BIG MAN RIDES:2011 Nissan Sentra

The myth is the larger the car the more room..    Thats the way it should be.  I’m a big man 6.4 and well over three hundred pounds.   I find I have more front leg  and head room  in Volkswagen Beetle than I do in Cadillac Escalade.  More room in Ford Fusion than a Buick Lucerne.

2011 is the year of the small car,  I have stuffed this XXXL body into every new model this year,. except the Ford Fiesta,   have driven every new entry except the Ford Fiesta , fitting into the Fiesta would require amputation and while I love my fans here, I ani’t makin the sacrifice.

GM and Ford have finally entered the game, they are building competative cars you want to drive, I’m looking forward to Chryslers offerings next year.   Gone is the tinny sounding car with limited options.  Nearly every option available on a luxury car is now available on a compact or sub-compact car.   The Autopark feature that  was once exclusive to Lexus is  now  available on the Ford Focus.

Some of the small cars are still small on the inside.  I loved the Chevy Cruze, but after a few miles  my body screamed ‘cramp”      The wonderful Ford Focus had adquate leg room but a bit narrow for my wide body.    The roomiest new small car is the Volkswagen Jetta, however to make it competitive in the segment Volkswagen cheapened it. The styling is fine, the plastics are hard and shiny and the control dont feel typically Volkswagen ,the car is underpowered in its base form and unless you opt for the diesel ,the fuel ecomony sucks ,larger cars get better mileage.

The current Nissan Sentra has been around since 2007, the car hasn’t been high on my I wanna drive this car list.  I tend to fall for the pretty girls, the cars that makes me go zoom zoom.   The 2011 Nissan Sentra isnt ugly in fact she has a nice personality, no really, she does !

When your a big man or a tall man your a little apprehensive when in comes to cars.   All my big men Holla!

So I was quite suprised when I got in the Sentra.  At a hundred and ten cubic feet of  interior and cargo space, the EPA classifies the Sentra as a mid size car.    When you a extra widescreen man you lean to the right( to avoid hip bruses) as you close the door.   No worries with the Sentra, in fact my hips didnt touch the console or the door (score one for the Nissan) .  I didnt need to adjust the steering wheel (hmmm).  The fit and finish was pretty tight.  There was a solid feel to the controls.  The Sentra has some pretty neat storage areas…  A small box on the top of the dash for a pair of sunglasses, a good sized glove box and very deep and wide center console.

On the highway I found the Sentra very quiet with a very smooth ride, merging onto I-5 from the airport was effortless,  the 2.0 4 cylinder engine  has 140 horsepower and 147  pound feet a torque.   While I’m not a fan of most Continuosly Variable Transmissions (CVT) this one seems well mated to the engine.   I didn’t want for power going up Sierras on I-80,  however I wasn’t as happy with the 4 wheel disc brakes, there was considerable nose dive during hard braking.   My rental car had a good sounding six speakers stereo,. there was a jack for an I pod and a USB port inside the console, missing was Bluetooth.   Bluetooth and Navigation are available with an eight speaker Rockford Fosgate premium audio, after listening to the stereo at a Reno Nissan dealership, save your cash…the sound was just okay.

The 13. cubic feet trunk is well designed .  Stability and Traction control,anti lock brakes as well as power windows, door locks, air conditioning  and front side and side curtain air bags are standard.

EPA Gas figures is 24/34  I averaged 29 miles a gallon.. However my average speed was 80.

The Nissan Sentra is a good car,   Its solid, quiet and roomy.   There are others that handle better, have better mileage..  However there are few as roomy as the Sentra. Its a lot of car  for  $ 17,000 and while its boxy shape isn’t as seductive as the Elantra and Focus it has a good personality.   The Sentra isn’t as fun to drive as the  Mazda 3, Honda Civic and Ford Focus but at the end of the day,  what you want is a competitant solid reliable car.    If your big and tall man or a family with growing children, the Nissan Sentra may be your car.