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Eric's Autos: Reviewing the 2015 Nissan Sentra

Eric Peters on

Sedans are becoming the red-headed stepchildren of the new car market. They're losing ground to the rising tide of crossovers - which are the same basic thing except they ride higher and have hatchbacks rather than trunks - and so usually have much more room for stuff. People seem to really like crossovers.

I was thinking these thoughts as I drove around in the '15 Nissan Sentra - closing in on three years since its last major update back in 2012 (for the '13 model year). Between then and now, a great deal has changed.

There are a dozen or more new crossover models on the market that did not even exist back in '12 - including a whole new class of them (subcompact crossovers like the '16 Honda HR-V I just reviewed; see here) that are pillaging sales away from sedans, including the Sentra. It's easy to understand why this is happening.

The HR-V, for instance, is smaller on the outside - but in every category except headroom, it is roomier on the inside. It has almost four times the cargo space (about 50 cubic feet vs. 15.1 for the Sentra). So, why would anyone even consider a sedan like this Sentra?

Well, there's price. The raging popularity of crossovers means dealers are charging - and getting - top dollar. The base price of the HR-V, for example, is $19,115 vs. $16,480 for the Sentra. And bet your bippie you'll pay close to full sticker for the former while there is plenty of room to haggle on the latter.

It - the Sentra - also gets better gas mileage, as much as 40 MPG on the highway vs. a best-case 35 MPG for the HR-V (sedans being generally lighter and having better aerodynamics). And of course, some people still like sedans. The extra headroom's a nice plus, too.

 

WHAT IT IS

The Sentra is Nissan's compact sedan, in the same general class as rivals like the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mazda3 and Ford Focus.

Historically, the Sentra has been one of the sportier models in this class - and so a distinct alternative to economy-minded compact sedans like the Corolla.

But Nissan has decided that a larger - and more fuel-efficient - Sentra will resonate more with buyers. So the current model stretches to within a tick of mid-sized interior space and delivers as much as 40 MPG on the highway, too. This is about 5 MPG better, incidentally, than a subcompact crossover like the '16 Honda HR-V gives you.

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