The 2013 Nissan Sentra offers plenty of room in a car with MPG ratings that make it an ideal daily commuter. The 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine will have you getting 30 MPG city and 39 MPG highway for an impressive 34 MPG combined that will have commuters smiling all the way to the office.
There is, however, a sacrifice for those fantastic numbers and for the 2013 Nissan Sentra the sacrifice is a serious lack of pep when you hit that gas pedal. The engine revs high and stays there while the speedometer slowly creeps its way up. Very slowly.
Once it gets up to speed, it does handle beautifully with a smooth, comfortable ride and a huge amount of interior space for your passengers. The back seat in particular is one of the roomiest you’ll find in the class and easily sits adults behind the driver, even with the seat pushed completely back.
Trim inside the SV I tested matched the acceleration in that it wasn’t terribly impressive. The cloth seats were comfortable but not overly appealing in look and feel and plastic ruled the day. On the outside, well, this is a car I kept losing in the parking lot because it just blends in with the pack.
The thing is, you don’t buy a Nissan Sentra because you’re looking for a Porsche when you hit the gas or a Bentley with seats that cost more than your sofa. You buy it because you’re looking for a comfortable commuter car with great mileage.
On that front, the 2013 Nissan Sentra wins.
This is a fantastic car if you’re looking for something that will save you big bucks at the pump. It’s capable, comfortable and roomy so you can put your co-workers in the back for lunch without feeling like you’re in a clown car. It’ll also easily haul the family around on weekends.
There’s also a very large trunk and 60/40 split rear seats. It’s clearly not a truck, but you’ll easily be able to cram it full of a weekend’s worth of home improvement supplies. And the car is a bargain coming in around $20K depending on the options you choose.
The 2013 Nissan Sentra won’t get your heart pumping, but its fantastic mileage ratings combined with a spacious interior make it a great choice as a daily commuter.
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
