Thumbs UP: 2007 Nissan Sentra

Nissan had on display an example of the next generation, 2007 Sentra. The first thing I thought when I came upon the display was, “Hey! Someone used a shrink ray on a Ford Fusion.”. The front of the new Sentra is surprisingly similar to the Fusion. For me that means I am fond of the overall look, since I am fond of the Fusion. On the downside is that from the side view the wheel look a little small.

The 2007 Nissan Sentra
When compared to competitors like the Cobalt or Civic the new Sentra looks a little top heavy and more subcompatish than it should, especially since it’s not a subcompact. The good news is that the Sentra will offer a standard 6-speed manual to go with the 130hp 2.0L 4 banger. The bad news is that’s less than the 140 in the Civic and 145hp in the Cobalt, also considering that most cars are sold with automatics that extra gear on the manual won’t make much difference.

The 2006 Ford Fusion.
Nissan expects to offer the base Sentra for around $15,000 which is right inline with the Civic but $2,000 more than the Cobalt. This is pass-fail so I have to go thumbs up, even with the reservations as while I don’t think it can hang with the two C’s, I do think it is yet another compact that is superior to Toyota’s dull and aging Corolla.