New styling and an all new 34 and 40 mpgUS combined/highway ratings are but two of the upcoming 13 Sentra’s highlights.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Aug 31, 2012
2013 Nissan Sentra – Pricing TBA and sports a 30/40 mpgUS city/highway rating in FE + trim.
Following on the heels of the very thrifty, well appointed and thankfully affordable all-new 2013 Altima plus feature full all-new 2013 Pathfinder, Nissan this morning released details on its upcoming 2013 Sentra. And they are good ones.
To begin, the new Sentra is 150 pounds lighter than the current model meaning a weight range from the base S to the fully loaded SL of approximately 2,750 at 2,850 pounds.
The lighter, more aerodynamic and Xtronic CVT equipped 2013 Sentra is allowing Nissan to use a more fuel-efficient 130 HP 1.8L vs. the 140 HP 2.0L shod in current Sentra’s for possibly “
improved straight-line performance” and a remarkable 13 percent improvement in EPA combined fuel economy.
With the FE+ models, Sentra achieves up to 40 mpg on the highway. Where the Sentra is going to shine is that all models equipped with CVTs achieve a best-in-class EPA rated 34 mpg combined (City and Highway).
Al Castignetti, VP and GM, Nissan North America:
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"With the complete redesign for 2013, Sentra is closer in look and feel to Altima than a typical compact sedan. Like Altima, the new Sentra offers best-in-segment attributes, such as high fuel economy and easy-to-use connectivity."
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Design
The all-new Sentra's incorporates Nissan's signature trapezoid-shaped grille and large wraparound headlights with a twist. It now includes an “Audiesque” LED headlight accents as standard equipment. In the rear, LED taillights are standard.
The new Sentra's chromed beltline has been lowered offering more greenhouse and a new character line has been added that rolls off the front fender flare and finishes at the sculpted rear wraparound taillights and trunklid like no other Sentra before it. On the bottom, a lower sill sculpted cutout adds to its attractiveness.
Other exterior features include chrome door handles and accents, available heated outside mirrors with integrated turn signals, and available sport front and rear fascias and rear spoiler. None of those final pieces were mentioned to help or harm fuel economy.
My name is Sentra and yes indeed I have arrived.
Size and Dimensions
While no actual passenger volume figures were released, Nissan provided a total and cargo volume number of 111.0 cu. ft. Dong the math, the all-new Sentra provides one of the largest interior volumes in the C-segment at 95.9 cu. ft. along with ample rear seat legroom and a whopping 15.1 cu. ft. of cargo volume in what has to be a rather large trunk just missing the “Best-in-Class” Cruze’s 15.4 cu. ft.
The coefficient of drag (Cd) has been significantly reduced to 0.29 from the previous 0.34.
Inside it gets even better
Sentra's new look includes a completely revamped and higher quality interior including soft-touch instrument panel and driver's door armrest, available leather-appointed seating and available Maple wood-tone trim. The instrument panel curves out towards the doors and features what Nissan is calling “Fine Vision electroluminescent gauges” that are backlit even in daylight, providing a high-quality look that is also easy to read.
Rear seat legroom of 37.4 inches is among the largest in class even with the front seats in the rear-most position. We’ll do our standard front to rear comparison of this attribute at the mid-October short lead.
The rear seat is a standard 60/40 split folding design, offering versatile access to the trunk.
C-Segment Competitive Comparisons
| Year | Make | Model | Engine | HP | Torque (lb-ft.) | mpgUS (city/highway) | Weight (lbs) | Wheelbase (in) | Length (in) | Width (in) | Height (in) | Passenger Volume (cu. ft.) | Cargo Volume (cu. ft.) |
| 2013 | Nissan | Sentra | 1.8L | 130 | 128 | 30/40 | 2,750 – 2,850 | 106.3 | 182.1 | 69.3 | 58.9 | 95.9 | 15.1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2013 | Chevrolet | Cruze | 1.8L | 138 | 125 | 22/35 | 3.093 – 3,102 | 105.7 | 181.0 | 70.7 | 58.1 | 95 | 15.4 |
| 2013 | Ford | Focus | 2.0L | 160 | 146 | 27/37 | 2,907 – 2,935 | 104.3 | 178.5 | 71.8 | 57.7 | 90.2 | 13.2 |
| 2013 | Honda | Civic | 1.8L | 140 | 128 | 28/39 | 1,608 – 2,795 | 105.1 | 177.3 | 69.0 | 56.5 | 94.6 | 12.5 |
| 2013 | Hyundai | Elantra | 1.8L | 148 | 131 | 29/40 | 2,661 – 2,877 | 106.3 | 178.3 | 69.9 | 56.5 | 95.6 | 14.8 |
Interior features include front and rear door pockets, front center console with padded armrest and cupholders, rear seat armrest with cupholders, air conditioning with in-cabin microfilter, tilt and telescopic steering column, power windows with driver's one-touch auto up/down with auto reverse, power door locks with auto-locking feature, two auxiliary 12-volt power outlets, remote keyless entry and remote trunk and fuel-filler door releases.
A new Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC) system is offered for the first time with Sentra, allowing the driver or front passengers to set their own individual temperature settings.
Pretty damn sharp looking interior spaces too!
The standard audio system is an AM/FM/CD system with four speakers. Other available systems include a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system with 4.3-inch color display, USB connection for iPod and other compatible devices; and a Bose Premium audio system with eight speakers and an amplifier that has been specially tuned to either the cloth or leather interior for best performance.
Also available is SiriusXM Satellite Radio (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately) and Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System. <-- This could end up shorting the
safety feature list in any comparison as many manufacturers are now including Bluetooth handsfree as standard equipment across their model lineups.
The all-new 2013 Sentra offers a major step forward from the previous generation’s available infotainment technology that helps owners stay connected. An all-new version of the Nissan Navigation system is available along with NissanConnect that includes a Hands-Free Text Messaging Assistant that reads incoming text messages and allows drivers to reply without taking their hands off of the steering wheel.
The system also offers Pandora radio capability, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth and a large 5.8-inch touch-screen display. The Navigation System includes NavTraffic and NavWeather functions (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately), along with POIs powered by Google and Google Send-to-Car functions. The Navigation's map views now features warnings for curves and speed limit information.
Other available technology ranges from the RearView Monitor and Nissan Intelligent Key with illuminated push-button ignition switch to the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with Easy Fill Tire Alert feature. If air is being added or removed from a tire, the system signals the user when the recommended tire pressure has been reached by sounding the horn.
Drivetrain
The new Sentra features an all-new 130 HP and 128 lb-ft. of torque 1.8L engine is mated to Nissans latest iteration of its wide ratio Xtronic CVT transmission.
The engine's internal friction has been reduced by using a Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating on the pistons creates about half the friction of previous surface add-ons. A new one I have not heard of before includes valve springs are shaped similar to a beehive, with a smaller diameter towards the top – reducing inertia weight, improving valvetrain efficiency and smoothing engine operation. The engine is rated at 130 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque.
The all-new Xtronic CVT is available across the model range with the
6-speed manual standard on the base Sentra S. The new CVT features a host of enhancements that contribute to an improvement in fuel efficiency and lower vehicle weight. It also offers a
wider gear ratio of 7.3:1 through use of a sub-planetary gear and smaller pulleys, resulting in high-speed fuel efficiency at low rpm and responsive acceleration.
Chassis
The new Sentra like most in its class (Mazda 3 excluded) features an independent strut front suspension with stabilizer bar and a torsion beam rear end, also with an integrated stabilizer bar. Power-assisted vented front disc/
rear drum (not good
) braking system is standard equipment whereas 4-wheel discs are available on higher trims. Available wheels and tires include 16-inch steel wheels with full covers with 205/55R16 size all-season tires or 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with 205/50R17 all-season tires.
In addition to the Sentra S’ limited standard features, the SV adds cruise control, two additional speakers, illuminated steering wheel audio controls, vehicle security system and premium cloth seating and door trim.
The Sentra SR adds a sportier appearance, starting with 17-inch forked 5-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, sport front and rear fascias, sport front grille, lower body side sill extensions, rear spoiler with integrated LED brake light, fog lights and chrome exhaust tip finisher. Inside, the Sentra SR includes sport silver interior trim, premium sport cloth seats and driver's seatback pocket.
The top-of-the-line Sentra SL adds 17-inch split 7-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, Smart Auto headlights, fog lights, heated outside mirrors with integrated LED turn signals, Nissan Intelligent Key, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, 6-speaker audio system with 4.3-inch display, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately).
Additional Sentra SL equipment includes leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever knob, Maple wood-tone trim, Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC), Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with Easy Fill Tire Alert and more.
Early Conclusions
The 2013 Nissan Sentra S and SV are available in an FE+ trim providing another 1 mpg city and highway rating. It will be very interesting to discover what Nissan did to provide another 1 mpg on the city cycle?
With the 2013 Nissan Altima providing a stunning 64.6 mpgUS run for an automatic using basic and intermediate techniques on a 114 + mile round trip in TN a few months back, the all-new Sentra could prove to be even more mind blowing.
2013 Altima provides. The 2013 Sentra should provide a lot more
All in, it is great to see Nissan bringing their A-Game to the segment. New Altima, Sentra and Versa are going to make the B, C and D-segments all the more competitive while providing consumers greater choice with the latest features and greater fuel economy to keep the fuel bills at bay for the entire time they own the vehicle. Oh this is going to be fun
And aren’t these media shots drop dead gorgeous? I have to speak with the photographer and find out where they were taken and what he was using. Absolutely beautiful.
Sir, your all-new 2013 Sentra has arrived
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