NISSAN Sentra
Generations Timeline, Specs and Pictures
The Nissan Sentra was first produced in 1982.
After almost 40 years, throughout its evolution, Nissan Sentra has overcome many obstacles and the 2019 iteration differentiates itself from its predecessor with a more powerful and a more efficient engine.
The Nissan Sentra is built on a new platform that provides greatly improved proportions and stance and the look of the car combines a sense of sportiness with its refined style. What is new in Nissan Sentra 2019 is the SV Special Edition Package, which features 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), power sliding glass moonroof with tilt feature, center room dim lamp (LED), dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors and Special Edition badge.
All 2019 Nissan Sentra models (except SR Turbo and Sentra NISMO) use a fuel-efficient 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine and is rated at 124 horsepower (130 horsepower S 6MT). Fuel economy2 is rated at 29 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on highway and 32 mpg combined with the Xtronic transmission.
The exterior of the car is modern and elegant, with chrome door handles and window accents reflecting a more refined look for this segment.
With all these things in mind, the new Nissan Sentra is a good choice for this segment.
Nissan started introduced the Sentra SE-R in 1990, and it was so successful that it continued it on the following versions, and the sixth generation of the model made no exception.
While in the ’90s was a light sub-compact car, available as a coupe, by 2006, the Sentra grew up to the mid-size segment. It wasn’t that agile anymore. It was considerably larger than its predecessor, but the SE-R package remained, sending the car into the sport-sedan class. Worth mentioning that it wasn’t available as a two-door version.
With its aggressive front styling, the Sentra SE-R looked like it would kill all the cars in front of it. The bumper sported a wide center grille flanked by two air-scoops on the sides as the driver needed them to cool the brakes on a track day. The main black grille featured the Nissan badge in the middle while its headlights were extended over the hood.
Inside, the SE-R showed unique features such as a G-meter on the center stack, which showed the lateral acceleration. The bucket seats were considerably sportier and did a better job holding the front occupants in place during high-speed cornering maneuvers than the standard seats in the regular Sentra. But since it was built as a daily driver, Nissan installed a standard CVT on the car with the gear selector on the center stack.
The SE-R’s most important part was under the bodywork. First of all, it featured disc-brakes in all corners and standard ABS. The regular SE-R got a 180 hp engine paired as standard to a CVT with an option for manual changes with seven pre-selected gear ratios. But the most thought-after version was the SE-R Spec V, which provided 200 hp from the same 2.5-liter four-banger, and it was paired to a six-speed manual.
Over its seven generations on the market, Nissan Sentra achieved over 30 million sales units and became the third best-selling vehicle from the Japanese carmaker.
The Sentra became famous, especially after the third generation, with the SE-R Coupe version that set the sub-compact class’s performance standards. Later on, the sub-compact sedan size was increased and, in 1999, entered into the compact-segment. The seventh-generation was built on the same platform as the European Nissan Pulsar. It was unveiled in 2012 as a 2013 model and refreshed it in 2015 as a 2016 model year.
It was hard to tell that the 2016 Sentra featured an original design since the front fascia resembled the Lexus IS series. Key features of the 2016 Sentra exterior included a new front fascia, grille, fenders, hood, and signature boomerang-shaped headlights. A new LED low-beam headlights with LED accents were offered on the Sentra SR and Sentra SL grades. In the rear, a new fascia with redesigned boomerang-shaped taillights added a more premium appearance.
Inside, the 2016 Sentra designers took their inspiration from the 370Z. The driver benefited from a new, 6-way adjustable power seat and a TFT screen placed between the tachometer and speedometer. Due to the long wheelbase, the 2016 Sentra offered ample legroom for the rear passengers.
Nissan installed two engine options under the hood, with power ranged between 124 hp and 188 hp paired to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT.
The sixth generation model was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, and it was starting to show its years.
In 2012, Nissan America tried its best to show up with a new car, but it was obvious the one presented was the same sedan making its world premiere at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing under the name Sylphy. The 2013 model year Nissan Sentra adopted new front and rear ends along with redesigned rims, new exterior finishes, LED lighting and a slightly lower belt line. The interior came with a new dashboard and instrumentation, new seats, more legroom as well as new tech features.
The restyled Sentra comes iwth the same choice of two power units with capacities of 1.8 L and 2.0 L respectively. While the first is commonly known as Nissan’s economy-plant and comes with base-level trims, the latter can be found on the much sportier SE-R and SE-R V-spec versions. The cars come with 15” alloy rims although bigger ones coupled with a sport suspension and other features are available with a Sports package. Only recently, the Sentra has been redesigned while equipment levels were raised to offer standard front, side and side-curtain airbags.
Designed as a sporty sedan, the Sentra SE-R was a proper sleeper vehicle that offered room for four and three-digits-speeds.
While the Sentra was still a simple sedan, the mad engineers from Nissan’s sports department decided to use the same platform and create a quick vehicle. They also left some room for improvement and built a four-door sedan that was an excellent tuning platform.
Compared to the 2002 model-year, the 04 SE-R lost its GT-R-inspired front grille and adopted a more subtle front fascia, with the Nissan’s badge placed on a wide vertical slat in the middle of the grille. The carmaker offered two versions for the SE-R, the standard and the Spec-V. The latter sported 17” alloys. At the back, a wing-spoiler made the version less unnoticed than the rest of the Sentra range.
Inside, both versions featured a leather-wrapped steering wheel, titanium-colored plastic trims, and titanium-colored gauges with orange lettering. The carmaker installed high bolstered bucket-seats with good side support for the front occupants for the Spec-V model. In the rear, both vehicles offered adequate room for two passengers.
Under the hood, Nissan dropped a 2.5-liter inline-four fed through a variable camshaft timing system that allowed faster exhaust and less loss. Thus, the mid-range torque was better while the peak power was on the last part of the tachometer. The six-speed manual for the Spec-V allowed the car to get an under seven-second time for a zero to 60 (0-97 kph) run, while its top speed was limited to 110 mph (177 kph).
The 200 facelift saw the introduction of a restyled, better-looking Sentra.
Fortunately, the car’s joyful appearance and easy-to-drive character haven’t been lost in transition. However, older trim names were when the Sentra received four equipment levels, ranging from the base XE to the well-fitted GXE, sporty SE and environmentaly conscious CA. The cars come with a standard 1.8 liter engine with an output of 126 hp but an optional 2.0 Liter unit is also available. The latter, which delivers 145 hp is a standard on SE models, along other performance features.