The 2021 Nissan Sentra: From Difficult Beginning to Accelerated Sales

The 2021 Nissan Sentra is the second-smallest sedan in the Nissan lineup. it starts just over $20,000, comes with a stylish exterior and attractive interior.

The ride is very nice. The front seats are very comfortable. The interior is pretty and full of light. While its rivals are more sportier when it comes to the design, the 2021 Nissan Sentra is a very beautiful and entertaining compact vehicle.

Related Story: Opinion - The Nissan Sentra SV Is Better In the Real World Than Cars Twice Its Price

This week Torque News test-drove and reviewed the 2021 Nissan Sentra 2.0 SV CVT trim. CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission. The current generation of Nissan Sentra comes in three trims: S, SV and SR.

The 2021 Sentra is served by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that offers 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque. Each trim comes with the Nissan Safety Shield 360 safety suite. Each trim comes with Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, RearView Monitor, and many more assisting technologies.

The 2021 Nissan Sentra generally starts under $20,000. The S trim is offered with a $19,460 MSRP. The SV trim starts with $20,520 and the top Sentra SR trim starts with $21,800.

The SV Trim's Specific Differences from the S Trim Are:

• Intelligent Cruise Control
• 16" Aluminum-alloy wheels, Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control
• Nissan Intelligent Key® with Push Button Ignition
• Remote Engine Start System
• Premium Cloth seat trim
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• 7" Advanced Drive-Assist® Display
• NissanConnect® 8" color touch-screen display
• AM/FM audio system with six speakers
• Two USB ports and one USB-C port
• SiriusXM® Radio with 3-month subscription included
• Vehicle Security System

If you go to the next trim, namely the SR version, it offers pretty much everything you want in terms of equipment. This includes heated front seats and steering wheel, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear selector, a host of safety features including rear door alert, eight-inch screen navigation with NissanConnect multimedia system, voice recognition and satellite radio, among others.

Yet, the big news for the 2021 model year - and for those who appreciate a more inspired drive - is the return of a Sentra SR with a manual gearbox, the sporty-looking livery that finally has a gearbox. of speeds worthy of the SR badge which also comes with a rear spoiler, exterior mirrors painted in black, 18-inch black rims and even the possibility of being dressed in a contrasting roof in color… black with the blue coloring electric metallic, a color reserved for the SR for 2021. Let us also remember that the SR, like the SV livery, benefits from disc brakes on all four wheels, unlike the S livery which must remain content with drum brakes in the second axle.

Nissan Sentra's Reliability

The Nissan Sentra has always been viewed as a very reliable car. In fact, just several days ago Nissan Sentra, Altima and Máxima received the best safety rating from the IIHS, that is, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2021 Nissan Sentra won the Top Safety Pick award for its equipment. All three vehicles include robust safety packages and Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies - helping to minimize the number of incidents. Some assistive and intervention technologies include Peripheral Vision Monitor and Moving Object Detection; the Forward Collision Alert; Blind Spot Alert, among others.

Nissan Sentra SV CVT's Exterior Design

Sedans have survived the emergence of new trends, modern vehicle formats, and the invasion of SUVs. That is why the brands that continue to manufacture them have had to upgrade, leaving behind the conventional and discreet, but much more daring and modern formats. We could see it in traditional exponents of the segment such as the classic Toyota Corolla or the Honda Civic.

It was a matter of changing to survive. And Nissan understood it too because the new Sentra made an interesting change. The renovation suits it very well because it looks much more sporty, young and temperamental. The Sentra is a sedan like the old ones, but due to its design and configuration, it simulates a coupe.

The changes are based on a silhouette that is now lower and wider, with lines and angles that make it a more athletic vehicle, in line with the new design language of the brand based in the Japanese city of Yokohama.

The Sentra's personality is the main hallmark of its large V-motion grille (with glossy black plastic and chrome) that continues its lines on the hood. On both sides, there are the headlights with LED technology in a boomerang format, and on the lower area, the strip-shaped fog lights and not like the classic round or square ones.

On the sides, it shows sleek profiles, subtle lines, and 18 ”five-spoke wheels fitted with low-profile tires (245/45 R18). Another particular mark of the model is its floating roof, an interesting aesthetic resource that has a functional role to bring light to the cabin.

Interior Design Of The 2021 Nissan Sentra SV CVT

The interior of the Sentra confirms how Japanese engineers and designers have changed over time. They are no longer so sober, they play a little more with colors and textures, inserts, and bolder designs. We celebrate it. All within a good quality of materials and finishes.

In this renewal of the model there are no straight or uniform lines. The interior design is a constant movement of lines that come and go. So modern is it for Nissan that the air vents are circular and not the traditional square ones.

Both the seats, the steering wheel, and much of the center console are covered in synthetic leather with delicate stitching. For its part, the sunroof brings great luminosity to the interior and gives it an air of superior category. The 2.71 meter wheelbase (grew 10mm) created plenty of space for the driver and front passenger to travel comfortably, as well as two adults having plenty of space in the rear seats. Even the fifth seat is quite loose, but since there is a tray in the back, it is not so comfortable.

We liked the driving position a lot because it has everything so that we can quickly find the ideal position because the driver's seat has different electrical adjustments, including in the lumbar area, and the steering wheel can be adjusted in depth and height.

From the steering wheel you can control almost everything: audio, on-board computer, cruise control, driving assistance and other functions. The rest of the controls are located in an accessible way for the driver, who has an excellent vision forwards and backwards. The 8” touch screen powers your infotainment system, BOSE audio equipment, built-in satellite navigator and peripheral vision camera that projects all images around the car there.

The 2021 Sentra has two front and two rear cup holders, a large drawer with a lid between the driver and passenger, and a fairly deep glove compartment.

The 466-liter trunk capacity is one of the best in the segment and allows a family's luggage to be loaded without having to leave anything at home at the last minute. It can even be expanded if the rear seats are lowered in 60:40 proportions.

The eighth generation of Nissan's midsize sedan exhibits a clear evolution from its predecessor. The exterior aesthetic changes suit it very well, as does the more modern format of the interior. The changes in the dimensions gave it better habitability, even in the rear seats, and that added to the capacity of its trunk, positioning it as an ideal vehicle for the family. Comfort and safety level (with the new driving aids) position it as a benchmark in the segment. They are also conditions that invite us to make long trips.

Although the 2021 Nissan Sentra is at a disadvantage compared to its rivals since it does not offer a turbo engine, the increase in torque and power balance it in that competition. In addition, it is based on good dynamic behavior and ride comfort.

While sedans are slowly becoming extinct, many people are still looking for four-door and trunk vehicles, comfortable, versatile, with balanced proportions between their dimensions. I am glad that Nissan continues to respond to that group of global customers by launching the eighth generation of its midsize sedan Sentra. I hope you will like it as much as we did.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.

Reference: Le Guide De L'Auto.