Nissan Sentra

Nissan Sentra
Overview
Manufacturer	Nissan
Production	1982–present
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact (1982-1999) Compact (2000-present)
Layout	FF layout

First generation
Overview
Production	1982-1986
Body and chassis
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon 2-door coupe
Powertrain
Transmission	4-speed manual 5-speed manual 3-speed automatic

Second generation
Overview
Production	1987-1990
Body and chassis
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon 2-door coupe
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 5-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	95.7 in
Length	168.7 in (sedan) 166.5 in (coupe)
Width	64.6 in (sedan) 65.6 in (coupe)
Height	54.3 in 52.2 in (coupe)

Third generation
Overview
Production	1991-1994
Assembly	Smyrna, Tennessee
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan 2-door coupe
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L GA16DE I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	95.7 in
Length	170.3 in
Width	65.7 in
Height	53.0 in

Fourth generation
Overview
Production	1995–1999
Assembly	Smyrna, Tennessee Aguascalientes, Mexico
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L GA16DE 2.0 L SR20DE
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	99.8 in
Length	171.0 in
Width	66.6 in
Height	54.5 in

Fifth generation
Overview
Production	2000–2006
Assembly	Aguascalientes, Mexico
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan
Powertrain
Engine	1.8 L QG18DE I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	99.8 in
Length	177.5 in
Width	67.3 in
Height	55.5 in

Sixth generation
Overview
Production	2007–present
Assembly	Aguascalientes, Mexico
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan
Platform	Nissan C platform
Powertrain
Engine	2.0 L MR20DE I4
Transmission	6-speed manual CVT
Dimensions
Wheelbase	105.7 in
Length	179.8 in
Width	70.5 in
Height	59.5 in

Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V
Overview
Manufacturer	Nissan
Production	2002–2006
Body and chassis
Class	Sport compact
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Powertrain
Engine	2.5 L I4
Dimensions
Curb weight	2710 lb

The Nissan Sentra is a small car made by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan, where it is currently known as Bluebird Sylphy. In some Asian countries, the Sunny name was used on certain versions of the Nissan Pulsar.

In the U.S. the Nissan Sentra currently serves as Nissan/Infiniti's compact model and directly competes with other compact models such as the Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cobalt, Mitsubishi Lancer, Dodge Caliber, and Honda Civic. In the U.S. prices range from $15,000 for a base model to $21,000 for a loaded top-of-the-line Sentra. While previous Sentras were subcompact cars, the Sentra has grown over the years, and now the Nissan Versa has replaced the Sentra in the compact area.

History

The Nissan Sentra was introduced for the 1982 model year as the US export name for the Nissan Sunny. Many other countries in the Americas, including Mexico and Brazil, sell their versions of the Sunny as the Sentra.

B11 (1982-1986)

This subcompact automobile was the first of the Sentras and was a direct replacement for the Datsun 210. While previous Sunnys had been rear-wheel drive, starting with the B11 they now sported front-wheel drive FF layout. The B11 also dropped the A series (OHV) engine in favor of the E15 SOHC engine out of the Datsun 310, and was the first car in the United States to carry the Nissan name solely. In 1983, all Sentras had the E16 as the only option with 4-speed manual as standard with a 3-speed automatic and, in some years, a 5-speed manual, as options. A 1.7-litre CD17 diesel was also available from 1984 to 1987. There were several models of the B11 ranging from the Honeybee, a holdover from the 210 that achieved 35 mpg, or the Deluxe that had air conditioning, Clarion tape deck and dual side mirrors. All Sentras had 4 wheel independent suspension and front disc brakes.

In most markets, this model line was marketed as the Nissan Sunny and was available with 1.3 and 1.5 petrol engines. A five-door wagon (estate car) version was also marketed there too.

B12 (1987-1990)

This generation carried on the multitude of body styles that the B11 had, including station wagon, 2 and 4-door sedans, 3-door hatchback and the Sport Coupe. For 1987, all Sentras but the Sport Coupe came standard with the E16(s) with 69 hp and a 5-speed manual transmission. In 1988, all Sentras had the 70 hp E16(i), which was offered for this year with throttle body injection (TBI). In many parts of the world the E series soldiered on in the B12 chassis with some getting multi-point fuel injection. From 1989 to 1990, the only engine choice was the 90 hp GA16i, a 12-valve SOHC version of the later GA16DE. The B12 carried over the 4-wheel independent suspension from the B11, with 4-wheel disc brakes an option in some parts of the world. This was the start of the now standard model classes having the "E" as the low level economy car, the "XE" as the base model, and the "SE" as the top of the line model. The SE had dual mirrors, air conditioning, and power door locks and windows in some markets. Later in the B12 run the "GXE" was introduced and offered comforts like variable wipers.

The B12 chassis would be the last chassis to offer a station wagon model. Even more rare are the four-wheel drive versions of the station wagon, offered as an option in 1988 and 1989 model years. These models featured an electrically-activated 4WD single-range transfer case to drive the independently-suspended rear wheels, making them selectable 4-wheel-drive and not full-time all-wheel-drive vehicles.

The Sport Coupe was a sportier style of the Sentra. It shared few if any of the body panels with the standard model. It was only available with the E16i or GA16i, and did not receive Nissan's CA18DE that was offered in the Sunny ZX Coupe. All Sport Coupes had dual swaybars, dual remote-adjust mirrors, and a tachometer next to the speedometer. The SE model added features like air conditioning and rear speakers.

B12s are known for reliability and great fuel economy, and are considered by enthusiasts to be good low budget project cars due to interchangeability of parts with other Nissan models.

In Canada, the 4 door sedan been in production until 1993, and was called Sentra Classic to make a difference between the late B12s and the B13s released in 1991. All 1991-93 "Classic" models came with the 70 hp E16i and the choice of two transmissions, 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic.

B13 (1991-1994)

The B13 was the first to offer Nissan's famous and then-new SR20DE engine in the "sporty" two-door SE-R model. Setting subcompact speed records of the time, the Sentra SE-R came with 140hp @ 6400rpm and 132 lb/ft of torque @ 4800rpm. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds. It came with 4-wheel disc brakes and had a MacPherson strut independent suspension. The B13 SE-R has developed a cult following over the years and is still a car of choice among tuners.

The sedan came standard with the 1.6 L GA16DE engine.

B14 (1995-1999)

The Sentra took several backward steps for 1995, such as cheaper interior materials and the permanent loss of an independent rear suspension.

The two-door Sentra was renamed as the 200SX and took the sporty SE-R model with it, though the sedan got all the performance parts back in 1998 with the Sentra SE. The SE sedan came with the same 2.0 liter SR20DE engine as the SE-R.

The B14 was offered several trims, Base, XE, GXE, GLE, SE and also some Special Edition. Base and XE come with 13" wheels, GXE prior to 1998 also included 13" wheels, in 1998 the GXE was upgraded to include 14" wheels and redesigned wheel covers, GLE 14", SE and Special editions, also the 200SX came with 15" alloy rims. The only difference between trims is the GXE and up come with rear seat trunk acess, rear headrests, a grip-assist handle on the passenger side, additional fabric on doors and seats as opposed to vinyl, power windows, locks, mirrors, etc. The GLE, SE, and Special Edition include in some instances leather, rear spoiler and moonroof packages. All trims except the SE have the GA16DE, offering 1.6L, 115 horsepower. The GA16DE engine is less powerful than the SR20DE engine, but still offers quite a punch. Unfortunately, a tachometer was not offered except on the 200SX, leaving drivers of the sedan with "idiot gauges".

The 1998 model year saw a minor redesign of the rear light assembly, primarily the reverse indicator lights. The front grille was changed in 1998 from horizontal bars to a large plastic mesh, in 1999 the front grille was redesigned yet again, this time changed from a grille to an oval hole between the head lights. This generation saw the end of assembly in Smyrna, Tennessee.

B15 (2000-2006)

The Sentra finally crossed over into the "compact" class for 2000, on an all-new platform. Previously, the compact class had been occupied by the Altima, which moved to the mid-size class in 2002, and its wheelbase remained unchanged from the previous generation. Also to be noted is that while earlier Sentras were very similar to their Japan-market B-series Nissan Sunny twins, the B15 Sentra diverged greatly from the B15 Sunny (a.k.a. Nissan Super Sunny). Production shifted from Smyrna, Tennessee to Aguascalientes, Mexico, and the Smyrna production line was retooled to build the Nissan Xterra.The 2000-2001 Sentra SE with the SR20DE occupied the top of the line Sentra until the SE-R's came out in 2002. The 1.6 L engine was dropped in favor of the 1.8 L (126 hp) QG18DE. Numerous upgrades were made over the previous generation. The new model featured a new interior with higher quality plastics and more comfortable seats. The exterior was also substantially updated and now featured body-side moldings and clear headlights. In 2002, a new SE-R (165 hp) was introduced, trading its SR20DE engine for the Altima's torquier but lower-revving QR25DE. The SE-R came in a base model with a 5-speed manual transmission or optional automatic. The SE-R Spec-V (175 hp) featured a 6-speed manual transmission with a helical Torsen limited slip differential. The Spec-V is capable of a 15.4 second quarter-mile, but suffers a relatively slow 7.4 second 0-60 mph time (equal to the B13 SE-R's time) due to extra-short gearing making 60 mph unreachable in second gear. 2004 saw a minor facelift for all Sentras. Gearing was changed in 2004-2006 SE-R Spec V for quicker quarter mile times of 15.2. SE-R's came only in automatic transmission from 2004-2006 and is capable of quarter mile time of 16.0. Nissan also started cost-cutting and took the front stabilizer bar out of 1.8 L models. The 2000-2006 2.0L and 1.8L automatic use the RE4F03B transmission. The 2.5L 2.5S, SE-R automatics use the RE4F03A transmission

C-platform (2007-present)

Nissan introduced the next generation 2007 Sentra at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January. It is larger in every dimension than the B15 model, as the upcoming Nissan Cube takes the subcompact role once filled by the Sentra.[1] It is now based on the Renault-Nissan architecture that is also the basis for the Renault Megane. The EPA now lists the Sentra as a mid-size car.

SE-R Spec-V

2002-2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R

The Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V was the sport compact version of the Nissan Sentra; it was the highest trim level of the Sentra SE. Beginning production in 2002, it had garnered a reputation for its impressive performance within the segment. Its engine was the 2.5 L QR25DE unit originally created for the Nissan Altima. The engine produced 175 hp at 6000 rpm and 180 ft·lbf of torque at 4000 rpm. This power was enough to propel the car to 60 mph from standstill in 7 seconds.

The car came standard with a 6-speed manual transmission with helical Torsen limited slip differential, and 17-inch wheels with performance tires. Perhaps as impressive as the car's quickness was its handling, which was the result of aggressive factory-tuning of the car's suspension and the addition of low-profile tires, which fortunately did not severely harshen the car's smoothness. It also have 280mm X 22mm vented disc for the front brakes and 232mm X 7mm soild disc for the rear or an optional Brembo brakes. Along with a standard race-inspired sporty interior, other optional features at the time included a 300-watt 9-speaker audio system (with an 8-inch subwoofer in the trunk) and a power sunroof. In all, it is a rare car that is still relatively unknown to many, giving it the subsequent sleeper image to those who are familiar with the car. For example, the car appears in the video game Need for Speed Underground and Need for Speed: Underground 2.

Initially, for 2002 and 2003, the SE-R Spec V (along with the SE-R) was given an aggressive front fascia (borrowed from the Skyline GT-R) with side still extensions and rear trunk-mounted spoiler. For the 2004 and 2005 model years, cosmetic changes were made to make the Spec V look like regular Sentras from the front, although it still retained its side-still extensions, rear spoiler, and 17-inch wheels (albeit different ones from 2002 and 2003 models). The 2004 model year also featured a new style of taillight which is somewhat inspired by the Skyline GT-R's quadruple taillights. Other cosmetics added in 2004 that were akin to the Skyline GT-R are the six-spoked wheels, the SE-R gear shift handle, and the availability of Sapphire Blue.

While the SE-R Spec V was considered one of the best valued sports sedans, it had a few serious design flaws that would cause plenty of grief amongst SE-R owners. The most common problem were Intake Manifold "Butterfly" screws being loosened over time and eventually being ingested into the Intake. This would obviously cause a great deal of damage, and there have been plenty of SE-Rs with new engines because of this. The solution adopted by many owners was to use Loctite to force the butterfly screws in place. Nissan later recalled 04 and early 05 models to have a similar procedure performed on the intake manifold. The butter-fly screws were replaced with a new design and had loctite applied during installation, a mesh screen was installed as well incase a screw still became loose. Previous years including some 04 models were refused the recall by Nissan. Other such problems involved the infamous "Pre-Cat" failure. In the exhaust system unburnt fuel that entered the Pre-Cat could potentially ignite, over time bits of the Pre-Catalytic Converter would break off and be sucked back into the engine. The QR25DE has no EGR valve, by design the exhaust valves are left open for a short period of time during the intakes stroke to reburn fuel in the exhaust system, this is when particals from the Pre-Cat have an opportunity to re-enter the engine causing damage. The solution to this by Nissan was to have dealers replace the Pre-Cat with a new Pre-Cat of the same design and making ECU modifications. Many owners have experienced multiple engine failures due to this, others have accused Nissan of simply putting a bandaid on the vehicles till most of their warranties have ran out. Nissan has basically refused to find a solution to this problem. Many owners have again been forced to come up with their own solution which was replacing the OEM exhaust manifold with an aftermarket "cat-less" manifold. This is illegal in many states and is a hassle for most owners because of the difficulty they have when going through inspection. This solved the problem of ingesting pieces of Pre-Cats that come apart over time by removing the Pre-cat entirely. Every year of the SE-R from 2002-2005 has been found to be capable of the same failure...no 2006 models have been reported as of this posting. However, they have had their own problems when Nissan switched the design of the oil rings to save costs. These engines had to be recalled due to multiple engine failures and fires. These failures have also affected all 2.5L Altimas as well.

Nissan introduced a new version of the SE-R to the North American market for the 2007 model year. The SE-R is available in two versions: SE-R base and SE-R Spec V. Both get four wheel disc brakes in place of the standard Sentra's disc/drum setup, unique interior and exterior trim and 18" alloy wheels. Both are powered by the 2.5 liter QR25DE engine. The base model is rated at 177 hp @ 6000 RPM and 172 lb-ft @ 2800 RPM and comes exclusively with Nissan's X-CVT continuously variable transmission. The SE-R Spec V is rated at 200 hp @ 6600 RPM and 180 lb-ft @ 5200 RPM and comes with a 6-speed manual and optional limited-slip differential. The Spec V also gets red seat belts, bigger front brakes and a stiffer suspension.

Name variations

See also: Nissan Pulsar and Nissan Sunny

In countries such as New Zealand, vehicles from both the Nissan Sunny and Nissan Pulsar ranges were marketed as a single model range (With the exception of the Pulsar, which included an NXA model identical to the North American Pulsar), the "Nissan Sentra"—which differed (apart from the station wagon) from the models sold under the same name in the United States.

The Sentra name was adopted in several other countries, such as New Zealand, where it was used for the Nissan Pulsar range from 1986 (though, interestingly, the station wagon version was actually a rebadged Nissan Sunny California). The Sentra name continued to be used in New Zealand for the Pulsar until 1998, just as Almera was used in Europe. After 2002, the Japanese Pulsar name was adopted.

Unlike the North American version, a hatchback was offered; engines offered were 1.4 L, 1.6 L and 2.0 L petrol engines; a diesel was available in Europe. Some even were sold in the Republic of Ireland.

In Taiwan, Yulon has built its licensed version of the Sunny as the Sentra since 1990. The current Taiwan-market Sentra reflects the styling of the Japanese-market Bluebird Sylphy (also the Almera/Pulsar sedan but with a luxury emphasis).

Today, the Philippines also uses the Sentra name for its version of the Pulsar.

File:Nissan tsuru.JPG

1992 Nissan Tsuru

In Mexico, and parts of Central America, the B13 Nissan Sentra is still in production. Called the Nissan Tsuru, it is the same basic car only with minor cosmetic changes and mechanical downgrades to make it cheaper, such as non-power steering, downgraded interior trim, a downgraded braking system, and a mechanical clutch instead of a hydraulic one. More recent models have received a Renault-built hydraulic clutch. Its affordable price made it popular among local taxi drivers.

Awards

The Sentra SE-R was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1991 through 1994. The Sentra SE was on Sport Compact Car magazine's 8 Great Rides for 2001 The Sentra SE-R Spec V was on Sport Compact Car magazine's 8 Great Rides for 2002, 2003, & 2005 The Sentra CA was awarded the California Environmental Protection Agency Award in 2000 The 2007 Sentra was on About.com Cars' Best New Cars of 2007 list

External links

• Official site
• 2007 Nissan Sentra review at About.com
• 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R review at About.com

Enthusiasts sites

• Website for Nissan B/N chassis enthusiasts and Customizers