2012 Nissan Sentra User Reviews

Pros

Comfortable Seat's, Smooth Ride, Quiet for 4Cyl, Trunk Space, Like the Control/Dash layout's

Cons

Rear end seems to light.Navi system take's some getting use too.

Purchased As New

For the price this car beats the competition. Nissan was trying to get rid of these care's. The new model Sentra's were coming in. I got this car decked out except for leather seat's. I don't like leather anyway. BTW I love the seats. The dash and control layout's are perfect.You don't have to search for anything. I have 11,000 mile's and one year on the car. No mechanical complaints. Honda and Hundai wanted 24,000+ with less equipment. I got mine for 18,500 with key-less (love it) entry and start. Eight speaker audio, Navi, bluetooth, voice and hands free activation and back up camera. Has moon roof too. Excellent brake's even though rear are drum. I could go on and on. The bad new's (not to bad). Never happened but I feel like the rear could slide with some rain or light snow if pushed a little. Just a feel thing. NAV system take some getting used too. Make sure it's upgraded. MPG is not bad, I give it average 28-30 mpg. You want to increase it some turn off the anti skid control that uses the transmission to slow the vehicle down when braking.Again you may want it with that rear end. As for a car in this class you can't beat it. Not the fastest car but can get the job done rather easily. Plus, being a 2012 most of the bug's are gone....read morehide

Pros

Very comfortable, quiet, great economy, love the CVT

Cons

Somewhat plasticky interior, center armrest too far back, not enough cup holders, thin paint

Purchased As New

I love this car. I average between 200 and 600 miles a week, and am never tired from driving it. Very comfortable drivers seat and the height adjustable seat makes a great difference.

I absolutely LOVE the blocky look, it's so different looking from the aero designed cars that all look the same. It has enough headroom both front and rear, and all seating positions are comfortable. No complaints from the 13 and 15 year old in the back.

I read about poor fuel economy and lackluster acceleration. We went to Maryland from Mass with 3 people and luggage, and hit 39.9 MPG at one point on the highway, and averaged 34.3 for the whole trip.

As for the acceleration, with the CVT it takes some getting used to. You shouldn't be afraid of really putting your foot into it. I can merge into traffic and reach 65-70 by the time I reach the end of the acceleration/entrance lane.

CVT does not work the same way a traditional transmission does, so you have to drive it differently. You won't get a down shift when you push the accelerator, so you have to just trust that the power is there and keep the foot down.

A few niggles though. Very thin paint; two weeks after I got it I noticed stone chips in the hood. It's now over a year old, and there are more of them.

The interior is very plasticky, and the dash cut lines are very evident and are not even.

We had a 2007 Versa, and it had a bottle holder in the door panels plus 2 cup holders in the console. We only have a total of 4 cup holders in the Sentra. I miss the bottle holders for water.

I hadn't realized when I bought it that the trunk will not open from the key fob, so have to use the actual key. Kind of ghetto in this day and age and it's a pain. Wish I had gone for the intellikey, but it was part of a $1,900 option package.

All in all, a smooth riding, economical and comfortable car that is distinctive and eye catching. I got the Red Alert just to make sure it totally was. I call it Traffic Court Red....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy

Purchased As New

Another great product from Nissan with great comfort and fuel economy! This is a very roomy compact vehicle @ a great price.

Pros

mileage

Cons

Engines are junk.

Purchased As Not Purchased

The engines are notorioius for noise and oil usage. It seems somewhere along the way a mechancially sound car has given way to poor machine work and assembly and loose tolerances for MPG. If yours knocks demand an engine. The cylinder walls are probably out round and it will eventually, if not already, start burning oil. The Altime is somewhat better if you dont mind you CVT taking a dump somewhere down the road. Or maybe the Pathfinder, Xterra or Frontier whose radiator/trans cooler fails and destroys your transmission. Good luck with this brand. They look okay and that's about it....read morehide

Pros

Comfortable for two.

Cons

Very noisy and poor gas mileage

Purchased As New

I have owned this car for one year.
Pleased with the car. Displeased with the mpg. As advertised 27/34, getting only 20.8/30.1. Not even close!
Noisy road noises.Rear seat road noise very loud.
Very displeased with the Dealer.

Pros

Braking system,Comfort,Supension,Trunk room

Cons

Fuel Economy,Interior design,Acceleration bad

Purchased As New

It's hard to really review this car with only put on 1700 miles so far.I think they designed this car for a taller person with long arms.The reason we bought this car was that the Versa was just not wide enough for myself(with my wife traveling too the shoulder room).I have to say that I do alot of highway driving and that thew MPG is disappointing.Brakes are touchy but iona good way.Acceleration is bad if you kill the pedal..If you baby it, then getting up to 45-50 is not bad at all. I don;t know if i would recommend this car to anyone just yet...read morehide

Pros

good brakes, roomy

Cons

ride is rough, disappointing gas mpg, transmission, bad acceleration

Purchased As New

bad suspension, disappointing gas mpg (27/34, but unless you drive 65 or lower, your mpg will drop down to 27 even on highway), old design style. Despite of the fact that Nissan advertises its CVT on Sentra, you aren't saving very much gas, and the acceleration is slower than Elantra, Forte, Corolla, and Civic. Zeroback is higher than other cars in its clsss. Honestly, I wouldn't have bought this Sentra if Nissan did not give me a good deal. Hyundai and Honda failed to give me the deal I wanted.

however, brakes are sensitive and works well. Its brake assist system might be annoying but is helpful. It's more roomy than Honda Civic....read morehide

Purchased As New

Once owned a 1983 Sentra SE. It got 43MPG on trips. Once towed a 1,000 pound pop up camper and got honest 29MPG. It was a great car, 110HP/5spd. Why won't the new ones get that MPG? Actually after 29 years they should be getting 63MPG without any "hybrid" nonsense!

Pros

Love this car...reliable, great gas mileage, roomy.

Cons

none

Purchased As New

This car is a dream!!! Nissan is the best! Very Roomy with huge trunk space!

Pros

Best brakes ever; decent driver seat, maintenace-free

Cons

gas mileage lower; no heat in winter; poor acceleration; door locks

Purchased As New

On the SR, I like being able to raise the seat. Never had a car that could stop on a dime like this one with top-notch brakes. However, gas mileage is nowhere listed and lucky to get low 20's and in the winter it takes forever to get a tiny bit of heat out of it. As with all CVT's it upshifts so fast after acclerating, you get no feeling of power when trying to get onto the highway. Door locks do NOT unlock when you pull the drivers inside door handle to get out, wasting valuable emergency exit time. Paint is paper thin and scratches very easily. No engine maintenace required (other than oil changes) for 19K thus far, so it is reliable. Arm rest, door rest way too low and poorly designed. Switches on drivers door poorly laid out. No way to get satellite radio without adding a $1000 package of junk too. Limited option packages on SR model. High price for what you get....read morehide