Thread: SE-RMonkey's review of the 2017 Nissan Sentra SV rental

Dear lord, where to begin? What an awful little car this is. Granted, it is a rental and probably has some hard miles on it, but at just under 19k there are a few things that put this car in the bottom of the barrel.

Most notably it's acceleration, or lack thereof. I suppose all the noise it emits gives the sense of acceleration, but I'm not fooled, this thing is SLOW. Initial tip-in is over eager, and it can get to say 35 without too much drama, but it will not be hurried passed that. The engine literally screams, seemingly without end, in attempts to get up to 60 in a hurry.

The steering is completely numb, and I detect a bit of looseness over bumps somewhere in the gear. Maybe that's there for pseudo feedback?

Brakes? Well, they're there in that it slows down and stops, but no feedback at all. According to a Car and Driver article on the 2016 model, it needed 191 ft to stop from 70 mph. Unacceptable for a modern compact sedan.

The CVT makes a tinny clunk when lifting off/on the throttle while cruising. This wife noted that she could feel it in the floor on the passenger side.

The suspension is overly stiff for no good reason. Note, the tires were inflated to 40 psi, not the recommended 33 psi. Admittedly, they were still good and hot, so I knocked them down to 36 psi which helped, a little. Later tonight when they're cooled I'll knock it down to an accurate 33 psi and see how that is.

There's a rattle in the dash ahead of the steering wheel, but perhaps there could be something in the defrost vent, lost by a previous rentee.

Also, the bottom inch or so of the windshield has a weird angle that appears distorted when looking through it, as though you're looking through a glass bottle.

Anything good? Well, the rear seat and trunk are huge for this class. My son even noted that, sitting in the back seat, the dash seemed much farther away than in the 3. Front seats are fairly comfy, but a tad firm, so long trips might get uncomfortable. When we popped the trunk while taking the dog out to run, she hopped up into it as if she was getting into the Pathfinder. She seemed to like it, but what the hell does she know? She's a dog. Can't even drive.

I also like that it has a a proper head unit with real knobs and a CD player, but that's where it ends.

I don't know exactly what this car stickered at, but it must have been in the ballpark of the base Mazda 3, which in my opinion is a far superior vehicle and driving experience. To put it into context a little better, if the Mazda 3 were a B13 Sentra, this current Sentra would be a Chevy Cavalier of the same vintage. Literally, just awful in comparison.

Sounds like my experience with most rentals, including the C6 'vette.

Our 2008 BMW wagon has real knobs and a CD player. It was no doubt cheaper too.

The C6 = early 90's Cavalier!?

Yah, a base automatic C6 convertible from a rental lot is probably pretty equatable to a 90's cavalier. Same in pretty much every way, save a few zebraforces.

Drove this POS some more last night. There's definitely a feeling of something loose in, or attached to, the steering column when lugging the engine around 1100 rpm's. There's also a bump or bulge in the drivers seat ass cushion, right square in the taint area. I didn't notice it before, but once I did, I found it to be extremely uncomfortable.

I also noticed that it takes some concentration to maintain a constant speed in this thing. Maybe it's the nature of the CVT? Whatever it is, it's rubbish. This car is obviously for people who don't give a shit about cars and just want something that looks new (maybe?) and gets decent fuel mileage. I don't know, it's a mystery to me because there are so many better choices at this price point.

Okay, one feature I do like is the little rubber button on the drivers door handle. If the fob is in the generally proximity you need only push the button to lock or unlock the drivers door. Yay!

Note, this is the "SV" model, which I believe stands for "Shitty Vehicle".

I found the newish (back then it was a 2015) Altima 2.5 SV equally as well.... unsatisfying. Has no soul. These days Nissan is more interested in gimmicks like the "Kicks" and $100k+ GTR's that should have a 6 or 7 speed - but can't get that either.. the only current Nissan I like a lot is the brand new Maxima. The interior is probably the best interior of any Nissan ever made. Go sit in one and you'll see. But of course, CVT only... sigh..

I drove it about 50 miles this morning and I can honestly say that i prefer the driving experience of my1992 Sentra XE auto with 70k miles on it to this abomination, hands down, no kidding. I just can't believe how bad this car really is.

Today I noticed that it shows the time on both the stereo and the gauge cluster, a'la B13. Guess they still haven't worked that out after almost 30 years. (rolls eyes)

OP nit picks new car.
OP nit picks worn out POS B13.
OP rather would drive worn out POS B13.
OP still says everything other than B13 is a POS.

Very confused.


At this rate of OP explanation it is logical he would say a new Porsche, Bentley, Aston Martin, or any new luxury vehicle is a POS and would still drive worn out POS B13.