2016 Nissan Sentra: Finding The Secret Salsa

Of all the cars in existence, I can think of few that are more lowly and humble than a 1998 Nissan Sentra. And yet that’s what sits in my driveway, as it has for the last decade. By the time the Sentra came into my possession, it was already feeling a little long in the hood, but now, it’s veered deep into ancient eyesore territory. There’s a crack that spreads halfway across the windshield, and one in the right rear tail-light. The paint peels off the hubs like they’re abandoned army barracks. The driver’s side window won’t roll down. We disconnected the alarm years ago. It has a cassette player. But other than that time the battery died, it’s run efficiently and well. And with only 85,000 miles on the odometer, it could run another decade as long as we swap out the oil once a year.

I kept all this in mind as I traveled to California to drive the 2016 Sentra, which is three generations and 18 years removed from mine. There were many profound differences. This one had comfortable pleather seats. My Sentra seats resemble dingy Ramada Inn conference room chairs. The new Sentra, at least the one I drove, has a nice padded steering wheel modeled on the one in Nissan’s 370Z cars. My Sentra’s steering wheel has all the thickness and grip of a pie tin. This new one had adjustable lumbar support, for pity’s sake. In 1998, lumbar was just another word for wood. It had a CD player and satellite radio, and I could charge my iPhone via a USB cord. My old Sentra couldn’t charge a 60-watt lightbulb for five seconds.

This 2016 Sentra is a “mid-cycle refresh” for the compact sedan, as Nissan tries to keep pace with segment innovations in the always-uncatchable Toyota Corolla and especially the endlessly mutating Honda Civic. Nissan touted a number of exterior and interior improvements, but frankly, they have a bit of a lipstick-on-a-pig quality to them. No, Nissan, your boomerang headlights don’t give the Sentra a more “premium” appearance, the distinctly average new front fascia isn’t “professional,” and chrome door handles aren’t “sporty.”