Auto review: The 2022 Nissan Sentra is the perfect antidote for escalating new car prices

Irrespective of the evangelizing initiatives of environmentalists touting alternate kinds of transportation these as public transit or motor vehicle-sharing, what Americans proceed to want is their have motor vehicles. Automobiles, SUVs, vehicles and minivans sustain their magical grip on our creativeness.

And you don’t have to pay out a king’s ransom to get a sedan that’s straightforward to travel and park. May possibly I counsel a 2022 Nissan Sentra? Possessing been redesigned for 2020, the Nissan Sentra will come in ascending S, SV and SR trim concentrations, with rates starting up at $19,610. The best-of-the-line SR take a look at car or truck begun at $22,200. If that nonetheless appears like a great deal, take into account that the average new auto expenditures $47,077, according to Kelley Blue Guide. And there is small reduction if you are opting for a utilised car or truck. KBB claimed the common utilized vehicle set again potential buyers $27,569.

The properly loaded Sentra SR I drove previous week price tag $27,615, and it integrated the expected niceties this kind of as power locks/windows/mirrors and driver’s seat with electrical power lumbar, together with fairly a few options you may not, this sort of as heated front seats, heated steering wheel, Bose 8-speaker audio technique, and faux leather-based seat trim.

Two new packages have been included for 2022. A new Midnight Version Package deal consists of black-painted grille, rear spoiler and rear diffuser, black exterior badging and black 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. Also readily available is a new All-Weather Offer for the SV grade, with dual zone automated local climate command, heated entrance seats, heated steering wheel and distant engine start out.

And it was dressed in really attractive threads, with a black and white paint plan that manufactured it look like a Nissan Maxima that was inadvertently washed in hot drinking water. It was accented by Nissan’s trademark V-Motion grille and attractive 18-inch black alloy wheels. This could be a little car or truck, but you won’t be ashamed pulling up although driving the wheel. Usually, automobiles in this class are dowdy and inconspicuous — just examine out a 2016 Sentra. This new one is considerably additional fetching, with a fashion that needs no apologies.

But it is a tiny car, and its infotainment monitor is on the smaller end of acceptability at 8 inches, but it nonetheless is effective very well sufficient, and contains Apple CarPlay, Android Automobile, SiriusXM Radio and Bluetooth. The SR trim stage also will come with a front USB-A and USB-C ports, as perfectly as a rear USB-A port. Nonetheless, a scaled-down 7-inch touchscreen is normal on the Sentra S, even though SV and SR trims get the bigger 8-inch touchscreen. It also will come with the NIssanConnect application that makes it possible for you to remotely lock or unlock your car, get roadside help and remotely start your auto from your smartphone.

Regardless of which trim level you decide on, you will get the exact same driveline: a double-overhead-cam 2.-liter 4-cylinder motor mated to a continuously variable computerized transmission generating 149 horsepower by way of the entrance wheels. And most potential buyers will take pleasure in the in depth record of common security gear, including computerized emergency braking with pedestrian detection, ahead collision warning, rear computerized braking, blind location warning, rear cross website traffic warn, lane departure warning, higher beam aid and a rear-view keep track of.

As soon as guiding the wheel, you’ll come across the Sentra to have properly weighted steering that returns some street really feel, with some entire body lean in corners, nimble managing and a easily compliant experience for day by day driving drudgery many thanks to its impartial rear suspension. Braking is impressive as very well. But even in sporty SR trim, you will not find the joie de vie of a Honda Civic or Mazda 3. But it is comparable to a Toyota Corolla, and some other modest sedans and is however impressively enjoyable to travel. Only hardline lovers will feel let down and wish for additional horsepower. Gas economic climate was outstanding at 32 mpg.

The interior is roomy, with upscale detailing this sort of as stitching on the flat-bottom steering wheel, shifter cover, together the instrument panel seams, centre console and seats. Gentle-touch elements are a good contrast to the hard plastic utilized somewhere else, offset by distinct round air vents.

Seats are cozy, but support is lacking in excess of extended drives. And legroom is generous both of those entrance and rear. And let us not fail to remember the sizable trunk, which steps practically 15 cubic ft, although the trunk lid’s gooseneck hinges intrude on all round room. Thankfully, the rear seats fold to expand the cargo area if wanted.

In an age when headlines preserve reminding individuals that cars are unaffordable, the 2022 Nissan Sentra proves to be the best antidote, a car or truck that expenses a lot less than the common utilized automobile, and in most trims expenditures just about significantly less than 50 percent of the value of a new 1.