Sentra Remains A Reassuringly "Normal" Small Car, But Starting To Feel Dated
Written: Jan 08 '04 (Updated Apr 18 '05)
Product Rating:
Pros: Reasonable prices and a smooth, trusty demeanor when driven gently. Decent interior materials, too.
Cons: Boring to drive, rubbery shifter, limp handling, floaty ride, rough seat cloth.
The Bottom Line: The Sentra is an old-school small car. Aggressive drivers will find it profoundly boring, conservative buyers will find it pleasantly familiar. Either way, its design is getting stale.
I test-drove a Nissan Sentra 1.8S 5-speed at a local dealership. My test-drive lasted over half and hour, and covered city streets, winding secondary roads, and the freeway.
Performance
The Sentra's 1.8-liter engine isn't one of the better engines in its class. It provides acceleration that is adequate at best, anemic at worst, and it never seems particularly excited about its work.
On my test-drive, there was enough power at the low end for easy around-town driving, and it was pleasantly quiet in normal driving conditions. The noises it emitted were somewhat grumbly, but at least the volume level was down there with the better cars in the class--which may be enough to satisfy many buyers. But the mannerly veneer only held up in gentle driving--when I pushed it harder, it didn't seem happy.
Charging up a freeway on-ramp, the engine note turned loud and thrashy as the revs climbed, without a corresponding increase in forward thrust. It never seemed to come alive, revving quickly but feeling flat all the way to the redline. Objectively, the Sentra's acceleration times are about average for this class. but in real-world hard driving, the Sentra felt weak because it didn't encourage me to push it hard, and it complained loudly when I did. Still, if you're a gentle driver, this might not bother you.
Transmission/Clutch
The Sentra's transmission wasn't to my liking, either--and its shifter was probably among the least satisfying in the economy-car class. Its throws were reasonably short, but it had a loose, flexy, insubstantial feel that I found unsatisfying. The lever felt thin and flimsy going through the pattern, and it felt rubbery when I pushed it into gear. Also, I could bend the lever through at least an inch of flex in each gate. So this was not a particularly robust-feeling device, even if it did find the right gear every time.
Fortunately, the clutch wasn't as bad. Its take-up was smooth and gentle, and although this caused some shift-slurring during quick gearchanges, it was at least more natural-feeling than many in this class.
Steering/Handling
The impression of mushiness continued in this department, meaning that the Sentra's not much of a handler--with steering feel being its biggest handicap.
While the Sentra's steering had a firm, hefty weighting that I appreciated, it still felt vague and unsatisfying on my test drive. The main problem was that there was no return-to-center motion in the first quarter-turn or so of the wheel. So when I twisted it off-center for mild curves, and then loosened my grip to straighten the car out, the wheel didn't do what I expected--it just stayed right where I had left it. This gave its off-center responses a rubbery, syrupy feel, which initially made it awkward to guide the Sentra down winding roads. In addition, the steering had a squirmy on-center feel that made it feel distracted in straight-line cruising, and a near-total lack of road feel that made the wheel feel dead to the touch. Not good qualities, and although I started to get used to it with more driving, the steering was never as satisfying as the best in class.
The Sentra's chassis was closer to average, but it still wasn't great. The gentle suspension tuning gave the Sentra a smooth, easygoing demeanor around town, but this composure faded fast on curvy roads and freeway off-ramps. Pushed hard into corners, the Sentra felt like a much bigger car, with lots of body lean and a heavy feel even at moderate speeds. This encouraged me to back off before I could push it really hard, but even at this pace, I had already hit the Sentra's modest limits--traces of understeer and mediocre grip were pushing my line wide. Not reassuring.
Although the Sentra felt plenty safe and stable, I was disappointed by its disjointed steering response and chassis' limited cornering ability. These flaws were less apparent in gentler driving, but the Sentra never felt as coordinated or precise as the best cars in this class.
Ride
Depending on what kind of driver you are, the Sentra's soft ride may compensate for its somewhat nebulous handling. Around town, and on smooth roads, the Sentra is very comfortable--but it's comfortable in the Buick, rather than BMW tradition. Its suspension is tuned on the soft side, to allow it absorb road textures and small bumps easily. On my test-drive, I found it particulary comfortable on the well-maintained roads around the dealership.
But the ride wasn't perfect. For one thing, when I encountered rough patches of pavement, the suspension lacked the control to deal with them effectively, transmitting some clunking to the cabin and bobbing more than necessary on the soft springs. Also, the car's structure didn't feel as stiff as most rivals, so potholes and expansion joints made the body shiver noticeably. On the freeway, this tangible lack of solidity was joined by some irritating floatiness over dips and rises. For drivers with more traditional (read: old-fashioned) tastes, this might be okay, but sport-minded buyers will be disappointed.
Interior
Here's another aspect of the Sentra whose appeal depends largely on your personal taste in cars. I personally found the interior design boring and dated-looking--trying too hard not to offend anyone's aesthetic sensibilities, perhaps?
From the driver's seat, my surroundings were soft, bland, and shapeless--almost like the dashboard was melting. Many economy-car interiors sport racy steering wheels and swept-back gauge numbers that say, "let's go!", but the Sentra's formless, loose-fitting cabin simply told me, "okay, no horsing around."
The materials inside are about average for the class, but no better. While the plastic on the dashboard was smooth and richly-grained, it was also a bit hard, without the "soft-touch" feel of many competitors. The armrests and fabric covering the door panels were similarly un-plush. Most of the switchgear operated smoothly, but there were touchess of cheapness in the climate controls, and their layout wasn't as intuitive as most rivals. Basically, the Sentra's materials quality was state-of-the-art for economy cars five years ago, but the bar has been raised, and the Sentra hasn't caught up.
This comment applies to the Sentra's seating, as well. I found the driving position comfortable, but a bit too low and laid-back, without the low cowl and open feel of most economy cars. The front seats were supportive, but their fabric felt hard and coarse, which may detract from long-haul comfort. The back seat was among the worst in class--the seat cushion felt low, and with the driver's seat moved back to a comfortable position, my knees pressed firmly against the front seatbacks. If six-footers want to ride back there, they'll need to straddle the front seats. The Sentra's interior isn't bad--there's certainly far worse in this class--but its bland design and meager accommodations are drawbacks.
Practicality
The Sentra was also a bit below par in this department. The Sentra had plenty of room for front passengers, but I found the rear seat to be more than a little cramped. There are the usual three seat belts in the rear bench, but I can't imagine three six-footers coexisting back there for more than a couple blocks. The Sentra's trunk was also on the smallish side, but the 1.8 S model I drove had a split-folding rear seat to increase cargo capacity (although non-S Sentras do without this feature). All of this meant that, in terms of utility, the Sentra was well short of the standard set by the class leaders.
Reliability
The Sentra has always been a reliable car, but in the past year Consumer Reports has lowered their reliability rating to Worse Than Average. This was a surprise to me, but it still bears consideration, especially since the Sentra's 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty is nothing special compared to the marathon warranties offered by Hyundai.
Overall
If any of the cars in the budget-sedan class deserves to be labeled a "grandma car," (no offense to the grandmothers out there) it's the Sentra. While most small cars strive for a fresh, fun, youthful personality, the Sentra seems like it was designed to appeal to a broader and more sedate base of customers. Its road manners are tuned for conservative tastes, and as a result, the Sentra comes off as dull and unexciting to enthusiastic drivers. If you really love to drive, you'll probably find this car too limp and floaty to earn a spot on your A-list.
But then again, excitement isn't what this car is about in the first place. The Sentra's biggest selling points are its solid good looks and its relaxing interior ambience--if you value traditional comfort above all else, you'll find the Sentra reassuringly unadventurous. It's also a good value, offering lots of features at a very reasonable price.
But the Sentra fails to stand out against its more-talented competition--those who like to drive will be far more satisfied in a Mazda 3, and even those with luxury-car tastes would be better served by a Toyota Corolla. The Sentra is starting to look very old and out-of-place in the Nissan lineup, which is now dominated by futuristic-looking cars with cutting-edge features. In my view, at least, this car would benefit from a redesign in the near future.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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