2016 Nissan Sentra: First Impressions
The Nissan Sentra’s current styling and value are what stood out as “wins” in Cars.com’s 2013 $20,000 Compact Sedan Challenge in which the Sentra placed fourth out of seven compact sedans; Nissan has upped both with the updated 2016 Sentra debuting at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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The restyled front takes its influence from the bold, stylish Maxima and Altima, and the Sentra successfully shrinks the styling while avoiding awkwardness given those looks carry considerable design weight over the larger sedans’ noses. The rest of the Sentra’s exterior remains relatively unchanged.
Inside, the Sentra’s same basic design carries over with a few tweaks including a new steering wheel, an available high-quality gauge cluster display, refined seating fabrics and new console controls. It’s hard to tell the difference unless you’re comparing photos side by side. The Sentra’s overall vibe is still that of a budget-oriented sedan with hard plastic material on the top of the door panels and a mismatch of interior textures around the center console and gear selector.
The inside remains huge, however, with backseat comfort more similar to a midsize sedan than that of a compact one; an appropriate notion given it’s classified by the EPA as a midsize vehicle. Value remains a big attraction for the Sentra. Previously a navigation system was a big deal in a car costing less than $20,000, and now Nissan is offering a new-for-2016 forward collision warning system with autonomous braking for less than $20,000. Bravo, Nissan, especially considering the package will also include blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.
It’s the current Sentra’s erratic continuously variable automatic transmission and sloppy road handling that sour an otherwise good package, and both get attention for 2016 with new transmission tuning and a retuned suspension and steering. Nissan increased the spring and shock absorber rates while enhancing body stiffness to better control body motion, plus it tweaked the electric power-steering tuning for improved response.
There’s always a risk of creating a car that rides too sportily for most people, so it’s those on-road improvements we’ll be taking note of when the Sentra goes on sale in late December.
