Two months after bringing the Juke’s 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine to the Sentra lineup, Nissan is one-upping the Sentra SR Turbo with the 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO.
It’s been three years since Nissan showcased a Sentra NISMO concept at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, but the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show sees the arrival of a production version that is, according to Nissan, more than just a bodykit.
In this case, NISMO also means a stiffened structure, unique suspension tuning, and the requisite exterior upgrades.
The Sentra NISMO’s powertrain remains the same direct-injection turbo from the recently introduced SR Turbo.
“It was important to offer a six-speed manual transmission with the new Sentra NISMO, both to reinforce its pure performance credentials and to up the direct engagement factor between driver and the vehicle,” said Nissan’s vice president of product planning, Michael Bunce. Nissan, in very Nissan-like fashion, will still make available a continuously variable transmission.
Special to the Sentra NISMO are differentiated side sills, fascia, and spoiler, NISMO exhaust, dark chrome door handles, black mirrors, and signature NISMO red stripes. Inside, NISMO badging abounds, but the seats offer more side bolstering, so it’s not all cosmetics.
Nissan distinguishes the NISMO from the new SR Turbo with a ride height that’s been lowered by 0.4 inches, 18-inch wheels with 215/45R18 Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, a thicker cowl, reinforced floor and rear parcel shelf.
Presumably named after one of two dogs owned by TTAC’s managing editor, the 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO is expected to arrive at dealers in January with a price under $25,000. That’s roughly the price of the 252-horsepower Ford Focus ST, though the Sentra NISMO should slightly undercut the 210-horsepower Volkswagen Golf GTI.
In its current seventh-generation iteration, the Nissan Sentra is entering its fifth model year. U.S. Sentra volume has increased in each of the last three years, nearly doubling between 2012 and 2015, and is up 9 percent through 2016’s first ten months. The Sentra is America’s eighth-best-selling car.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.
All of the major players are putting out 200+ hp and Nissan comes out with this?
Come on Nissan, try harder.
Well, at least it’s an effort, versus zero effort. Gotta start somewhere, because the Sentra is pretty darned awful as it stands.
Could’ve been successful, but not at this price point against the ST, GTI, or WRX. This compares more against the Forte SX and Elantra Sport which are both quite a bit cheaper.
At this price they needed to add either AWD or more power. Such as the Juke Nismo RS powertrain.
What Nissan really needs is a Nismo Versa Note with the turbo engine.
This only serves to make a sloppily-styled car even more unappealing.
I don’t think it looks bad. It just doesn’t look like “sport”. It looks like grandma sedan
NISMO spoiler, NISMO facia, NISMO exhaust, NISMO door handles….
What do you say? Is it the new Bluesmobile or what?
Having been in a Note Nismo, I can say that if the interior is anything like that, I may have to consider this. The seats are to die for.
You are crazy. To die for a car? To die for a nissan? this is just wrong
To be fair, I didn’t get to drive it. I just loved the seats.
Though the car looks the business.
Observe:
https://integrityexports.com/2014/07/28/nissan-note-nismo-coming-to-japan-this-fall-w-photos/
Ok, it looks nice. If they give it some pep, some suspension tuning, this could be nice and quick car. But this is Nissan. Expect about average reliability and may be less because it is new and performance version. Also, about these seats. I was climbing in and out of Nismo Juke. These seats are a chore to get in/out. These bolsters on a pillow are real obstacle. I have one like this at home as computer chair. It is nice when you can land into it from the front going back. But you getting into car sideways and this particular seat is not good for that.
No doubt it’s hard to get in and out of. The entry side bolster is going to look like doodoo after about 3 months. But it fit me so perfectly once I got in.
It should be a little easier to get in and out of with a lower ride height than the Juke, but no, the Note was a challenge despite being low to the ground.
Edit: Oh, those are the same seats in the Juke RS. Or at least similar. So there’s hope!
Any number of real cars are available for $25k, buy one of them instead of this.
Is there some kind of tech out there that would let you drive this blindfolded? Because it looks like a dog’s breakfast.
My dog eats good damn breakfast. don’t offend the dog!
Awful. Why do they bother? Don’t they get it?
they don’t care.If they don’t care about their main car – Altima, why care about this. Hey, amigo, screw this to the Sentra overthere, we gonna make it look pretty.
Honda: Hey, look how much body cladding we can add to our small car.
Nissan: Here, hold my beer, watch this.
At the end of the day, you are just driving a fucking awful Sentra that goes a tad faster on a louder turbo’ed engine plus just a bunch of stickers, boosted seats and fake vents.
And Nissan is supposed to be Mitsubishi’s savior…the mind boggles
I can’t wait for the tv commercial with the fake handbrake-induced oversteer hooning.
All they have to do is vinyl wrap it and let some “real people” drive it around a track because racecar.
I wouldn’t mind a Nismo Sentra with a 3.5 and a 6 speed. Not a big fan of the VQ but I think it would be tons of fun, even if it does understeer. =)