1.8L engine only, huh? Looks like Nissan is going back to the B15 era with the new Sentra. But with the weight loss, the lack of HP/TQ shouldn't be a deal-breaker for most folks. It may be a little underpowered compared to the Focus/Mazda3/Cruze/Forte, but Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai still sell boat-loads of 1.8L compacts (literally in the case of Hyundai...) And as AS will likely attest, I'm assuming Nissan will sell them based primarily on price/financing, not necessarily because they are best-in-class. But with such fierce competition in the compact class, will that be enough anymore?
Any word on a potential Spec V version? I'm thinking that 1.6L turbo from the Juke - along with its 6MT - would do wonders for the Sentra. Plus Nissan could rationalize the decision with something like "amortize powertrain development costs over multiple models", or some such jargon!
