2013 Nissan Sentra

Nissan Sentra Sheds Power and Weight for 2013

Nissan North America2013 Nissan Sentra SL.

On Friday evening, against the somewhat incongruous backdrop of Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Nissan will unveil the 2013 Sentra compact sedan. The setting was chosen, Nissan said, to dovetail with the automaker’s status as the presenting sponsor of the Heisman Trophy and Saturday’s prime-time N.C.A.A. football match-up between the Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide.
All but unveiled in April at the Beijing motor show as the Asian-market Sylphy, the Sentra trades the notchy, stunted look of its predecessor for a more sinuous design. It bears a sharp character line just below the windows, stretching from headlight to taillight, much in keeping with its competitors from Korea. Call it the Elantra effect.

Nissan North AmericaInterior volume is virtually identical to that of the outgoing model.

Though wheelbase has grown less than an inch, the 2013 car appears notably longer than its predecessor because overall length has increased by 2.3 inches. Interior volume is virtually unchanged, but Nissan says the cabin is optimized to provide rear passengers with more legroom.
The 2-liter engine of its predecessor has been swapped out for a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder unit, which is designed to deliver quicker, more efficient combustion, though it shed 10 horsepower in transition, settling at 130. The sacrificed power may not be missed, however, given the car also lost more than 150 pounds, according to Nissan.
When equipped with a continuously variable transmission, the Sentra returns 39 miles per gallon on the highway and 30 m.p.g. in the city, Nissan claims. Not unlike the Chevy Cruze and Ford Focus, Nissan offers an efficiency trim package, FE+, said to raise the highway figure to a highly marketable 40 m.p.g.
The automaker did not indicate when or whether an SE-R or SE-R Spec V, two sport-tuned, more powerful versions of the Sentra in the mold of the Honda Civic Si, would be available. Initially, the sporting quotient will be limited to appearances, with the SR package offering the typical buffet of revised front and rear fascias, side skirts, fog lamps and larger wheels.
The base Sentra S is equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. All other trim levels receive the CVT as standard equipment.
Pricing for the 2013 Sentra will be announced closer to its sale date this fall.