2017 Nissan Sentra Review

The base Sentra S comes with 16-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, remote keyless entry, air-conditioning, a height-adjustable driver seat, 60/40-split folding rear seatbacks, a tilt-and-telescoping steering column, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player, a USB port and an auxiliary audio input jack.

Stepping up to the SV gets you keyless entry and ignition, upgraded cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 5-inch driver information screen in the instrument cluster, a 5-inch central touchscreen, a rearview camera, NissanConnect, Bluetooth audio connectivity and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio.

The SR gets 17-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, a sport body kit including a rear spoiler, LED headlights (low beams), foglights, heated mirrors, upgraded cloth upholstery and heated front seats. The SR Turbo adds a more powerful engine, a sport-tuned suspension, recalibrated steering, upgraded front brakes and a sunroof. Both the SR and SR Turbo are available with the Midnight Edition package, which adds black 17-inch wheels, black mirror caps and a black spoiler, as well as special floor mats.

The top-of-the-line SL loses the SR's sport-themed flourishes but adds unique 17-inch alloy wheels plus the rear disc brakes, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, a six-way power driver seat (with power lumbar adjustment), an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a larger 5.8-inch touchscreen with navigation and voice controls. A blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-path alert is also standard.

The All Weather package (SV only) includes heated front seats and heated outside mirrors. The Style package (SV only) adds distinctive 16-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, illuminated vanity mirrors and LED interior lighting.

The SR Premium Technology package starts with the contents of the Style package then tacks on the leather upholstery, power driver seat, auto-dimming mirror and bigger touchscreen with navigation from the SL. You also get adaptive cruise control with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and an eight-speaker Bose audio system. The SR Turbo Premium package includes these same features.

The SL Premium Technology package adds the contents of the Style package (minus the 16-inch wheels) plus adaptive cruise control with autonomous emergency braking and the eight-speaker Bose audio system.

The 2017 Nissan Sentra comes equipped with one of two engines. A 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 130 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque is standard on the S, SV, SR and SL models. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the S, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is optional on that model and standard on all other Sentras.

In Edmunds testing, a Sentra SL accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 10.1 seconds, which is among the slowest times for this class of car.

The new SR Turbo gets a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which puts out 188 hp and 177 lb-ft, mated to a choice of a six-speed manual or a specially calibrated CVT with manual-shift mode.