The Nissan Sentra has grown over the years, from a car that used to belong in the B-segment, into one that fits neatly into the C-segment and goes head on into veterans like the Honda Civic. For some, the Sentra looks a lot like a glorified Sunny, not for me though.

Looks

With LED accent lamps working as an eyeliner for the headlamps, beautiful contours along the hood, along with arrowheaded LED tail lamps, the 2015 Nissan Sentra is a good looking car. A lot better looking than the Honda Civic, at least.

Feels

Inside, it’s nearly the same story. If you’re a fan of Star Wars and all that other Sci-Fi jazz, you’d love the driver oriented, asymmetrical dashboard of the Civic. But my design choices are a little more conservative, the neatly flowing and aligned dashboard, optional wood trim along the centre console and padded door panels on the Nissan Sentra, are more my style. In terms of comfort, the Sentra definitely has an advantage with its extra 30 mm of wheelbase which works as extra leg room for rear passengers.

Engineering

The six airbags installed in the Sentra, are rather intelligent for a car that’s priced at nearly N6,000,000. The supplemental front airbags adjust their inflation rate depending on the severity of impact and seat belt usage. If the front passenger seat is empty, the occupant-classification sensor deactivates that airbag. Additionally, front side impact airbags are built into the seat, so that they move and adjust as the individual adjusts their seat.

What’s on offer?

The 2015 Nissan Sentra is available in several variants. The 1.6 litre churns out 113 horsepower and 154 Nm of torque while wearing a price tag that ranges from N4,800,000 to N5,200,000. On the other hand, the 1.8 litre engine puts out 130 horsepower and 174 Nm of torque, while wearing a steep price tag that begins at N5,500,000 and goes up to N6,500,000.

Summing it…

At the end of it all, you’re probably thinking I’d have the Sentra over a Civic, right? Yes, I would in fact. But it’d be silly to forget the Koreans. The improved Kia Cerato is definitely better looking than the Sentra, a fair bit cheaper, and doesn’t have a CVT transmission! That’s enough reason for me to pick the Cerato out of the bunch.