2006 Nissan Sentra Special Edition
I like to refer to the Sentra as the forgotten Japanese compact sedan, because in many ways it is. You can argue that the Mitsubishi Lancer is another forgotten compact sedan, but when you refer to something as “forgotten” you usually mean the thing in question is actually good and really should be remembered; case in point, the Sentra’s always been a decent choice of car where as the Lancer (or Mirage to those who can remember) has been pretty crap (new 2008 one’s actually quite good though). Usually, when you’re looking for a reliable compact sedan you instantly visit Toyota and Honda to look at the Corolla and Civic, and after you’ve bought one of the two you’ll eventually drive by the Nissan dealership and go “Oh yeah… oops” then forget about it. So the question I’m here to answer in this review is, should you really regret not paying Nissan a visit?
Naturally, since I’m writing this review in 2008 and a new Sentra is out I’ll be sure to drop a few comments to remind you that you’ll only be able to buy this car used and have it compared to other 2006 cars that you would find on the used market. The first tidbit of used car buying information I will give you about the Sentra is the most important bit… the price. When this car was being sold as new Nissan was already preparing for the new model to come in so it equipped a large number of the Sentra’s with what they called the Special Edition Package and then offered you a large $2500 cash back offer making the car very reasonably priced. What that means was that you could easily walk away with a massively loaded Sentra (sunroof, alloys, sport appearance package, ABS, side curtain airbags, 6 disc CD changer, leather steering wheel, a massive 300 watt stereo system…) for about 16k after taxes! Due to the initially low selling prices and the fact that a new model has come out, you can pick up a used fully loaded not too old Sentra for less than 12k!
Positives: There is something very lovable about the Sentra. I rather quite like the looks of the car but more importantly it feels as if it has a personality. Seeing how it’s very difficult to go into detail about how a car has “personality” I won’t and I’ll go talk about more tangible things.
There are quite a few things about this car’s engine that are very noteworthy, and power isn’t one of them. The 1.8 liter engine only produces 126 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque, so it’s not going to win any races. Also, it gets slightly worse mileage than the Civic and the Corolla, but it's an engine that will surprise you. You’ll have instances where you’ll have your foot down, hear the engine grumbling and think that you’re only going 10mph then you look over to the speedometer and realize that you’re doing a damn sight more than that because Nissan’s jammed loads of technological terms into the engine. The engine has variable valve timing, platinum tipped spark plugs, and some other stuff I’m sure you’re not all that interested in hearing about. Something more important to the average person though, is the fact that Nissan has used a timing chain instead of the more commonly used belt (this teamed with those platinum tipped spark plugs means 100,000 mile tune up intervals!); however, the price for the use of a chain is usually increased engine noise, but Nissan has worked some form of witch craft and eliminated that issue. As long as you’re driving about town in a normal, sane manner the engine is astonishingly quiet. What’s more, once you get stopped at a red light, the engine might fool you into thinking it’s shut itself off! Nissan has fitted a counter balance shaft in the engine that cancels out excess engine shake which is what causes most of the noise when you’re idling; this means you get a serenely quiet wait at the lights that’s usually only experienced in much more expensive cars. That might not have sounded all that interesting but if you're driving someone home and you run out of conversation material, you at least have something to talk about at the lights and cause an even more awkward silence.
Now onto the stereo system which is easily the best you will find in any compact sedan in terms of sound and usability. Naturally with a stereo system capable of kicking out 300 watts of power, the sound quality will be in a league of its own so I won't talk at too much length over it. What I will mention is the 6 disc CD changer which is nice, but more importantly there’s still a CD slot on the dash! The price you usually pay for having a CD changer is the annoyance you face when you want to change a CD on the rack, but with that extra slot on the dash, you can keep your 6 favorite CD’s in the car and if you just got a new CD or just want a temporary change you can still do it quickly at the lights. In addition to this Nissan has fitted the stereo with an auxiliary input jack so you can plug in your MP3 player without having someone perform surgery on your car, so you’ll be well kitted for long journeys.
This will sound rather irrelevant to some of you, but I really like the leather Nissan used for the steering wheel. It’s just very nice and it has a better feel to it than any other leather wheel I’ve felt. Fortunately, the car it’s attached to is quite nice to drive as well. The Sentra is sprung a bit stiffer than a Corolla, but it’s nearly as comfortable and in terms of handling and steering feel, it’s easily better than the Corolla. The Sentra doesn’t roll as much in the bends compared to a Corolla, the steering wheel has a decent amount of weight and it also provides quite a bit of feedback from the road, but with a lack of rear independent suspension it’s not going to offer up the same driving thrills as a Mazda 3. As a whole though, it’s dynamically comparable to a 2005 Civic sedan which isn’t bad.
We now move onto a topic where people with a foot fetish might enjoy, pedal response... Pedal response on the Sentra is pretty good, and in my opinion it’s easily better than the response of the Corolla and Civic sedan. The brakes may take some getting used to if you’re used to driving Toyotas because Nissan has taken the exact opposite approach. The brakes on Toyotas generally require long travel before anything happens, where as Nissans bite instantly, which I rather like. Another added pedal bonus is made available if you go for a manual Sentra. The clutch is incredibly light, and if you’re used to driving an American car, you might not realize you’ve stepped on the pedal... so you can now walk around without having a thicker left leg.
Negatives: I gave the engine much praise earlier but there is one glaring issue with it which only appears when you’re in a hurry. If you stay below 4,000 RPM the Sentra is very quiet and refined, but once you go over 4,000 revs things start to change. Above 4000 revs, the engine suddenly becomes very noisy and very thrashy. The engines in the Civic, and the Corolla remain smooth throughout the rev range, but the Sentra’s engine has a genuine personality change in the upper rev range in a bad way.
Not many people know this small fact, but Nissan was purchased by Renault in
Sure I said this car's engine is "surprising" but, this car will feel slow and underpowered if you get an automatic transmission, which unfortunately is equipped on nearly every Sentra Special Edition. However, if you get the manual though there are problems that need to be stated. Obviously practice with the gearbox will solve this, but I found myself performing quite a few jerky starts and passenger alarming gear changes. Part of the problem lies with the feather light gas pedal which you'll accidently have down a few millimeters when you change gears. The other part of the problem is the clutch engagement itself; it just doesn't like to catch very smoothly, especially when you compare it to a Honda Civic. I do actually have a couple of complaints about the manual that can't be solved by practice too. The shifter in the Sentra is incredibly light and can be moved with your pinky, which is nice in a way, but the shifting action is incredibly rubbery and feels fairly imprecise. Also, you can tell that the Sentra was built a bit more cheaply than it's rivals if you get a manual, because you can feel all of the car's vibration through the gear stick. That's good if you're a porn star, but no so good if you like driving.
The last complaint I have about the car is once again something I praised a bit earlier. The 300 watt stereo system comes with a massive subwoofer which takes up an important bit of trunk space and prevents you from folding down the 40 part of the usual 60/40 folding rear seats. Also, if you’re like me and you’re not too keen on rap and hip hop, you may find the subwoofer to be a bit strong. You could be driving around playing Mozart and people driving off to the side might think you're another youth trying to raise the stock prices for hearing aid manufacturers.
Conclusion: For the prices these cars are going for, there’s simply no reason to get anything else. The Sentra is a solid entry level sedan and definitely has what it takes to take on the Civic and Corolla... so if you didn’t stop by the Nissan dealership when you bought one of the two…haha! I recommended this car over the Mazda 3 when they were still on sale and that says a lot. Admittedly though, a lot of that recommendation had to do with the price; the Mazda 3 was best in the class in 2006 and it still is today, but if it was my money I would have driven away in a Sentra… unless there was a good deal offered at the Mazda dealership of course... so if you’re in the market for a used car and you see one of these Sentras on the lot I suggest you at least take a look.
Summary:
Pros: Drives about as well as a Civic sedan, rides about as comfortably as a Corolla, just about as reliable as both, and costs thousands less!
Cons: French interior design…never thought that would be a con...
Verdict: Unless you can afford a Mazda 3, get one.
Random Stats:Engine: 126 hp, 129 lb-ft torque
EPA Fuel Estimates: 28/35
