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On the road, the Sentra feels like a 7/8th scale Cefiro, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s luxurious and capable, but detached and the least bit sporty. Like it’s big brother, steering effort is hopelessly light and numb, uncommunicative of the car’s limits. Still, I give it high marks for real world responsiveness and maneuverability (it does have a tight turning circle). The versions which I drove, the 180GT and the range-topping 1.6, the GS, don’t feel rocket ship fast, but they’re good cruising companions. The 1.8-liter, which is basically a bored-out version of the 1.6-liter engine, is eager and smooth, but it doesn’t turn on the senses like a VTEC motor can. In fact, the extra horses and torque aren’t instantly felt unless you read the tachometer. The 1.8 is more relaxed, shifting early than the 1.6, which require a bit of thrashing. Speaking of the tires, the B306 are of the low rolling resistance variety returning better fuel economy as well as lasting longer. However, the trade in is that the Sentra suffers from high degrees of road noise. It’s unbelievably noisy at 80 km/h--so I’ll do you a favor in telling you to ditch the tires for the softer kind. In terms of value, the Nissan Sentra pumped up the price while removing all the audio visual toys and the sunroof. Bad move? Probably, but for me, it’s a gutsy way of showing that Nissans aren’t just unsubstantiated toy-riddled automobiles. |
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