LOS ANGELES — 2015 is being called the “Year of the Sedan” by automotive insiders. Nissan responded by taking the wraps off its 2016 Sentra compact sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
“Compact customers want everything that larger customers and luxury customers want but they won’t settle for less,” said Tony Baehner with Nissan product planning. “We’ve redeveloped the new Sentra from the outside in and from the ground up. First thing you notice is the exterior styling of the car. That includes the V-motion grille, the boomerang headlamps and tail lamps bring it more in line with the older siblings–the Maxima and the Altima.”
New safety technologies include NissanConnect Services powered by SiriusXM. It offers emergency preparedness, remote access, customizable alerts and convenience services. Also new for 2016 is Siri Eyes Free™ Voice Recognition, which makes it easy to make and receive calls, read and send text messages and emails.
“Inside the vehicle, we refreshed it with a new steering wheel, meter display, new interior colors,” Baehner explained. “There’s a lot of new, advanced technology on this car. The Sentra has a good history of its dependability, its reliability, fuel efficiency. The new vehicle delivers on all of those items as well.”
All 2016 Sentra models will come with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 130 horsepower and 128 lb.-ft. of torque. A six-speed manual transmission model will also be available.
“In the vain of talking about hits and misses for instance, product has become so good now that if you look at product now vs. 10 years ago, almost any car you get is going to last you 150,000 miles or 200,000 miles,” said Akshay Anand,” a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “We’re just looking at a lot of good product.”
Blue Pearl is a new exterior paint color being offered for the first time. The Sentra also comes in nine other colors: Red Alert (SR grade only), Brilliant Silver, Super Black, Aspen White (premium charge), Gun Metallic, Graphite Blue, Titanium, Cayenne Red and Fresh Powder.
Pricing on the new 2016 Nissan Sentra starts at $16,780 and goes up from there. It will be assembled in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
> Watch our video report on the 2016 Nissan Sentra at the L.A. Auto Show
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The new Sentra comes with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine. (Photo by Jason Rzucidlo/AmericaJR.com)
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It comes with a new steering wheel and Siri Eyes Free voice recognition. (Photo by Jason Rzucidlo/AmericaJR.com)
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Another new feature is rear cross traffic alert. (Photo by Jason Rzucidlo/AmericaJR.com)