The 2013 Nissan Sentra compact four-door, redesigned this year along the lines of the hot-selling midsize Altima, got a healthy workout over the long Memorial Day weekend, capped with excellent weather. Our annual circle drive to Wray and Sterling, then two days later a turn the other direction for a couple of high school graduation events, lent a test of more than 450 miles for the Sentra.
In addition to its sleeker look, the new Sentra is more efficient with a small 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission. The ’13 version is a half-inch longer in wheelbase, 2½ inches longer in overall length, has more rear-seat legroom and a larger trunk, yet it is more than 100 pounds lighter.
The SL model I drove, well-equipped with navigation, rearview camera and leather seats (heated in front), carried a moderate price tag of $22,400.
The drive over U.S. 34 to Wray, then on to Sterling and back on I-76, allowed the 2,850-pounder to cruise along at 36-to-37-miles-per-gallon pace. The 130-horsepower engine and CVT transmission carry an EPA fuel-mileage estimate of 30/39.
The Nissan performs very modestly in Normal and Eco mode; by pushing the Sport button, though, throttle response is increased. A blip in performance was, with cruise engaged and maneuvering a series of hills, the CVT cuts the Sentra speed 5 miles per hour at the bottom of the hill, then is slow in regaining speed and by the time it does so, a car behind has either hit its brakes or has begun to pass us.
An interesting feature of the Sentra’s navigation is a sharp audible warning at every decrease-of-speed signpost.
Our lunch at Wray was with Dave and Norma Wagner at the Sandhiller; in the evening we joined Ron, Jeanne and Ruth Davis for dinner in the showroom of Bill’s Motor Co. in Sterling. Well, actually, it is now the Old Town Bistro. Bill’s Motor, for 70 years a Cadillac dealership, was closed a couple years ago and has been remodeled into the restaurant atmosphere.
Sunday we drove to the Budweiser Events Center, where granddaughter Alison Wells was one of 250 graduates from Windsor High School; on to Longmont for a graduation party for Jaedyn Martinez; back to Windsor for Alison’s party. By the time all travels were finished Monday evening, the front-wheel-drive Sentra posted an overall average of 35.3 mpg; the previous model with a 2-liter engine wasn’t capable of that figure.
If the Sentra lacks some in performance against the competition, it regains stature with a refined interior and one of the roomiest rear-seat areas in the compact field. Its trunk space of 15.1 cubic feet matches the Chevy Cruze as one of the largest. Little storage is designed into the center console and the cupholders are positioned so far to the rear of the console that they can be an obstacle for the driver’s elbow.
The Sentra SL rides on 17-inch wheels with Continental 205/50R17 tires.
Addition of navigation, leather interior and carpeted floor mats and trunk mat to the Sentra SL’s base price of $19,760 brought its sticker to a reasonable $22,400. Front, side-impact and curtain airbags are standard, along with antilock brakes, front and rear stabilizer bars, AM/FM/CD/USB audio, dual-zone climate control, power windows/locks/mirrors, push-button ignition, leather-wrapped steering wheel and fog lights.
Base price on the S model, Sentra’s cheapest version, is less than $17,000.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, why do you endorse gas-guzzling, road-hogging, testosterone supplements for those who are a lot short of the hormone? When will you realize and admit to your readers that the 2013 GMC Sierra and its competition is an overpriced market item targeted to many, but required by few? Recently, I drove on Colo. 93 behind a black GMC Sierra with Texas plates where, in stretches, the driver probably accelerated to 80 mph where he could, but always slowed by traffic. Every 10 minutes, the driver flicked a cigarette out the truck’s window. Write about responsibility to the environment and to one’s self for once, and stop promoting these made-in-Mexico ego-enhancing but seldom required or needed pickups. – R.K.H.
A: Well, R.K., I tested a Ram in October 2012 and a Ford F-150 in December ’11, so, along with the recently driven GMC Sierra, that’s three full-size pickups I’ve driven in 17 months. Not exactly “promoting,” as you indicate. However, in the first four months of this year, 600,000 new full-size pickups have been sold in the U.S. Do you think you ought to prescribe choices of vehicle types for those who find pickups so useful?
Saturday Drive can also be viewed online at DenverPost.com/budwells. Bud Wells can be reached via e-mail at bwells@denverpost.com.
