2010 Nissan Sentra

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• Exterior
• Interior
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Interior - What the Auto Press Says

Although test drivers could do with fewer plastics, the Sentra's interior remains one of their favorites for its comfortable front seats, innovative stowage options and impressive list of available features.

• "The cabin makes good use of textured surfaces, but most plastics throughout the cabin are hard and unyielding. The few padded surfaces are either wafer thin or too hard to be comfortable for extended periods of time." -- Consumer Guide
• "Inside, the...Sentra carries over Nissan's modern industrial design, with well-placed controls and decent materials. The cabin is spacious, comfortably accommodating taller adults in any seat. Though some may disagree with that look, most will admit the cabin is functional, thanks to well-placed intuitive controls and plentiful storage bins." -- Edmunds
• "For all this sensible design, the Sentra's interior is let down by the plastics that abound, even in areas where cost-cutters should know better, such as the door armrests and center stack. When will they learn that a 19-cent piece of rubberized mat to line a storage tray goes a long way toward imbuing a perception of quality when it prevents sunglasses and coins from scraping and grinding in the tray with every turn of a corner?" -- Washington Times

Seating

As is the case with most affordable small cars, the front seats in the 2010 Sentra are comfortable, but the rear seats are less impressive comfort-wise and somewhat cramped for adults. If rear-seat comfort is important to you, check out the Nissan Versa. Though it comes with fewer features, it boasts a very comfortable cabin costs $3,000 less than the Sentra.

• "Well-contoured front seats are matched with a 60/40 split-folding rear bench that's fit for two average-size adults or three medium-size kids." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The cabin is spacious, comfortably accomodating taller adults in any seat." -- Edmunds
• "Sentra offers sufficient headroom and legroom for six-footers. Seat comfort is good, though some occupants will want more lumbar support. The rear seat is only comfortable for short trips with no more than two medium-sized adults aboard. Head clearance is adequate for six-footers, though knee space is cramped even with front seats well forward. Narrow door sills hamper entry and exit. " -- Consumer Guide

Interior Features

As a step up for 2010, all Sentra trims get new, higher quality cloth seats and leather is now optional for the SL trim. Nissan's list of both standard and optional features is extensive depending on the trim. Features like air-conditioning, a tilt-steering column and an auxilarly 12-volt DC power outlet come standard on all trims while more upscale options are offered on the higer level trims such as a keyless ignition system, XM Satelite Radio, iPod or USB interface and a rearview monitor to help make backing up and parking easy as pie. A navigation package is available as an option on the SL, SE-R and SE-R Spec V trims for a surprisingly affordable $400. It includes a five-inch color touch-screen and XM real-time traffic.

• "Tempting list of optional goodies." -- Car and Driver
• "The architecture of the dashboard and center console is superb, highlighted by clean round gauges directly in front of you, with a logical and well-executed radio and climate-control site plan. It all works in plain and easy fashion." -- Washington Times
• "Control layouts are good and main gauges easy to read, but the charcoal-and-orange LCD displays for the fuel and temperature indicators and audio and air conditioning readouts suffer legibility problems." -- Kelley Blue Book

Cargo

Reviewers are impressed with the Sentra's plentiful storage options and ample cargo space. They particularly like its "Divide-N-Hide" trunk, which creates an additional hidden storage area. The Sentra's rear seats feature a 60/40 split design that folds well into the floor for more space.

• "Storage within the cabin is convenient, with several generous bins. Trunk space is also good, with an available 13.1 cubic feet." -- Edmunds
• "Offers more space for both people and their carry-ons than most of its competitors" -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The divider can be removed which creates class-competitive trunk space. Flip-forward rear seat cushions and fold-flat rear seatbacks create convenient loading deck for bulky items. Good in-cabin storage includes an available portable CD holder that integrates with the headliner behind the sun visor." -- Consumer Guide