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| 2007 Nissan Sentra Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
Luckily, this seems to be one of those clear-cut marriages where the more prominent partner wears the pants. The new Sentra doesn't drive exactly like any previous model, but after a few spins around the block, it still tastes like a Nissan.And let's not forget how many new ingredients went into the thing. First, it rides on an all-new corporate platform now designated by the letter C (after spending several generations on the "B" track). Next, say goodbye to all three engine families from the last Sentra - QG, SR and QR - so we can welcome the all-new, all-aluminum MR (short for MR20DE here). Like them all, the MR has 4 valves in each of its 4 cylinders, dual overhead cams, and king of koinkidinks, makes exactly 70 horsepower per liter. Factor in the new Sentra's 300-plus pounds of added fat and you end up with a power/weight ratio almost dead-on with the former base model Sentra. Not exactly the stuff Danica's dreams are made of. Making a more perceptible difference is the Continuously Variable Transmission, an item making its way into all the new Nissans. As promised, the total lack of gears makes acceleration smoother (if stranger), though on this car, the perk most noticed is how the engine gets up in its sweet spot so quickly and without fuss. Coupled with the engine's fairly plentiful 147 pounds-feet of torque, the Sentra feels adequate rather than weak. Any doubts about efficiency were put to rest by the 28 MPG average; in fact, the EPA rates mileage higher here than for the stickshift Sentra in every situation. There's also the question of reliability, but all those CVT-equipped Nissan Muranos running around for the past four years make this seem like a safe bet. Safe is how they played the rest of the game. The Sentra emulates the economy car-like suspension layout of the last two generations - struts and a stabilizer bar up front matched with the back end's torsion beam axle and "integral" stabilizer bar - and this time, the engineers pushed for plush. The Sentra rides like some kind of mini-Maxima, soaking up the brunt of all bumps while also toning down the rear-end clunking I remember from my 95 Sentra 200SX SE-R. Noise can still be heard from impacts and other moving cars, but qualities like shake-free startups and vibration-free idling help paint a picture of refinement. Unlike some Nissans, the Sentra has a perfectly sprung throttle, too. This set of wheels makes for one kind straight-line commute. Alas, one must eventually turn the car, when those big car ambitions are less of a blessing. This new heavyweight Sentra leans, dives, and squats about the same, and its new electric steering assist makes cornering at least as dull as last year. Its response has been quickened and tightened, but let go after a turn and the wheel tugs back to center with an almost hyperkinetic aggression - strange in any car, erratic in a Sentra. Anyone also planning to stop the car will get to experience brakes that slam you dead in your tracks like a nightclub bouncer - one of the Sentra's longer-running traditions. Nissan at least relocated the obnoxious grabbiness to the bottom of the pedal, but it still gives full force when the driver asks for half. In case you do ask for full force, you'll get it, but it comes served with tires that squeal like squirrels in a blender, more smoke than a Snoop Dogg concert, and in my case, a big fat flat spot on the left-front (no one misses antilock brakes till they're gone, eh?). Note to self: avoid Bridgestone Turanza EL400 tires when possible. Look, every car's allowed a few vices, and this one sure has virtues. It's just that those of us who knew the Sentra of three generations ago (1991-1994) have been clinging to fading memories of a spry little sport with sweet steering, willing handling, crisp shifting, a fully-independent suspension, an engine with the heart of a racecar instead of an angry kitchen appliance, and the underlying sense of a car made for car guys, by car guys. It's time to bury those memories for good. Maybe that's too high a standard. For those who never knew that the Sentra was once the paragon of small car perfection, this model of maturity should feel fine. |
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