refined.Power apart, the Sentra is not half dangerous to drive. The impartial entrance and multi-link rear suspensions give the sedan a compliant experience high quality, properly tuned for metropolis and freeway driving alike. The Sentra will not spherical a nook with the identical verve or engagement as a Honda Civic or Mazda3, however the steering and chassis are nonetheless positive sufficient for the type of driving Sentra house owners will do most: commuting, errand working, choosing up fares from the airport, and many others. Sight traces are nice in all instructions, the steering is gentle however fast to reply and the suspension is not crashy over tough stretches of highway. Don’t let that SR styling idiot you — no one’s shopping for the Sentra as a result of they assume it is a sports activities automobile. And if you happen to’re questioning if the Sentra’s hotter SR Turbo and Nismo fashions will stick round for this technology, mum’s the phrase for now.
To that finish, Nissan’s fitted the Sentra with a pleasant roster of driver-assistance expertise to take numerous the guess-work out of every day driving. Automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning are all customary. Step as much as the SV or SR, and also you get adaptive cruise management, and the latter trim offers you the choice for a 360-degree digital camera, as effectively.More than anybody attribute, essentially the most interesting factor concerning the Sentra is its worth: $20,015, together with a $925 vacation spot cost. In truth, a totally loaded SR mannequin with the Premium Package (LED lights, moonroof, energy driver’s seat, Bose audio, heated seats and steering wheel, 360-degree digital camera and extra) tops out at $24,525. If you need a Honda Civic with the identical stage of kit, you are taking a look at $28,500. Then once more, you are additionally getting a extra refined powertrain, higher inside supplies, more room and extra tech. As a worth proposition, not less than, the 2020 Sentra makes a powerful case for itself.Of course, there’s at all times the 2020 Versa. Nissan put a ton of labor into making its smallest sedan a stable automobile, and totally loaded, it prices lower than $20,000. Yes, the Sentra brings quite a bit to the desk — way over ever earlier than, in reality. But if bang on your buck is a prime precedence, the marginally smaller Versa can do practically all the pieces the Sentra can, for a number of thousand {dollars} much less.
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Editors’ be aware: Travel prices associated to this story have been coated by the producer, which is frequent within the auto business. The judgments and opinions of Roadshow’s employees are our personal and we don’t settle for paid editorial content material.