2010 NISSAN SENTRA: Nissan foot soldier gets touch of style
By: Robert Bostelaar
http://autos.winnipegfreepress.com/index.php?action=reviews&step=review&id=2601
Updated: May 28, 2010
In the small-car army, the Sentra has long been a loyal soldier.
How long? Back in 1982, when the Sentra first reported for North American duty, its trunk lid bore the badges of both Nissan, its Japanese manufacturer, and Datsun, the name the automaker used in its early years in the U.S. and Canada.
Yet for all its service, it has never achieved particular prominence. Too often, other small cars had the edge in pricing and features. Styling, too.
Call it Sgt. Sentra, then, compared to, say, Capts. Civic and Corolla, or Major Mazda3.
Still, on battlefield or boulevard, there’s valour in consistency. And here, the low-key Sentra has been steadfast in its delivery of sound, economical transportation.
Judging by the 2010 Sentra 2.0 that turned out for our inspection, the tradition continues — with the welcome addition of some flair.
Our tester’s Carmine metallic paint — we preferred to think of it as Regimental Red — played one part in its visual appeal. But the 2007 reformation that brought the Sentra into the semicircle of current Nissan design was a bigger factor.
Offered only as conventional sedan, the latest Sentra looks tall and stubby but somehow sweet, and certainly has more street presence than the previous bland four-door. Big headlamps that bend up into the fenders — redrawn with the grille for 2010 for even greater prominence — make it seem like a larger car.
Of course, the Sentra, like so many one-time entry-level models, has grown well beyond its early subcompact classification. With 2,758 litres of cabin space, it ranks today as a midsizer.
Nor, with body-coloured mirrors, alloy-like hubcaps, power locks and full kit of airbags in the 2.0 that starts at $15,200, does it seem like a budget offering. Nissan’s entry car now is the Versa, a sedan/hatchback only slightly smaller than the Sentra, but with plainer finish and a base price of just $12,700.
The Sentra’s cabin, by comparison, borders on posh, with soft plastic surfaces and pleasing detail to the trim on doors and dash. Gauges and other controls line up cleanly, and the shifter rises from a pod that flows out from the instrument panel.
But for an orange-lit horseshoe of digital fuel and temperature readouts between the traditional, white-on-black speedometer and tachometer (the audio system also has orange lighting), the overall effect is restrained, even elegant. Function is well served by adjustable cupholders in the console, an extra-deep glovebox and an additional flip-top storage compartment in the dash.
The 2.0 doesn’t have map lights or a height-adjuster for the driver’s seat, but we were happy with the headroom (front seat and back), driving position and outward visibility. We suspect the fixed-altitude chair would suit most heights and shapes.
We also liked the beige cloth — available, for some reason, only with the red exterior — that brightened our Sentra’s cabin, though we suspect it would show scars after a few winter campaigns. The red paint can also be paired with the standard-issue charcoal upholstery.
Base model notwithstanding, you’re unlikely to find a 2.0 without our tester’s $1,450 value options package that adds air conditioning, heated power mirrors and remote entry. Outside, the package pins a chrome chevron on the trunk; inside, it supplies a more useful split-fold rear seat for extra cargo capacity, though the Sentra’s 371-litre trunk is already larger than those of the competing Mazda, Honda and Toyota.
Bringing our tester’s total to just over $18,000 was a continuously variable transmission that is the only available automatic. Nissan specializes in CVTs and has had a better record with them than some manufacturers. Still, to allay any concerns about durability, it warrants its transmissions for 10 years or 200,000 kilometres.
That’s reassuring, but we’d also welcome some extra sound-deadening to reduce the Evinrude-like drone that can be an unfortunate product of powertrains that link CVTs to four-cylinder engines.
Other newish technology that proved irksome was the electrically assisted power steering. It felt dull and heavy, especially when we tried to nudge the wheel for lane adjustments.
Electric systems save energy, but rarely provide the fine responses and sensitivity of the old hydraulic-assist systems.
Neither of these issues was a deal-breaker. The powertrain noise didn’t take away from the smooth behaviour of the 140-horsepower engine. And once we were accustomed to the steering, we found the Sentra reasonably nimble.
For a small car, the ride is on the soft side. It’s been years since this sedan had independent rear suspension, and Nissan doesn’t aim the mainstream Sentra at the quick-corner crowd.
Speed-seekers can try out the stiffer-riding Sentra SE-R that lists for $21,800 with CVT and 177-h.p., 2.5-litre engine, or the 200-h.p., $23,200 Spec V with lowered suspension (stiffer yet) and six-speed standard transmission.
Buyers who want more of the soft touch, including leather and eight-speaker audio in the top models, can check the Sentra S ($18,200 to start) and SL ($23,100).
But for those whose priorities are service and price, the Sentra 2.0 is well worth review.
Be warned, though. Nissan’s good soldier no longer comes in camouflage.
– Canwest News Service
THE SPECS
2010 Nissan Sentra 2.0
TYPE: front-drive sedan, front-wheel-drive
ENGINE: 2.0-litre four-cylinder, overhead camshafts, variable timing; 140 h.p. at 5,100 r.p.m., 147 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,800 r.p.m.
TRANSMISSION: Continuously variable automatic (optional)
TIRES: P205/60HR15 all-season
BRAKES: Disc/drum
SUSPENSION: MacPherson struts (front); torsion bar (rear)
WHEELBASE: 2,685 mm (105.7 in.)
PASSENGER VOLUME: 2,758 litres (97.4 cu. ft.)
CARGO CAPACITY: 371 litres (13.1 cu. ft.)
CURB WEIGHT: 1,310 kg (2,887 lb.)
NOTABLE STANDARD FEATURES: Side and side-curtain airbags, power locks, four-speaker CD audio with auxiliary jack, block heater
OPTIONS AS TESTED: Value package (air conditioning, remote entry, power windows, heated power mirrors, 60-40 split-fold rear seat with folding headrests, trunk lid trim), automatic transmission, metallic pearl paint
FUEL CONSUMPTION: ( L/100 km: 9.0 city, 6.9 highway
PRICE AS TESTED: $18,083 plus $1,325 destination (base 2.0: $15,198)
WARRANTY, YRS./KM: Basic, 3/60,000; powertrain, 5/100,000; Continuously variable transmission, 10/200,000
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