Drove the new Sentra yesterday

[BenDupre]

Drove the new Sentra yesterday and I love it. Drove a SL trim CVT model. I really like some of the features over the Versa:1. Wider up front. My left leg wasn't hitting the door panel the way it does in the V.

2. I can reach the cup holder in the Sentra

3. It has a trip computer that computes mileage.

4. I like the design of the steering wheel.

Didn't like:

1. trunk is not as versitile as a hatch, although the passthrough is very generous. You have to "flip" the rear seat cussions forward to fold down the rear seat backs. This is awkward, but now I think of it, if they had taken this approach in the Versa, it might have the flat load floor everyone has complained it doesn't have.

2. Pricetag. The model I drove was priced at 19K+

3. What is the deal with Nissan not allowing cruise control in base trims? Cruise should not cost $2000

4. The CVT seemed to "float" more or maybe "hunt" more than my V. I've driven my V down the same highway and there are a couple shallow hills, but RPM's stayed steady in the V, where they drifted up more on the climbs in the Sentra.

Ben

[Althalus]

Well, I know the gas tank is right below the passenger seats in the V, maybe that's why they couldn't get them to lay flat.

[BenDupre]

It's right below the rear seats in the sentra too. I think you can even change the fuel pump by flipping the rear seat cussions up.

The sentra doesn't have near the rear seat legroom the V has. It's clear design priorities were different in the two vehicles.

Ben

[proxim2020]

Thank's for the review Ben

[Ever Victorious]

There's no way that I could see a simple seat redesign allowing a fold-flat floor on the V, you'd still have to have something like that cargo bin to make up the height difference. The top of the bottom cushion on the V is still 2 or 3 inches higher than the floor. If you made the bottom cushion flip up and the top one down, you'd still have that entire thickness to make up.

But the V's trunk roxorz my boxorz.

I was impressed with some of the creature features of the new Sentra, and how powerful it was with the 6MT (I tested that to compare vs my 6MT), but overall at the end of the day wasn't impressed with the car. I especially didn't like that you HAVE to get a CVT to get the intelligent key..

[Jemdawg]

I'm convinced that Nissan wants to sell mostly CVT transmissions to make money on servicing them.

[BenDupre]

If they get a reputation for neding service, they won't sell many of them.

Ben

[SVersaS]

nice review, but personally i think that it looks like the mutated baby of an altima and maxima, they could have put more thought into the design.

[rwanttaja]

4. The CVT seemed to "float" more or maybe "hunt" more than my V. I've driven my V down the same highway and there are a couple shallow hills, but RPM's stayed steady in the V, where they drifted up more on the climbs in the Sentra.

My Versa's CVT seemed to hunt, too, when I first got it (especially up a ~400 foot hill leading to my house). Now it doesn't hunt on the hill. I wonder if this is part of the "training" the computer does to accustom itself to the way it's driven?

Ron