FE+ SV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
FE+ SV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
FE+ SV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
FE+ SV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
FE+ SV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl CVT)
The 2014 Nissan Sentra is more about the comfort and style that it offers at such a lower price range. That doesn't mean that it is not a powerful vehicle. It is equipped with a 1.8 liter 130 hp engine that provides decent overall performance.
The 2014 Nissan Sentra is a midsize sedan that is powered by a 1.8 liter inline-4 making 130hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. The Sentra comes with adequate power for daily driving. With the CVT transmission option, the Sentra does have good fuel economy as well. The interior is functional over fancy, but is comfortable and offers the basics required by everyone. Leather is available in the higher trims as are automatic air conditioning and wood accents. Nissan prices all this at a starting MSRP of 16,815, bringing it into direct competition with Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, and Hyundai Elantra.
The Nissan Sentra comes in 4-trim levels - S, SV, SR, and SL. All the trims feature a 1.8 liter inline-4 which makes 130hp. The S and SV have variants called the FE+, they have all the same features as the S and SV trim, but their engine is tuned to give better mpg figures and come with the option of CVT only.
Trim |
S |
SV |
SR |
SL |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSRP |
$16,815 |
$18,365 |
$20,645 |
$20,465 |
Key Features |
6-way driver seat |
Upgraded cloth upholstery |
Premium cloth interior |
Includes SV and driver’s package |
Air-conditioning |
6-speaker sound system |
17-inch alloy wheels |
17-inch wheels |
|
4-speaker sound system |
Audio and cruise control steering wheel buttons |
Rear spoiler |
Fog lights |
|
CD player |
Available optional driver’s package |
Available optional driver’s package |
Dual-zone climate control |
|
Auxiliary jack |
Wood tone accents |
|||
16” steel wheels |
We Recommend
We recommend getting the SV trim because of the available features and the optional driver’s package, which adds additional comfort to the car. We would recommend getting the FE+ version as it does not add much to the price but saves you money in the long run when you spend on fuel.
The Nissan Sentra is powered by a 1.8 liter inline-4, which makes 130hp and 128 lb-ft of torque. The base is powered by a 6-speed manual transmission with an option of a continuously variable transmission. The other Sentra trims all have CVT as a standard transmission.
In performance tests, the Nissan Sentra does the 0-60 sprint in 9.1 seconds and the standing quarter-mile in 17.1 seconds. It will continue to its top speed of 127 mph. When equipped with a CVT, the Sentra does a 0-60 sprint of 9.4 seconds and a quarter-mile of 17.2 seconds.
Model |
Nissan Sentra |
Chevrolet Cruze |
Honda Civic |
Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSRP |
$16,815 |
$17,520 |
$18,390 |
$17,200 |
Engine |
1.8-liter inline 4 |
1.8-liter inline 4 |
1.8-liter inline 4 |
1.8-liter inline 4 |
Drivetrain |
FWD |
FWD |
FWD |
FWD |
Transmission |
6-speed Manual |
6-speed Manual |
5-speed Manual |
6-speed Manual |
Power |
130 hp @ 6000 rpm |
138 hp @ 6300 rpm |
143 hp @ 6500 rpm |
145 hp @ 6500 rpm |
Torque |
128 lb.-ft. @ 3600 rpm |
125 lb.-ft. @ 3800 rpm |
129 lb.-ft. @ 4300 rpm |
130 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm |
0-60mph (sec) |
9.1 |
9.5 |
8.3 |
8.3 |
Quarter-mile (sec) |
17.1 |
17.4 |
16.8 |
16.8 |
Top Speed (mph) |
127 |
125 |
130 |
121 |
The most powerful of the above cars is the Hyundai Elantra making 145 hp. Then comes the Honda Civic making 143 hp, followed by the Chevrolet Cruze making 138 hp, and then comes the Nissan Sentra making 130 hp. In the performance tests, the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra are the fastest in the 0 to 60 sprint with times of 8.3 seconds. Then comes the Nissan Sentra at the time of 9.1 seconds, followed by the Chevrolet Cruze at the time of 9.5 seconds.
The Nissan Sentra offers 27 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway, and a combined mpg of 30. It comes with a full capacity of 13.2 gallons, which allows it to have a range of 356 miles in the setting, 475 miles on the highway, and a combined range of 396 miles. When equipped with the CVT transmission, the mpg numbers improve to 30/39/34 in the city/highway/combined, respectively. There are also FE+ variants of the S and SV trim, which are focused on giving a better fuel economy. These variants give 1 mpg more on the highway.
Model |
Nissan Sentra |
Chevrolet Cruze |
Honda Civic |
Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
MPG (city) |
27 |
25 |
28 |
27 |
MPG (Highway) |
36 |
36 |
36 |
37 |
MPG (Combined) |
30 |
29 |
31 |
32 |
Fuel Capacity (gallons) |
13.2 gal. |
15.6 gal. |
13.2 gal. |
12.8 gal. |
Range (city/highway/combined) |
356/475/396 |
390/562/452 |
370/475/409 |
358/486/409 |
The most combined range is offered by the Chevrolet Cruze with 452 miles. Following this is the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra, both giving a combined range of 409 miles, and then comes the Nissan Sentra with a range of 396 miles combined. The larger fuel tank of the Chevrolet Cruze gives it the edge when it comes to range.
The interior of the Nissan Sentra can seat five occupants comfortably across the two rows. The front seats are a 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat and a 4-way manually adjustable front passenger’s seat. The option of power seats is not available in the Sentra, but you can get heated front seats when you select the leather package.
The interior upholstery on the base trim is cloth. As you go higher in the trims, the quality of the cloth improves. The leather package does add leather seat upholstery to the car and is available on the SL trim only. The Sentra has a cargo capacity of 15.1 cu.ft. and is extendable by folding the rear seats.
Model |
Nissan Sentra |
Chevrolet Cruze |
Honda Civic |
Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Front Row (Head/Shoulder/Legroom) |
39.4/54.7/42.5 |
39.3/54.8/42.3 |
39/56.6/42 |
40/55.9/43.6 |
Rear Row (Head/Shoulder/Legroom) |
36.7/53.9/37.4 |
37.9/53.9/35.4 |
37.1/53.3/36.2 |
37.1/54.8/33.1 |
Cargo Capacity |
15.1 |
15 |
12.5 |
14.8 |
In terms of front legroom, the above sedans are similar to one another. In terms of the rear legroom, the most offered by the Nissan Sentra offers 37.4 inches. When talking about headroom in the first row, all the sedans are close but Elantra is marginally better and offers 40 inches. The Nissan Sentra has a trunk space of 16.1 cu.ft, most of the above cars. Few key interior features include-
The base Nissan Sentra did not come with an infotainment system. It came with a radio with a 4-speaker sound system, CD play, and Auxiliary input. The SR trim adds a 6-speaker sound system. The SR finally gets a 4.3-inch color display with Bluetooth and satellite radio.
There are a lot of optional extras in this department, including a larger 5.8-inch touchscreen, voice recognition, Bluetooth audio connectivity, and NissanConnect app integration. Major infotainment features include-
The exterior of the Nissan Sentra is like every other sedan on the road. The headlights, which are typical Nissan, are found on the car and the base comes with 16” steel wheels. The biggest set of wheels on offer for the Nissan Sentra is a set of 17” wheels which are found on the SR and SL trims.
The other exterior features include LED lights, fog lamps which are found only on the top-end SL trim but are available as an optional extra on the other trims. There are also heated exterior mirrors as an optional extra on the lower trims and only comes standard on the top-of-the-line SL trim.
Model |
13.2 gal. |
Chevrolet Cruze |
Honda Civic |
Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Curb weight (lbs) |
2832 lbs. |
3084 lbs. |
2754 lbs. |
2773 lbs. |
Length (in.) |
182 in. |
181 in. |
179 in. |
179 in. |
width (in.) |
69 in. |
70.7 in. |
69 in. |
67 in. |
height (in.) |
59 in. |
58 in. |
57 in. |
56 in. |
Ground Clearance (in) |
6.4 |
— |
— |
5.3 |
Wheelbase (in.) |
106.3 in. |
105.7 in. |
105.1 in. |
106.3 in. |
The exterior of the Nissan Sentra is similar to the other sedans in dimensions, just an inch or two separates them. However, a big difference does come in the form of curb weight, where the Nissan Sentra is in the middle, however, leans towards the lighter side of the scales. Chevrolet Cruze stands heaviest on the table. Some standout exterior features include-
The 2014 Nissan Sentra got an overall 4-star safety rating out of a possible 5-stars from the NHTSA. The IIHS has given it many “Good” scores in its tests but also has a “Marginal” and “Poor” test score in some areas. It did not get a top safety pick award from the IIHS. However, the Sentra comes with many safety features installed on the sedan as stock, some of these safety features are:
The 2014 Nissan Sentra is a good affordable daily driver sedan. It comes with a fuel economy version, which gives better mpg numbers and also range. The interior is good and the technology is available but only on the higher trims. The good part is that it also has good safety features and comes at an affordable price, making it a good option when you are looking for a mid-size everyday driving sedan.