10 Things You Need to Know About the 2016 Nissan Sentra

2016 Nissan Sentra ・ Photo by Nissan

Small sport-utilities and crossovers may be the latest rage, but compact sedans are often where first-time new-car buyers land. After all, once you take care of your huge cellphone bill every month, there’s not much left over for a car. Enter the Nissan Sentra sedan, which for 2016 gets a significant mid-cycle refresh. It starts around $17K and can be optioned up with pretty much all of the entertainment, connectivity and safety tech you’d want. The new technology helps the 2016 Sentra stay relevant with buyers cross-shopping the 2016 Honda Civic and 2017 Hyundai Elantra, both of which received big-time content and tech upgrades recently. Updated styling includes a familial V-shaped grille and boomerang-accented headlamps, bringing the 2016 Sentra into alignment with the new midsize Altima and sporty Maxima sedans.

Last year, the 2015 Sentra was the top-rated compact car in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, which measures problems experienced by owners within the first three months. But the bar has been raised. Expectations of what a small sedan should offer are rising. So, in addition to the new infotainment, safety and driver-assistive technology added for 2016, the new Sentra gets upgraded, soft-touch materials and more soundproofing in the cabin, higher-resolution instrument-panel displays, a 370Z-inspired steering wheel and for the first time, an optional 6-way power driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the 2016 Nissan Sentra sedan.

1) It’s Roomy

Sure, you may live on your phone, but if you reside in an area without decent mass transit, you live IN your car. According to the Environmental Protection Agency which classifies vehicles according to their interior volume, the 2016 Sentra has more space than the Ford Focus sedan, Mazda 3 sedan, Toyota Corolla and the 2017 Hyundai Elantra, falling just 2 cubic feet short of the new Honda Civic sedan. With a total of 111 cubic feet of interior space, the EPA actually lists the compact Sentra as a midsize. And among compact sedans, at 15.1 cubic feet, the 2016 Sentra has one of the roomiest trunks, again besting the luggage compartment room of the Focus, Mazda 3, Corolla and Elantra, and matching the space of the Honda Civic. And the new Sentra offers space for tall items. Folding down the Sentra’s front passenger and rear seats will accommodate a 6-ft ladder inside the vehicle.

2) Tops in Safety

The 2016 Sentra is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, which means it achieves a Good score in the all-important small-overlap front crashworthiness category as well as Good scores for moderate-overlap front and side crashworthiness, roof strength and head restraint and seat performance. Another component important to the 2016 Sentra attaining an IIHS top safety pick is the availability of crash-avoidance technology such as forward collision warning and auto braking, two optional technologies not commonly found in small sedans. As part of a new Technology package on SR and SL trims, the 2016 Sentra’s Forward Emergency Braking system will alert the driver with visual and audio warnings if the system senses that a collision with the vehicle ahead is imminent and will apply the brakes to reduce speed if the driver doesn’t - to reduce the severity of the impact. FEB works up to approximately 22 mph. It’s not available yet in the Focus, Corolla or Cruze.

Photo by Nissan

3) Going the Distance

Optional for the first time on the Sentra is Intelligent Cruise Control. Previously available only in luxury cars or larger, more expensive Nissans such as the Altima and Maxima, ICC allows the driver to set a cruising speed and following distance. Forward-facing radar and a camera “acquire” another vehicle to follow in the traffic lane and will adjust the throttle and apply the brakes as necessary to maintain speed without compromising the set following distance.

4) To Siri with Love

New in the 2016 Sentra is Siri Eyes Free voice recognition. Some folks have Android phones, but for iPhone users, this is a great method of receiving and making calls, reading and sending emails and text messages, asking for directions, setting reminders and cueing up music while keeping both hands safely on the steering wheel. It’s available on all but the base S trim, coming standard on the SV, SR and SL. As for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, however, those technologies are not available yet on Sentra.

5) Shifting Priorities

A lot of drivers are more interested in staying connected to friends and media than getting involved in the nuts and bolts of their cars. But for those who enjoy the precise control and the art of a well-executed shift, Nissan still offers a 6-speed manual transmission in the 2016 Sentra. It’s packaged only in the base S model, so going that rather analog route means much of the latest infotainment, safety and connectivity tech isn’t available, as it is restricted to the higher trim levels. And if you’re interested in the best possible fuel economy, you’re better off getting a Sentra with the Xtronic automatic transmission anyway. Its 2016 EPA estimates of 29 mpg city/38 mpg highway are 2-mpg better than the 6-speed manual version’s. The Xtronic is a continuously variable automatic, which means it doesn’t upshift and downshift gears in steps, but rather allows the engine to run at the most efficient speed for any given throttle position, road speed or road load. In the past, this resulted in a rather disconnected feel and long periods of noisy engine operation during acceleration or climbing grades. But with the 2016 Sentra’s Gen 3 Xtronic with D-step shift logic the transmission provides a more natural feel with programmed in “steps.”

6) Blind-Spot Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert

Let’s just say it’s like having eyes in back of your head. Available as part of a Driver’s Assist package or the SR Premium package, both systems use radar sensors on the outboard ends of the rear fascia to see threats the driver can’t. In the case of the blind-spot system, it can identify and alert the driver as to the closing velocity and immediate proximity of another vehicle hiding from view behind the car or in an adjacent lane obscured by a roof pillar, small side or rear window or head restraint. The rear cross-traffic system can “see” other vehicles or pedestrians hidden from view by other parked cars as the driver backs out of a parking space. Both systems flash visual and audible warnings.

7) Finishing School

All 2016 Sentras receive grippier tires, a more robust intermediate steering shaft and faster steering mapping for improved precision and response. And stiffer springs increase body control and help the Sentra feel more planted on the highway. But SV, SR and SL models also get a new standard Active Understeer Control. This technology uses the Sentra’s stability control and anti-lock brake systems to help sharpen handling when the steering wheel is turned by lightly tapping the inside front brake as the car enters a curve. AUC is so subtle, you won’t feel it working, but maybe think that you’re a much more savvy driver negotiating a curvy stretch of road.

8) Staying Connected

All 2016 Sentra models but the base S trim come with a 6-speaker audio system with a 5-inch or larger color display audio screen and NissanConnect with Mobile Apps for Android or iPhone integration via Bluetooth for streaming Pandora, iHeart Radio, Facebook and Twitter feeds. Included is a hands-free text-messaging assistant and SiriusXM (subscription required). Moving up to NissanConnect with Navigation, standard on SL and optional on SV and SR, adds a 5.8-inch color touchscreen with navigation, voice recognition, SiriusXM Traffic and TravelLink (for fuel prices, movie times, stock prices, sports scores and weather) and a trip advisor and online search powered by Google.

9) Staying Very Connected

Part of the new Technology package optional on the 2016 Sentra SR and SL are NissanConnect services powered by SiriusXM. NissanConnect Services work from your smartphone. For $11.99 per month, the subscription includes features long common on hard-wired systems such as GM’s OnStar, including roadside assistance, maintenance reminders, vehicle diagnostics, service scheduling, a stolen vehicle locator, emergency calling and automatic collision notification. Ante up to the next higher level of service and for $19.99 per month, you gain remote access to your car for things like locking or unlocking the doors and operating the horn or lights (perhaps to find it in a crowded parking lot or scare off an intruder). This tier of services also includes customizable alerts to your phone, say if another driver (teenager or friend) ventures beyond a set speed, time curfew or geographical boundary. There is also a valet mode. For $24.99 per month, the top NissanConnect subscription also will net you a live assisted search, destination downloads and a journey planner sent to your car.

10) Staying Ahead of Inflation

The Easy Fill Tire Alert system made its debut in the 2013 Altima and now it’s standard on the new Sentra SV, SR and SL models. Basically, the system takes the guesswork out of keeping tires at the factory recommended pressure. If a tire’s pressure gets too low, a dash telltale lights and shows which tire or tires need attention. Then, when you’re inflating the tire the headlamps flash to show air is being added and the horn honks once when the correct pressure is reached. You don’t even need a tire pressure gauge.