2010 Nissan Sentra

Surprised. Pleasantly surprised.


Nissan says that’s a common reaction of sport/utility vehicle owners who sample the 2010 Nissan Sentra. We could have told SUV owners they’d enjoy the Sentra, but they wouldn’t have listened. Now the struggling economy and fear of future gas prices have opened their ears. (Many started listening during Cash for Clunkers.) SUV owners thinking about downsizing: Give the Sentra a try. You might be surprised by what you won’t miss.


The Sentra offers almost the same usable interior room as most compact SUVs and crossovers. The most popular Sentra model, the mid-level 2.0 S, has many features, including an iPod interface and a six-speaker, 160-watt audio system, lacking in similarly priced SUVs. This may be the most important difference: The Nissan Sentra offers a sporty driving feel that some SUV owners have forgotten existed.


The Sentra’s price alone should shoppers’ attention. Its starting price is under $16,000, with extremely well equipped 2.0 S versions coming in under $19,000. Then there’s that fuel mileage thing. Most Sentras are rated at 26 miles per gallon on the EPA’s city-driving cycle and 34 mpg on the highway cycle.

New for 2010

Changes to the 2010 Sentra include new headlights and taillights, new grille and front fascia for half of the Sentra’s six trim levels, and new interior fabrics on all trim levels. Also, some previously optional items become standard or part of an option package.


Many say they “need” the interior room offered by an SUV. A closer look may show that truly usable space is no greater in a small SUV than in a Sentra. First, the Sentra’s interior volume earns it a “midsize” classification from the government. Like most SUVs, the Sentra offers seating for five, but that center-rear seat is uncomfortable and cramped in almost every five-passenger vehicle. The Sentra’s outboard rear seats are plenty comfortable and offer more-than-adequate headroom and legroom. Many SUVs boast a third row of seats, but it takes a very large vehicle to make that third row useful for anyone except pre-schoolers. An SUV’s tall rear cargo area is nice for big dogs and huge plush animals. However, it’s difficult to make that cargo area safely hold more stuff than the Sentra’s large 13.1-cubic-foot trunk. Also, the Sentra’s split-folding rear seatback allows it to transport almost as many home-improvement items as an SUV.

Assert Yourself

Many sport-utility owners speak of their vehicles’ fun-to-drive factor. A drive in a Sentra will show another version of driving fun, one that emphasizes quick, precise steering and nimble handling. The Sentra will dart through holes in traffic in a manner that few SUVs this side of the Porsche Cayenne can imagine. (Nissan says its owners are “more assertive” drivers than those who purchase Hondas or Toyotas. We believe it.)