2015 Nissan Sentra

2015 Nissan Sentra

For 2015, the Nissan Sentra receives an overhaul to its packaging—meaning that its options have been reshuffled into trims that Nissan hopes will attract more shoppers the brand. That’s a big deal for the Sentra, since it competes in a segment filled with several excellent compact sedans—each of which attempts to one-up the competition with new technologies and features that were once only available on luxury cars—all for economy car pricing.

• Interior / Exterior »

The 2015 Nissan Sentra takes many of its design cues from its larger Altima sedan, which gives the Sentra a handsome–rather than exciting–look for the segment.

It’s not quite as delightful inside, though, as the Sentra is a little more like the Versa than the Altima. There’s no convincing shoppers that this is anything close to a premium or luxury car inside, even though it’s spacious and easy to use.

Sentra SR models get a suitably sportier look that’s easy to spot from the outside—especially in their exclusive shade of blue. Improvements include different, more aggressive-looking front and rear fascias, lower-body sill extensions, a rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tip, fog lamps, and V-rated tires on 17-inch forked five-spoke alloys.

If only the new Sentra were anywhere near as interesting and tastefully restrained on the inside as it is on the outside. Here, the Sentra bears more in common with the Versa than it does with the Altima—and much of it is due to the materials and trims. According to Nissan, the interior is designed to have the quality feel of a car one class higher, while the straightforward, functional layout “conveys a sense of reliability,” but in truth this is one of the least distinctive interior designs in a compact car.
From a functionality standpoint; there’s little to complain about as the Sentra follows tradition in offering a rather upright layout and straightforward controls. The dash is gently curved and flows across in a two-tier arrangement, tapering at the sides in a way that maximizes space. Trims are a contrasting mix of darker matte surfaces and glossier-surfaced metallic-look plastics. Upper trims get leather and faux-Maple trim, and SR models do get a series of interior upgrades including a ‘sport silver’ trim.
The overarching issue with the cabin is that while things might look great from a few paces away, it’s woefully lacking in the details up close. Metallic trim looks plasticky and feels thin framing the center stack, and materials that seem like they should match in grain and color don’t quite carry.
The Sentra was completely redesigned in 2013, inheriting some of the larger Altima’s design language; in short, the look is more mature, with some curvier, more nuanced, Infiniti-esque sheetmetal. And we suspect it conspires to become something sexier than Sentras of the past ever were.
We’ll leave it to you to decide how sexy the look is [hint: we're not all that convinced]. From the front, the Sentra has nearly the same look as the Altima, with a chrome-framed grille that widens upward, flowing into contour lines that stream outward over the hood to the A-pillar. Alongside, just as in the Altima, there’s an interesting crease that starts just over the front wheels and flows organically into the rear deck. The Sentra’s tail is more squared off, but it does have the same sort of taillight design that tapers at the trunklid and flares outward, going forward around the back corners.
A near-level beltline hunkers the profile back and gives it just a little more swagger—and the side sculpting helps here—but the brightwork at the door handles and windowlines could be a bit much ‘faux-premium.’ Nissan uses finely detailed “calm but impressive” halogen headlight units that are designed to be a focal point, with integrated turn signals, framed by LED accent lights.

• Performance »

The 2015 Nissan Sentra gets the job done–and with relative ease–but it’s simply not much of a joy to drive.

The Sentra gets no kudos for its handling, but again, it’s enough for everyday-driver, commuter-style needs. The setup, with a torsion-beam rear axle and rear drum brakes—plus standard steel wheels—again treads the base line for cars in this segment. Push it a little too hard and the body leans excessively, with the suspension then unloading in a rather sudden way that would interrupt a smooth line through tight esses.

The nicely weighted, confident steering is a bright spot; it’s speed-sensitive and much like what’s used in the Altima. Ride quality is pretty good too.

As in most budget-minded compacts, you’ll find that rear disc brakes are available only on the SL or the SR, and they may provide stronger braking in higher-demand conditions like on mountain roads, but the rear drum system on the rest of the lineup stopped well enough—albeit with lots of nosedive and body motion. Ride isn’t significantly different whether you go for the base wheels or the low-profile 17-inch tires that do improve responsiveness somewhat.

What’s missing here (and what you’ll find in many other competing models like the Ford Focus or Mazda 3) is anything close to zippy performance. You won’t find the refined, tactile reassurance of refined compacts like the Chevy Cruze or VW Jetta, either, and overall, the Sentra’s driving experience might prove too small-car retro for some shoppers.
No matter which model or trim level you get, all Sentra models include Normal, Eco, and Sport modes, through small buttons that are located in the lower dash, out of the driver’s line of sight (the assumption is that you’ll pick a mode and stick with it). They affect throttle response and transmission tuning, while Eco mode also reduces air-conditioning draw. On fast-moving back roads we actually preferred Eco mode, as it had the transmission running the engine in a less-raucous rev range, while we were able to move nearly as quick.
With a 130-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and an Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), the Sentra puts its best foot forward in typical commuting conditions (at up to 40 mpg highway, it’s economical, too). And while that might seem like a low power number, it’s just fine as Nissan dropped 150 pounds of curb weight this past year.
The CVT doesn’t include much driver appeal; ask for a quick burst of power—especially at city-traffic speeds—and you’ll catch the system flat-footed almost every time, seemingly requiring a second or two to realize that you need a much lower ratio than what it’s allowing. Push the accelerator to the floor and the revs rise rather raucously and dramatically into the engine’s upper ranges, with the Sentra not at all pinning you back in your seat but definitely moving brisk enough. This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for most drivers who commute on mostly level ground—and you can work around it sometimes by keeping the shift lever in ‘L,’ which keeps revs higher to begin with.
There’s a six-speed manual transmission available, too, but it’s only offered on the base Sentra S and it feels a bit like an afterthought, with a notchy, loose, and imprecise linkage [Nissan engineers, you need to go drive a '90s Sentra five-speed]. The manual also serves to show that despite the variable valve timing, this isn’t an engine that makes much of its torque below 2,500 rpm (peak torque of 128 pound-feet comes at 3,600 rpm).
For an extra $400, you can specify a FE+ (fuel economy) package on the Sentra that adds a rear spoiler and low-rolling-resistance tires, as well as a few other aerodynamic improvements, so as to obtain the better 40-mpg highway rating.

In its segment, the Sentra attempts to emulate the dynamics of larger, more comfortable sedans, rather than going for the small and sporty side of the spectrum. It wears a design language that we’ve seen from the Altima and even some Infinitis in recent years, making the Sentra look significantly sexier than it has in the past. However, its interior feels more economical than upscale, so it won’t fool anyone into believing that it’s more luxurious than it actually is.

The 2015 Sentra is sized in a range that might have been considered mid-size—or close to it—not so long ago. At 182.1 inches long, about two inches longer than the current car, with a wheelbase 0.6 longer, at 106.3 inches, plus an inch of additional width, the new Sentra has a longer, wider cabin. Dimensionally, the Sentra has its rivals beat in the numbers; it has the best official front headroom, front legroom, and rear legroom than other models in this class (including Cruze, Focus, Civic, and Corolla). Overall passenger room, by official measurements, is also more than any of these competing models. In all, the Sentra feels accommodating, but its seating design and seating comfort feel subpar. Flat and unsupportive seats are the biggest letdown; and while we thought by the look of them we’d get a little lateral support, it’s there in appearance alone. The Sentra does have one of the roomiest trunks in this class, and in back you can flip the the seatbacks forward (not flat) to an expanded area.

Cabin materials are merely average. Nissan lined up the armrests of the door with the top of the center console, and the contact points are a soft-touch material. We also like the base cloth seats and would probably be happier with them over the plasticky leather (it looks much better in pictures) that’s available. It’s a relatively quiet cabin at high speeds, too—by budget small-car standards.
What you will find here is performance that’s confident enough for everyday-driver, commuter-style needs. What’s missing here (and what you’ll find in many other competing models like the Ford Focus or Mazda 3) is anything close to zippy performance or an engaging driving experience. There’s also no refined, tactile reassurance, as you’ll find in the more comfort-oriented compacts like the Chevy Cruze or VW Jetta. With a 130-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and an Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), the Sentra puts its best foot forward in typical commuting conditions (at up to 40 mpg highway, it’s economical, too). The CVT turns out acceptable flat-out acceleration numbers, but ask for a quick burst of power, and you’ll catch the system flat-footed almost every time; the setup feels very sluggish in real-world commuting conditions. There’s a six-speed manual transmission available, too, but it’s only offered on the base Sentra S and it feels a bit like an afterthought.
For an extra $400, you can specify a FE+ (fuel economy) package on the Sentra that adds a rear spoiler and low-rolling-resistance tires, as well as a few other aerodynamic improvements, so as to obtain the better 40-mpg highway rating.

The Sentra won’t win any awards for its handling; the setup, with a torsion-beam rear axle and rear drum brakes—plus standard steel wheels—again treads the base line for cars in this segment. But the nicely weighted, confident steering is a bright spot; it’s speed-sensitive and much like what’s used in the Altima. Ride quality is pretty good too. No matter which model or trim level you get, all 2015 Nissan Sentra models include Normal, Eco, and Sport modes that affect throttle response and transmission tuning, while Eco mode also reduces air-conditioning draw.
In safety, the 2015 Sentra is a bit below par when you add up its scores. Although it does achieve top ‘good’ ratings in most categories from the IIHS (like most cars in its class), it gets a worrisome ‘poor’ rating for small overlap frontal impact; add in four-star NHTSA overall ratings and a four-star frontal test from that federal agency–as well as some feature gaps like optional Bluetooth–and it’s no safety leader.

Looking at the equipment list and pricing, there’s a lot of value for the money in the 2015 Nissan Sentra, and it’s about in line with other models in this class, even adding a few features normally reserved for larger, more expensive models—like dual-zone automatic climate control and Bose audio on some models. But there are also some frustrating equipment choices. For instance, rear disc brakes are available only on the top-of-the-line SL or the sporty SR, while a Bluetooth hands-free interface is optional on much of the lineup and not even offered on the base S. Even at around $23k for a fully optioned SL, it’s a lavishly equipped, frugal small car–again, for those who don’t value the driving experience all that much.
Photo Gallery: Nissan USA

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