There is nothing special to be said about Nissan Sentra in this generation as for all past generations. Cheap, spacious, reasonable little sedan bought by people with lack of emotions toward their new pet. This pushed Nissan to an attempt to attract somebody else too, so SR Turbo version was recently made available. But they didn’t stop there, now they applied Nismo treatment to it, so let’s see what that brings for us.
STYLING CHANGES
In order not to let filings of disappointment stop you in reading rest of the text, let us start with looks. Nismo brought aggressive, sporty styling and made dull looking Sentra into the boy racer dream. Parts in racing red, red calipers, rear spoiler, aggressive looking fenders are definitely making it different than the regular version. On the inside, you will differentiate sporty shape seats covered in unique fabric featuring special embroidery, grippy steering wheel wrapped in leather and Alcantara with exciting red centering line and red accents found their way here too. The cabin is still spacious, even more than expected for its class, but also sadly still cheap, as low-quality plastic remains used together with shoddy fit and finish, killing any expectation of refinement.
2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO Video
UNDER THE HOOD CHANGES
There are no any. And you are disappointed with reason. Don’t stop reading as later we are going to examine Nissan’s point with doing things this way. So, regardless of Nismo badge engine is from SR Turbo version and there isn’t even one more horsepower. You will have to settle with turbocharged 1.6-liter four cylinder unit, 188 horsepower, while torque peaks at 177 lb-ft in combination CVT or manual transmission. For a car weighing over 3,000 pounds, it doesn’t look promising, and it certainly is not delivering power adequate to styling.
RIDE CHANGES
Finally, we are again in position to say something positive. Styling changes brought 30 percent reduction in aerodynamic lift, vehicle height is dropped by almost half an inch, structural reinforcements are installed at the cowl, vehicle floor, and rear parcel shelf.
NISMO upgraded suspension, and it is noticeably stiffer than before while disc brakes are showing decent stopping power. Push the Sport button, take it to the corners, and you are guaranteed to have more fun than in SR Turbo version.
IS IT WORTHED
Let’s now see Nissan’s intentions when creating this car without resorting to engines changes. Their explanation is that avoiding those changes kept the car in affordable price range making it more accessible to potential buyers. Nevertheless, it will be sold at less than $25,000 which is very close to Ford Focus ST’s, and VW Golf GTI’s $26,000 and mentioned models are delivering the total package in a manner just uncomparable to Sentra.
You can expect discounts so the price could easily go lower, but there you will meet Hyundai Elantra Sport with the price tag of $21,650 and more power. So, how can we wrap this up without insulting Nissan’s and Nismowork? Let us try this way; with offered discount, 2017 Nissan Sentra Nismo will give the sporty ride, aggressive racing styling (missing with Elantra), and relatively more affordable price than more established sportier competitors. So, it could suit beginner driver not quite ready to handle Focus ST’s 250 horsepower and for whom each dollar counts.
