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| Home » Nissan Sentra News » Nissan Sentra is fuel-efficient without sacrificing style | ||
| 12/21/2006 Americans aren't rushing in a panic to buy tiny cars, but they are taking fuel economy more seriously when they choose a vehicle nowadays. Memories are still fresh of last year's $3-plus-a-gallon gas, and Americans know now if they didn't before that we don't have a divine right to cheap gasoline. But Americans clearly aren't ready yet for the minicars common on the streets of Europe and Japan, where gasoline is far more expensive. So the changes Nissan made to the Sentra for '07 seem right on target; it still manages almost 30 miles per gallon in local driving - at least by government estimate - and 36 mpg on the highway. But the new Sentra is larger, more powerful and more elegant than its predecessor. It starts at just $15,365 with freight, but it doesn't look like a cheap car, inside or out. Handling, though, is just OK; the electric steering is leaden, and there's more body lean in cornering than in some of the better sport utility vehicles. The new Sentra's wheelbase is almost 6 inches longer than its predecessor's. Overall length is only up by 2.3 inches, but the body is 3.2 inches wider and 4 inches taller. The higher roof allowed Nissan to raise the seats, for easier entry and exit and a better view forward. There's almost an inch more rear-seat legroom than in the predecessor model. And trunk space is up by 1.5 cubic feet. The new car is classified "midsize" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, based on passenger room and trunk space. But that category is pretty broad. Nissan calls it a compact, and I suspect most American families will consider the new Sentra still a bit small as anything but a second car. Direct competitors include some tough hombres, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, two of the best Ford Motor Co. products to come along in recent years. A newer competitor is the Chrysler Sebring, which is getting mixed reviews. I haven't yet sampled it. And while they're classified as smaller than midsize by the EPA, perennial favorites like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic sedans also are likely to be viewed as competitors for the new Sentra, as will the Chevrolet Cobalt, Dodge Caliber, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Mazda 3. The Sentra no longer is Nissan's price leader; the smaller Versa was placed beneath the Sentra this year, starting at about $13,000 with an engine similar in size to that which powered the earlier Sentras - a 1.8-liter four-cylinder making 122 hp. The sixth-generation Sentra has what Nissan says is an all-new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 140 hp. at 5,100 rpm, up from its predecessor's 126 hp. at 6,000 rpms. Torque is 147 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm. Its predecessor delivered 129 pound-feet and peaked at only 2,400 rpms, but Nissan says 90 percent of the new model's torque is available at that engine speed. So this really is an improvement in performance. A six-speed stick is standard; a continuously variable automatic is optional. Growing again in popularity for its fuel economy benefits, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) has an infinite number of "gear" ratios within a range rather than a fixed four, five or whatever number. It's an $800 option whose only downside is that it tends to make engine noise less palatable because it allows less rise and fall in engine speed is it upshifts. That's true of any CVT. But the Sentra's, unlike any I've ever experienced, delivered an occasional harsh upshift - although Nissan is correct in saying that the CVT's performance is generally smoother than that of a conventional automatic. All but the cheapest of three Sentra equipment levels get 16-inch diameter wheels; the cheapest one gets 15s. But all three get the same H-rated (130 mph) all-season tires, which I was able, unfortunately, to sample in just one kind of weather - sunny and dry. My sample car was a top-of-the-line SL with a sticker price of more than $21,000. It included a Rockford Fosgate stereo for $750, plus $300 for XM Satellite Radio capability. The tester also had a sunroof, for $750, and fog lamps, for $270. The SL model comes with leather seat upholstery and a feature unusual in this price bracket: keyless entry and start, which allows the driver to unlock the doors and start the vehicle while keeping the keyfob in a pocket or purse. Interior plastics and cloth were generally OK for this price range. Interior ergonomics are quite good, with three exceptions: Some of the controls for the tester's optional stereo were confusing, the steering wheel doesn't telescope and the angle of the driver seat's bottom cushion can't be adjusted, leaving me with a choice between sitting too far from the steering wheel or having my thighs waving in the breeze. Seating engineers will tell you that to be comfortable in any seat a person should have support beneath the thighs as well as the behind. Newsday |