All-New 2013 Nissan Sentra Announced; 40 MPG Highway, 34 MPG Combined

[VW1.8Tsunami]

I like it...looks classy. I think this could be competitive since they are going for a more upscale look. If it's quiet and smooth at speed, I'd consider it.

[rtrev2442]

front looks like it came from lexus

[AKADriver]

We don't get the hatchback?

Tiida is the Versa. We're supposed to get that car (probably with restyled front and rear end, just like the first gen) next year.

And just for grins, I looked it up: this new Sentra is now officially larger than an '84-'88 Maxima, and it's within 1" of the second-generation Altima.

[mraguilar]

It's down 30hp on most of its competition. That's a liability, particularly when the competition doesn't suffer as far as fuel economy goes.

No longer will chirp on 3rd

[rimtrim]

Tiida is the Versa.

Not anymore. Nissan has shuffled their models around (as they have been doing since the Datsun days).

Old Versa (hatch/sedan) = Old Tiida (hatch/sedan) = Venucia D50/R50 (China) = Latio (JDM sedan)

New Versa sedan = Sunny (various markets) = Almera (Australia) = Renault Scala (India)

Upcoming USDM Versa hatch = Nissan Note (other markets)

New Tiida (most markets) = New Pulsar hatch (Australia)

New Sentra = New Bluebird/Sylphy (Asian markets) = New Pulsar sedan (Australia)

As far as I know, there are no plans to sell the new Tiida/Pulsar hatch in the USDM. If they do decide to bring it here, it will probably be a Sentra, because that's what it's closest to.

-Andrew L

[zeewhiz]

I ain't trying to hate, but I almost fell asleep looking at the OP pics. I wish EVERY CAR MANUFACTURER IN EXISTENCE would get off this generic-blob-we-all-looks-the-same shtick.

/Rant.

[BLK9GEN]

I ain't trying to hate, but I almost fell asleep looking at the OP pics. I wish EVERY CAR MANUFACTURER IN EXISTENCE would get off this generic-blob-we-all-looks-the-same shtick.

/Rant.

Probably because the minute they do, they get slammed for being too out of the box or polarizing. Lets face it, this is a car designed to have mass appeal. It's very hard to design a car that is universally attractive, aerodynamic, and has good pedestrian and crash test scores.

You want something with more character in this price range? I'm sure any Nissan dealer would be happy to show you a Cube or Juke.

[afrost]

WTF....you could practically stick your head in between the front tire and fender....are they trying to make room for all the people who want to turn it in to a donk?

[urbanrocketeer]

^I always thought the SE with the SR20DE engine were pretty good looking back in 2000.

I owned a 2000 SE for three years. That was a very fun car. $16k. Great stereo. Great handling (it had a limited slip differential and the spoiler actually bit once you hit 90 mph). I drag-raced a 2nd Gen Turbo Eclipse on the test drive (I lost). I bounced that motor off the rev-limiter weekly (five speed manual) and it always came back for more. Great memories. Should never have gotten rid of that car.

The only things lacking were the seats (would kill my back after two hours) and the A/C; it could not handle high heat/humidity for very long.

I remember buying it at night and it was silver and when I woke up the next morning it was champagne. Turns out the color, Radium, looked silver under fluorescent lighting (which the dealership lot had) and champagne under sunlight.

The follow-on SE-R and Spec V were a disappointment and turned me away from Nissan. Come to think of it, all of the Sentras since then have been disappointments, at least in terms of that sort of bang-for-the-buck performance and it looks like it will remain thus. That's a shame.

[SlowMotion]

Worst execution of LED running lights yet :facepalm

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[Seabird]

Worlds better then the previous model.

I call that "damning with faint praise".

This thing is offensively bland. And put me in the "reminds me of a Corolla" column. They're not identical by any means, but they both share that sort of upright and narrow body that looks one or two generations older than the competition.

[Numbersix]

Looks like a mini-Altima. Which, if the new Altima sells well (and recent history suggests it should), this is likely a good strategy for Nissan.

Why does it seem like the wheelbase is a bit too short for the body?

Doesn't look to be an enthusiast choice, but then again most Sentras built since the mid-90's haven't been so no surprise there. (I know about the SE-R, but it wasn't an especially great drive.)

[Old Windy]

No longer will chirp on 3rd

Wow that will be a shame. Was really looking forward to a new SE-R.

[VarianceVQ]

Axing the SE-R is a bit disappointing but not a surprise. About 90% of the outgoing Sentras I see are SRs (SE-R bodywork with normal Sentra mechanics underneath). People like the Sentra SE-R look but pretty much don't care about the performance.

[2.0_Mazda]

Well, not for me, but nice update.

Hope the CVT is better. The current one is as connected to the road as a rubber band.

[adrew]

Well, not for me, but nice update.

Hope the CVT is better. The current one is as connected to the road as a rubber band.

Yeah, hope so. I had a rental a few months back and my better half asked, "Is this car broken?" after a few miles of driving around Atlanta. I had to explain about the CVT and she immediately said she never wanted a car with one. (She currently drives a manual.)

I found the CVT to be great when tooling around the suburbs, but it was horrible doing 70+ on the highway. Need to merge or pass a car? Press the gas pedal about halfway and the revs shoot up to 4000 and you get a lot of noise but very little forward progress. After a few seconds you realize nothing is really happening, only to smash the gas to the floor out of frustration, which causes the revs to shoot to 6000+ and an amazing amount of noise -- and, still, nothing really happens aside from much-slower-than-expected acceleration.

Given the power rating of the car (140 hp, IIRC) I expected acceptable passing performance -- but, once rolling, it actually felt dangerously slow in Atlanta traffic to me, where nothing happened unless I floored it whenever I needed any power. My 5-speed Yaris is not a powerhouse by any means, but if you downshift to 3rd at 60 MPH and floor it, it has very good passing performance and zings up to 90 very quickly.

[gnavs]

I gotta say I'm not a fan of Infiniti/Nissan/Lexus going with this chubby cheeked, Cabbage patch kid looking grille.

Otherwise it's not a bad looking car.

[NoXenons]

Ugg-ree!

[2.0T_Convert]

Boring. LED accents but still using old halogen housing.... improved interior but still deforesting the plood jungle.... improved engine but only 130 hp.... and I'm guessing that class leading fuel economy is only because Nissan tinkered with the CVT enough to give it great city EPA numbers at the expense of driving pleasure.

But who cares it is a Corolla with better incentives and dealerships open on Sunday.

[BLK9GEN]

Boring. LED accents but still using old halogen housing.... improved interior but still deforesting the plood jungle.... improved engine but only 130 hp.... and I'm guessing that class leading fuel economy is only because Nissan tinkered with the CVT enough to give it great city EPA numbers at the expense of driving pleasure.

But who cares it is a Corolla with better incentives and dealerships open on Sunday.

I agree with everything but your CVT claims. Per the press release, the Sentra gets Nissan's next-gen CVT (also found in the new Altima). It is without question the best behaved and most responsive CVT I've ever experienced.

[BRealistic]

With the FE+ models, Sentra achieves up to 40 mpg on the highway. Other CVT-equipped models are rated at 39 mpg on the highway. All CVT models achieve a best-in-class* EPA rated 34 mpg combined (City and Highway).

I hate asterisks without footnotes.
The Nissan website had scroll over asterisks... sigh.
Here is the footnote fwiw.
http://www.nissanusa.com/all-new-sen...re.home.button

2013 EPA Fuel Economy Estimate 34 MPG combined 50-state emissions and CVT transmission; 33 MPG combined CA state emissions. Actual mileage may vary — use for comparison only. Ward’s Light Vehicle Market Segmentation. MY13 Sentra vs. 2012 Upper Small Class excluding Hybrid and Diesel models.

Also from Nissan site:

THE ALL-NEW 2013 NISSAN
SENTRA®
OUR MOST INNOVATIVE SENTRA EVER
COMING SOON

Our most innovative? Did somebody besides Nissan make a more innovative Sentra?
Seems like a strange word usage.


Styling - The curves and details look modern and give the car a sense of substance.
But final judgement is reserved for in person view, plus we need to see what the mainstream Sentra looks like (minus the bright color and top trim spec wheels).

Performance - Kudos on the fuel economy. Nissan makes the best CVTs, so I am sure it makes good use of the limited power. But let's be honest here- CVT + small low torque engine = not enjoyable to drive. When the CVT is paired with a small engine.. it sucks. That's just the way it is. But to the average consumer- that may not matter one iota as long as it goes when put in drive and you push that pedal thing with your foot.

Price - The IMPORTANT question. Economy and performance are things knowledgeable enthusiasts care about, but let's be honest about what sells: Styling and features for the price.
Is anybody gong to choose the new Sentra over a Cruze or Focus if the Cruze or Focus offers more for less AND has distinctive styling versus just trying to emulate some larger car? The current Sentra sells based on discount prices, and it wasn't especially compelling even when it originally came out.

[MidnightSpecial]

The high-performance Nissan Sentra SE-R and SE-R Spec V have been eliminated from the lineup, Nissan confirmed for Edmunds.

And the careometer drops to nil.

[Infiniti]

ugh...dissapointing.


and even more dissapointing is that although the LE is based on the Leaf, it looks just like the Sentra.... Why do they continue to dissapoint?

[Impeccable]

Would make for a great rental, too bland for me though.

Cant really complain Nissan has never put blood sweat and tears into making the sentra exciting. It was always Honda back in the day with the cutting edge civic, now its civic/elantra

[RobMarkToo]

Can we just pretend the previous generation (current) never happened now? Does look too much like a toyota something... but improved in every way over current model which I thought was worse than the previous.

[Perio5]

Not horrible, but it acutally looks like a new Camry not a corolla

[BRealistic]

Would make for a great rental, too bland for me though.

Cant really complain Nissan has never put blood sweat and tears into making the sentra exciting. It was always Honda back in the day with the cutting edge civic, now its civic/elantra

The B13(?) Sentra was a great car that showed lots of blood, sweat and tears.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...a-se-r-page-10

[Vanilla_Coke]

The B13(?) Sentra was a great car that showed lots of blood, sweat and tears.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...a-se-r-page-10

It was a decent ride back then, still somewhat overshadowed by the 92-95 civic, but you're right they did have one inspiring generation lol.

[DTMTrini]

So..................the Maxima, Altima and Sentra will have have very similar looking front and rear ends? I can deal with that.

[MrKevkevL]

Hideous. And those LEDs really look off and the whole car looks bloated

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[madmax2k1]

It looks more upscale that all the previous models, too bad they're no longer offering the SE-R model.

[BRealistic]

It looks more upscale that all the previous models, too bad they're no longer offering the SE-R model.

I wouldn't call the SE-R dead yet.
They can still add one later.

[rlaltiowner05]

I kinda like it in a way (the SR model anyway) but I think its strange that Nissan is limiting the 6spd manual to the base S model. Nissan's manuals suck anyway so no worries. The SR has a bit of appeal to me in a Corolla S/XRS, Camry SE kind of way. The S, SV and SL models are bland but they do look better than the current Sentra. I can't wait to see and test drive one.

I'd like to see Nissan offer an "SR" Altima with a subtle body kit and some nice upgrades. I guess we can look forward to the Altima getting LED headlamps whenever it gets facelifted since the Sentra has them as standard equipment. That's kinda strange really.

Overall, I'd say the Sentra is a B- style wise, Focus, Elantra and Jetta GLI are still my top picks style-wise in this class.

[jddaigle]

Same BS as everyone else, take the bigger model design and shrink-wrap it on to a smaller model and hope that...I don't even know what. It looks even worse when the root design has those head- and tail- lights that stretch up towards the passenger compartment. Rollerskate wheels don't help. Well, I suppose they will compete on price.

[Impeccable]

I wouldn't call the SE-R dead yet.
They can still add one later.

I still have the nurburgring dvd from the last gen se-r