2024 Volkswagen Jetta 1.5T SEL vs. 2024 Nissan Sentra SR: A small sedan scrum.
this week: 2024 Nissan Sentra SR.
price: $27,835 as tested. The Premium Package adds a sunroof, power driver seat, around-view monitor, and 8-speaker Bose premium audio for $2,490.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver magazine praised the “standard safety features, comfortable front seats, and affordable optional equipment that are not skimped on,” and added, “With little modification to the back of the show, the raucous power… Train and Rivals are much more fun to drive.''
catch up: Last week, we drove around in a Volkswagen Jetta. This car moved well, was reasonably fun to drive, and had good gas mileage. How does it compare to Sentra?
Marketer's suggestions: “More action.”
reality: To be honest, I didn't set out to make this comparison exhaustively. I forgot about the details of the reviews and chose it based on price and size.
competition: In addition to the Jetta, there's also the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, Kia Forte, Hyundai Elantra, Subaru Impreza, and Toyota Corolla.
what's new: The Sentra features a new front fascia and redesigned headlights, as well as a redesigned continuously variable transmission (CVT) for improved shifting and fuel economy.
speed up: The 2-liter four-cylinder engine produces 149 horsepower, and the little sedan gets around town with gusto.
In fact, it's a little too energetic to move around the driveway. It was horribly jerky at first, so make sure you're familiar with the idle setting, or whatever kids call it these days. (The Jetta had its own jerkiness, but this seemed next level.) But like the Jetta and I, we adapted to each other.
In any case, the “cheeriness” of a small car can be an illusion. A lot of bad things can happen between 30 and 80 mph when you're driving low to the ground.
Edmunds said the Sentra takes a whopping 8.8 seconds to reach 60 mph. Jetta shaved almost 2 seconds off his 0-60 time with 10 more horses.
Also, the Sentra didn't have a sport mode, only normal or eco.
Shifty: Much of the power is consumed by the CVT as there are no real shifting options. I could feel the engine starting to come under hard acceleration, but then, no, I had to avoid the redline.
on the road: The Sentra handles as matter-of-factly as it accelerates. There's nothing fun about curves, and highway seams can hit a little hard.
driving seat: Nissan makes comfortable seats, and the Sentra is no exception. However, the driver's seat feels quite narrow. I'm sure tall people won't be happy with the headroom.
The gauges are small and the speedometer is not very noticeable. If it weren't for the digital speed setting in the center display selection, I would have no idea how fast I was going.
Friends etc: I was worried that the back row would be too tight due to the cramped feeling in the front seats, but that was not the case. The seats weren't wide, but no worse than most vehicles in this class, even the Jetta.
Intrusion into the console is minimal and the hump isn't too high either, sparing the middle passenger the pile of humiliation he often has to endure.
Cargo space is 14.3 cubic feet.
Play some songs: The eight-speaker Bose stereo's sound is B-grade or slightly lower. There is no problem with playback, but you don't need to adjust it too much. Advantage Jetta.
It's very easy to operate using a knob, touchscreen, and a few buttons, but there are a few steps you need to take to start CarPlay and then adjust the sound.
Keep warm and cool: We drove this vehicle on the coldest day of 2023, and the HVAC and seat heaters did an excellent job of keeping the occupants warm.
Operation is simple, with a dial for temperature and buttons for everything else. A small display panel lets you see what's going on separately from the main infotainment screen.
Also, the round vents make it easy to adjust and close.
Fuel consumption: We averaged about 29mpg during a relatively calm test week on trips from the countryside and central Chester County to King of Prussia. My driving can be tough and fast, but I doubt that greener driving would improve the Sentra's gas mileage to anywhere near his 38 that the Jetta showed.
Where it will be built: Aguascalientes, Mexico.
How to build: Consumer Reports gives the Sentra a 42 out of 100 for reliability, much higher than the Jetta, but still not better.
lastly: If I had to choose, I'd definitely go for the Jetta, even with the reliability reports. It simply makes the ride more comfortable.
However, in the category, Corolla. Hybrid or PHEV Prius. Alternatively, an all-wheel drive Impreza would be the preferred choice.
