Beware the Pump
by Scott Corlett
Beware the ides of March no longer applies just to the floor of the Roman senate. Thanks to the machinations of oil company executives, this caution should be plastered on dashboards across the land. Because this March, MMLI years to the day after Julius Caesar ignored that warning, Americans again find that the price of a gallon of regular test starts with a three. Unlike Caesar, Americans are taking action: the sales of gas-guzzling SUVs are falling, while the compact market is springing to life. All hail the four-cylinder.
Just in time for this upheaval in American automotive preferences, the fully redesigned 2007 Nissan Sentra reaches our shore. After first breaking onto the scene in 1982, at the end of the last oil crisis, the Sentra has been a stalwart of the small-car segment. However, this new Sentra is not the dowdy automotive appliance that graced Nissan dealer lots, in one form or another, for the past 25 years. A progeny of the French-Japanese fusion of Renault and Nissan, the new Sentra was styled in California and engineered (partially) in Michigan; rides on a platform and a powertrain inked in Japan; is built in Mexico; and is graced with a flourish of French design notes.
Somewhere along that developmental sojourn (we’re guessing more likely in the USA than in France), the new Sentra gained inches (six to the wheelbase) and passenger volume (now with more than most of its competitors). The sheet metal is simultaneously rounded and cut, which makes the Sentra’s stance both welcoming and dynamic, à la Nissan’s Altima and Maxima. Inside, it seems that the French were given reign: The dash design is uncluttered, with a small LCD screen for fuel level and temperature readouts sandwiched between the twin analog dials of the tachometer and the speedo. And, like on any well-set table in the Castro, there’s a centerpiece (an oversized shift lever on the console) and good cloth (the tactilely-pleasing, class-leading meshy headliner and seat covers).
Under the hood, the old 1.8-liter gives way to a new sixteen-valve, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 140 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque. Although these numbers won’t wow any boy racers, they will keep the Sentra out in front of most other compacts. And, in light of the fabulous fuel economy numbers of 29 in the city and 36 on the highway for Sentras equipped with the optional, silky-smooth CVT transmission, you can’t ask for much more than that. Less compelling are the Sentra’s handling and braking, which are only average for a vehicle in this class. However, the upcoming, 200-hp, enthusiast-oriented SE-R trim should take the ride to another level, perhaps even challenging Mazda’s benchmark Speed 3.
With the introduction of the all-new 2007 Nissan Sentra, you can do your part for global warming in international style. So don’t keep driving that old SUV and hoping for this March gas crunch to pass, because, as Julius Caesar found out, sometimes you pay dearly for failing to take heed. In MMVII, it’s at the pump.
Prices (MSRP)
Sentra Manual $14,750
Sentra CVT $15,550
Sentra S Man $15,650
Sentra S CVT $16,450
Sentra SL CVT $18,400
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