 2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0. Click image to enlarge |
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Review and photos by Peter Bleakney
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2012 Nissan Sentra
Let’s all take a few moments out of our busy schedule and send warm thoughts out to the Nissan Sentra. In arguably the fiercest of automotive arenas, this compact Nissan sedan is a perennial bridesmaid – a tag-along back marker that forlornly watches a seemingly endless parade of fresh debutants strut their stylish, direct-injected, cutting-edge stuff. Look at Mazda’s SkyActiv, Hyundai’s value, Focus’ looks and handling, the Cruze’s refinement…. well, the hits just keep on coming and the poor old Sentra, now into its fifth year, takes ‘em.
   2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0. Click image to enlarge |
After a week at the wheel of a $15,478 2012 Sentra 2.0 fitted with the optional $1,300 CVT (continuously variable transmission) and $2,000 Value Option Package, I came away with a new respect for this little Nissan. It is one of the most pleasantly inoffensive and user-friendly devices I’ve driven. And if that sounds like damning with faint praise, it’s not meant to.
Let’s start with the interior. No flash here: plain as a piece of dry toast…not even a multi-function steering wheel. And yes, the lack of front seat heaters is worrisome, but the tall greenhouse and elevated seating position make ingress a breeze, and once positioned in the very comfy fabric seats you’ll find Marge Simpson-grade headroom and a commanding view down the road. It is similarly spacious in the back. Indeed, the EPA categorizes the Sentra as a mid-sized sedan based on its interior volume. The trunk is a healthy 371 litres (bigger than Civic, smaller than Cruze, Elantra and Focus), has proper hinges with struts (not the luggage crusher type), an interior latch release, and the 60/40 split rear seats fold forward (part of the Value Option Package).
The dash may not have the visual zing of the Elantra or Focus, but its plastics are of a higher grade than those of the Honda Civic and it is the model of clarity. Two large and legible analogue gauges, a trio of rotary knobs for HVAC and a radio placed high on the console with good old-fashioned preset buttons were refreshingly logical after testing a string of high end vehicles with their obtuse interfaces that had me heading for the ditch before I could switch from AM 680 to FM 99.1.
The aforementioned $2,000 Value Option Package adds air conditioning, keyless entry, trunk lid spoiler, heated and powered outside mirrors, 60/40 folding rear seat, power windows and 16-inch alloys.
