The current version of the Nissan Sentra which was launched in 2003 is by today’s fast pace automotive standards, at least; Jurassic. Its biggest rival, the Toyota Altis and Honda Civic, received new and somewhat exciting model replacements in the last few years and have taken a good slice of the sales pie. Meanwhile, Nissan’s local brand guardians, Tan Chong have concentrated their efforts with the Latio sedan and hatchback in 2 engine variants to tackle the shortfall in segment sales pie. The Sentra has received a number of facelifts and their latest variant is more of a tuned version that a facelift which is finally good news. The Sentra is conservative looking by comparison to the Civic, Altis and even the Cruze from Chevrolet. However it is roomy and comfortable and with infusion from the design department of IMPUL might persuade some of you to purchase one.
You can distinguish the IMPUL Sentra from the regular Sentra by its wider 16-inch tires and alloy wheels, chin spoiler, body coloured grille with a prominent IMPUL badge in the center, revised headlight surrounds, side sills, rear skirt, boot spoiler and the muscular rear exhaust tip. The side view mirrors have a plastic casing fitted on with an orange reflector which we feel does little to enhance the image of this IMPUL Sentra. Behind the attractive steering wheel are large, backlit black dials on white face gauges which are clearly visible and on the centre stack are sensibly large buttons and dials for the radio/CD/MP3 player and air conditioner – they’re easy to reach and dead simple to operate. The rear window heater and rotary knobs for the climate control have a cheapish feel and should be improved in line with the rest of the interior that still exudes a higher quality feel. Seats are comfortable with good upright headrests and the driver sits low with good visibility.
There are a number of areas where this IMPUL Sentra has improved its performance over the previous version: notably handling and stability. With a significantly wider track and lower body height, and new lightweight 16-inch low profile tyres, this Sentra corners flatter and feels better planted on the road. The ride is stiffer than regular Sentras particularly over uneven surfaces but it is surpringly not jarring with no tramlining around corners and uneven pavement. Ride comfort has been improved allowing this Sentra to be enjoyed by family owners also. Vented discs in front and drums in the rear are a letdown but with just 118bhp it is obvious that rear discs would have been overkill in braking design and an increase in selling price.
The standard five-speed manual transmission is easy to row back and forth and clutch pedal effort is light. However, I found clutch engagement a bit sensitive, resulting in some driveline lurching when changing from first to second gear on higher revs. You need to wring the power from the engine at higher revs to truly enjoy this Sentra. At lower revolutions it is a docile animal and turns into a ravenous machine when you swing the tachometer needle past 3000rpms. Keeping the engine ‘boiling’ at this revolution turns this family sedan into quite a spirited animal.
At its asking price, many will wonder if an 8-year old product is still worth the effort. Well we think yes once you look at what the immediate competition is offering and the possible high trade in value that dealers are offering to allow you to have one parked in your garage. I suggest a test drive of the manual before deciding on the auto gearbox version.
IMPUL Tuned Parts and Accessories
IMPUL Blast 2 Exhaust Muffler – RM1,800.00
IMPUL FS-16inch alloy wheels, a set of 4 wheels – RM4,000.00
IMPUL sports suspension system – RM2,500.00
Continental Premiumcontact 2 tire (a piece) – RM300.00
Nissan Sentra IMPUL Sport Specifications
Engine: 4-Cylinder DOHC VTC
Capacity: 1597cc
Gearbox: 5-speed Manual
Torque: 118Nm @ 6000rpm
Horsepower: 143bhp @ 4400rpm
0-100km/h: 10.0secs as tested
Top Speed: 175km/h as tested
Price: RM94,972.00 (manual) and RM99,077.00 (automatic)
