TEST DRIVE: 2013 NISSAN SENTRA

Travis Persaud | October 29th, 2013

Nissan has revamped the Sentra for 2013, aiming to make its mark in the ultra-competitive compact market.

2013 NISSAN SENTRA

Starts from $14,848

Fuel Economy (combined): 5.8 L/100 km

Power: 130 HP

Nissan has revamped the Sentra for 2013, aiming to make its mark in the ultra-competitive compact market.

This year’s Sentra sedan looks more mainstream, aligning itself with its bigger Altima brother and growing in size to contend with Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra.

First, let’s talk about what the Sentra isn’t. It’s not as stylish as the Elantra or Focus. And its 1.8 L four-cylinder engine falls short in power. As for the driving dynamic, well, it’s fairly basic.

But if you’re shopping for a compact, you probably don’t care too much about power or a sporty drive. You do want room and fuel efficiency and this car has both. Although tagged as a compact, the Sentra looks and feels more like a mid-size with 15.1 L of cargo space and more legroom than the Altima. That extra space means more room to carry groceries or the grandkids. And its extra size doesn’t compromise fuel efficiency. When paired with Nissan’s CVT (one of the quietest I’ve driven) it gets an excellent 5.8 L/100 km. The interior is impressive too; outfitted with great soft touch materials and a new instrument panel including Nissan’s Fine Vision Gauges, a godsend for those driving at night.

Zoomer consumer bonus: Fine Vision Gauges, RearView Monitor, illuminated steering-wheel mounted controls, traction control.

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TEST DRIVE: 2013 NISSAN SENTRA

Nissan has revamped the Sentra for 2013, aiming to make its mark in the ultra-competitive compact market.

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