Nissan Sentra

The Nissan Sentra combines a spacious and thoughtfully designed interior with a generous choice of engines. This quality and other additions contribute to make the 2009 Nissan Sentra a rather midpack choice for a small sedan.

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Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2009 Nissan Sentra is offered in five trim levels: 2.0, 2.0 S, 2.0 SL, SE-R and SE-R Spec V. The base model 2.0 includes 15-inch steel wheels, power windows and locks, 60/40-split-folding rear seats, air-conditioning and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack.

The S includes 16-inch steel wheels, driver seat height adjustment, keyless entry, cruise control, power mirrors, a trip computer, audio controls mounted on the steering wheel, and a six-speaker stereo with MP3 capability.

The 2.0 SL trim adds 16-inch alloy wheels, leather seating, keyless ignition and entry, satellite radio, Bluetooth and overhead storage for CDs.

The Sentra SE-R trim offers keyless start, satellite radio and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls are available only as options. Standard features for the SE-R include 17-inch alloy wheels, more performance-minded suspension tuning, larger brakes, a lower body kit, cloth sport seats, aluminum-trimmed pedals and gauges for oil pressure and G-force.

Powertrains and Performance

Nissan Sentra 2.0 models come equipped with a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine that pushes 140 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque.. Fuel economy registers an EPA estimated 25 mpg city/33 mpg highway and 28 mpg in combined driving, while the manual transmission drops fuel economy slightly to 24/31/27 mpg.

The Sentra SE-R’s engine is bumped up to 2.5 liters and cranks out 177 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. A manual shift control is the only transmission available on the SE-R. The SE-R Spec V pushes the same 2.5-liter engine to produce a higher-revving 200 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. The only available transmission for the Spec V is a six-speed manual.

Safety

The entire 2009 Nissan Sentra line comes standard with front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Antilock brakes are an option for the base 2.0 model and are standard on all others. The higher-performing SE-R models come with four-wheel disc brakes.

In government crash testing, the Nissan Sentra earned a perfect five out of five stars for frontal and side impacts for front passengers and four stars for rear passengers in side impacts.

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