2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO Review: Is Nissan's New Top Dog Sentra More Show Than Go? 

So all NISMO mean that it looks fast but it still the regular version.

To anyone wondering right off the bat: -Different Styling -188 HP -Stiffer Suspension -Starts around 25 grand.

BRING BACK THE ALTIMA SE-R. 6 SPEED MANUAL

I wish Nissan would make something crazy! Like what dodge did with their SRT 4 Neon. Because I'm starting to hear the same things from Nissan when it comes to their performance vehicles. " We tuned the suspension" ," We have bigger shocks", " we have more aggressive styling and better tires". Come on Nissan! ur better than that!

poor attempt to jump into that civic si and gti market lol

This is a really, really good looking car. The design team did a great job. However, it's simply pointless. It's like a Corolla S. 180HP? And in the price range you're in, you're competing with cars that have 250+ hp. This car is pointless.

Im sure there will be plenty aftermarket tuners who will make parts to help it make more power. This is a tuner car after all

only 180 hp ...i will leave that shit at the light with my old 2000 maxima 5 speed

Doesn't deserve the nismo badge, they should just call it the SR+ or something. Then it would get less hate.

What's next? Nissan leaf NISMO, Nissan Versa NISMO?

I've got a feeling that this is one of those cars you really need to drive to fully understand. Nissan's website lists the car at around 2800 pounds which is lighter than most of the competition and it looks like the Juke(where this engine is from) can be re-flashed to easily make a bunch more power. I think this car has a lot of inexpensive tuning potential and would be a great platform to have some fun with.

I have a 2009 Sentra SE-R Spec V and i was looking forward to a nismo sentra. Looks like nissan is turning into the new toyota/lexus whereby they market a product as the "sporty" version but only dress it up and tune the suspension - but the engine and powertrain remain the same. I think its about time for me to look into the upcoming Civic Type R, enough disappointments from nissan and toyota. Screw brand loyalty.

Its a cute car, but you can have a WRX for about 1k more. about 100 more HP

Nobody would ever buy that over a GTI

You're videos are great Andre.

Good job TFL crew for putting forth a great effort reviewing a car that is pitiful and wasn't even allowed inside the building, and for good reason. Watching this provided me a really good laugh tho!

I honestly don't understand. The base juke came with the same engine and the same horsepower. The juke Nismo made 197, and the Nismo RS made 218.... so the SR Turbo makes 188, and the Nismo makes....188...? and the Nismo RS will make..... 197??????!!! why would they spend the time and money to make a NISMO model and not even drop the running parts and tune of the Nismo Juke in there? It would all fit fine and nothing would cost more, WHY not just pump the power to 200? They're worried the car will cost SO MUCH MORE to produce with TWELVE more horsepower? Way to go, Nissan, making a car with less power than the solid rear axle Veloster turbo

The tires seem to be the selling point

Why wouldn't you tell us HP figures in the beginning and not 4mins in?

I foresee a bunch of these stuck at dealership lots. Too expensive for what you get.

Maybe if it was a hatchback it could contend with the SI at a lower price

I'm very confused as to why they didn't tune this engine to 215hp like the Juke RS. If they would have thrown in the torque-vectoring AWD as well it would have been somewhat of a contender to the upcoming SI perhaps. Now it's just a body kit for the Sentra Turbo.

2023 Nissan Sentra NISMO "So what has changed from the regular sentra?" uhh.... there is a lip spoiler and uh.... well its really about the balance and you know, how the car feels...

Lower hp doesn't always mean it's slower than 250hp. Nissan is a master of making lower bhp cars such outclass top of the range Super cars. Example, Pulsar, Selena, 300zx, GTR, etc.

New drinking game. Take a shot every time that guy says "unique".

$25k is quite expensive, for only $1.5k more you can get a base wrx. wrx is on another world, awd, 267hp, awsome community and after market support, resale value, and many more.

I really liked this car since the concept but the low Horsepower ruins it.

"Special car" meaning you must be "special" if you buy one. When Nissan misses the mark, they overshoot by a mile.

The positioning of that exhaust tip bothers me.....

Missed opportunity on the exhaust. Sure it's not as uncommon to see a center mounted dual or opposing dual tips these days, but that is because it works as a design.

The biggest word we hear is "balanced". I suppose they are trying to balance fuel economy or something, which keeps them from boosting the car too much. I guess enthusiasts can increase the boost on the turbo and re-tune the car to improve performance.

Good review. I'd like to see it race a base GTI and Focus ST around a track just to see how far behind it is those two. I suspect it wouldn't be pretty despite Nissan's claims about the car's "balance."

Wow, huge disappointment, 2 years ago they were saying 240 HP turbo charged engine.. my 2011 Sentra Spec V is @206 HP with only a intake and a lightweight pully.

I'll just wait for the civic si

Just got a 19 as a little beater. Really good car!!

188HP hahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaahhahahahahahahhahahaha 25K for this shit... It should cost 20K tops.

The Elantra sport has 201hp and costs four grand less. Why does this car exist?

Suspension & wheel changes are nice, but sorry 188hp (read = to the SR turbo) in a version badged Nismo is BS. An ECU tune with AT LEAST 200hp would have made it class competitive, but now it is still a B-list car behind the Focus ST, Golf GTI, Impreza WRX and soon, the new Civic Si which will have guaranteed >200hp. Nissan is constantly disappointing me these days; the GT-R is getting old, the Z is dead, the Maxima isn't sporty enough, the Rogue lacks personality and even the electric Leaf seems to be standing still; overtaken by rivals like Chevy Bolt & Kia Soul EV which beats it in range.

Juke NISMO seats are RECARO and the seats in this are from a 350Z.

188 Horsepower still? So its basically a riced SR Turbo. This could have been a great car to compete with the next Civic Type R or Subaru WRX STI But now its ruined. What the hell. It needs at least 250. It looks great but Come on! Nobody is going to pay 25K for 188 Horsepower in 2017....

If they don't whip up a Spec V version with at least 220 hp, they'll be giving these things away to make room for new stock.

It needs at least 25 to 35 more horsepower. Nissan should have used the 2 liter turbo engine used in the base Q50. 208hp would help.

Add 30hp/30tq and I'd consider it

Good review & great Sentra.

I'd like to see all-wheel drive, twin turbos and an auto trans with "manual" sport mode!

I don't see the point of NISMO Sentra if you're only going to have 181 horsepower !!!

188hp? Yet still better then a Honda.

Ugh, this Nissan guy was annoying the shit out of me. How many more times could he have said "uhhh"?

How many times can this guy say the car is balanced to avoid saying it’s a pointless model

we'll just have to take the word of the nissan guy I guess.? Honestly, I'd rather have an ecu tuned sentra rs vs a sentra nismo. No sense tuning the suspension if it doesn't make more power. Plus, saying that you tweaked the suspension, tires, put bodykit simply says that your nissan sr doesn't perform that well that's why you had to "nimso" it. I really missed the REAL Nismo back in the 90s where when you see a Nismo badge it simply meant pumped up power and performance. Now, it just says bodykit and aftermarket suspension where you can easily buy and might probably perform better than what nissan has "tuned".

how do these new turbocharged engines barely make more power than NA 90's B series from Honda?

This alcantara finishing is just AWSOME

under 25K so basically when they say that its 24,999 lol, just buy a WRX instead for that price.

If I got a penny for every time that spokesperson said "unique" I'd be a millionaire.

Gosh that wheel gap is killing, I really wish they would have done what honda did and beef up their 1.5t and changed the tune to put it over 200 horses, would have been at least worth while to look at over $25k

Just bought a used 2013 370z Nismo for 30,999 before taxes with only 5k miles! For 5 thousand more dollars I bought a proper sports car with over 150 more hp! I know it's comparing apples to oranges but damn the 370z at least came with different rays forged wheels, and an expensive aero kit so for me it was worth the price of the nismo

truly disappointing. competion so much better. I like handling as much as the next guy. But gee, add power. 220 or something. the past se-r spec v was 200hp. sad.

Weak sauce. This Sentra does not deserve the Nismo badge. Im gonna have fun eating these up at stop lights with my Fiesta ST.

I bought my 2016 veloster turbo for 18,250. Has 201 hp and 190 torque with a dct. I used to be a huge nissan fan. They have fallen off the cliff hard. I will stick to the oldies then by one of these.

Imagine an all wheel drive 325hp loud Nissan Sentra..... I’d buy it 😂

They couldn't just give us a wee bit more hp, just bump it up 20-25 so you at least hit that 200hp mark. I'm imagining they didn't because they didn't want to undermine the regular sentra...but come on Nissan. Balance? They weren't even trying with the excuses. I guess Nissan's officially gone the way of the Toyota brand. Not long before the Z is dumbed down to compete with the 86/brz.

25k can get you such a better entry level sport sedan/hatchback. No recaros and no big brakes. Such a missed opportunity. Take a GTI or new civic SI or a focus/fiesta ST with a basic ecu tune and you have such a better car all around.

For anyone complaining about the low figures, Nissan realizes this. Blame CAFE. It was supposed to make 220 hp, but because of mpg restrictions it got toned down. Luckily, this car will easily surpass that with just a simple tune. I can guarantee that has a higher potential than Honda's Civic Si 1.5L Turbo. Just look at the Jukes running around with 300whp without much work.

18inch tyers and still huge wheel gap .. and thats what they call performance version . First thing I would do would be H&R springs

My old 90 sentra had 89HP. So, compared to a 26 YEAR OLD CAR....😏 this thing has some power...

Nissan lost me when they said that there's no extra power... Also not being AWD is a big hit (not that Sentras have ever been AWD)

I have a 2011 Sentra Spec-V with 20 more HP than the 2017 Sentra Nismo. I am struggling to understand why I would want to trade up.

I own a 08 Sentra SER SpecV and the wheels are the same but my car has more power and it's a 2.5 engine. Right now I'm getting 22 mpg combined and I have an upgraded cat back exhaust with a performance intake

what a pile of shit! and they think it's going to compete with the GTI and focus st? Balanced? it's front wheel drive! what balance are they talking about. this is just an over priced appearance package. Save your money and get a corolla S. Thr guy actually asked for an opinion on Torque steer! You fucking kidding me?! it has 180hp. You gotta have torque first if your gonna get torque steer.

Why would you get this over the SR or if you want to pay 25k why not get a gti or si?

If this car is all about balance, then Nissan has a car that's meant for that audience. Probably have to increase the hp if I look to purchase this car. Funny enough, the Juke Nismo/ Nismo RS has 215 hp i believe. And those who are saying this car isn't a ST, WRX, Si, GTI competitor, you are correct and it's not supposed to be anyways. It's already a step below those cars. Compare this to a Civic HB sport manual, elantra sport, GLI.

Same Nissan Sentra SR with more ride quality suspension and of course looks with an MRSP of 25K. NISMO is Nissan top track performance, so that will sell the car, but at 180 hp is a redesign Nissan Sentra SR Turbo. Not too WOW about it.

I love this car and am excited to try one and sit in the big sport seats. My only complaint I can see is this. . Under the HVAC system there is 4-5 inches of bland plastic. Why not make a 4-5" storage cubby for your cell phone, wallet, ipod, etc. like the elantra sport or GTI. All they give you is a 2x2" coin holder and power outlet.

Wish they make a maxima nismo

they should nismo the altima, the newest model looks cool, and is lower slung

Would it cost the manufacturers too much to just make it RWD? You know the sports car folks would love it.

The SR Turbo is a much better option. This car is over priced, when you think compact you plan to stay around 20K to 22K max, and you can do that with the SR Turbo. If you play your cards right, you can get one for about 19K.

nismo lots of extra price, little additional performance. just like the gtr. oh boy.

yea, fiesta st and especially the gti for sure are way better. shit, ill take new the civic too. nissan sucks so much balls. they rocked in the 90s. its sad what happened to them. same with mitsubishi :/

Nissan needs to "balance" that sorry power output with that price point. They're off target relative to what other manufacturers are bringing to the table.

looks like an offroad truck,ride height is nutz

I'm glad that Nissan did this. Nissan should be concentrating in improve the 9 year old 370z.

Would much rather a civic SI

I really like the styling inside and out. Doesn't seem a great value though. For around 26 you can get more car from ford (focus and fiesta st) Hyundai (Elantra) Volkswagen Gti, maybe others.

And at this point why not just get a WRX? It's only 1k cheaper and 100hp higher than this. for "nismo" it certainly doesn't seem all that fast and seems to lack what other competitors posses. For example, the civic Type R comes with Recaro bucket seats and Brembo brakes stock and is around the same price.

2.7/5 stars. Nothing positive came from this car, just slight negatives and neutrals. This is the best Nissan Motorsports can do?

I think this has the potential to be a great tuner car in the future, if aftermarket parts come out for it

Carlos Goshen, The cost cutter that is CEO of Nissan just wanted to utilize 1.6 turbo motor, hence no up grade for the nismo. This is embarrassing for a company that can and won't do any better.

This seems more like a marketing strategy. Take the thousands of unsold Sentras sitting in the lot, tune them to Nismo specifications, raise the price tag, and bam, easy money, good riddance.

So it's just below the price of a WRX which has a lot more power and AWD..

Why are they trying to reduce lift, if it can't leave the ground.

i payed less than 20 for my 2002 nissan sentra ser spec v brand new with extended warranty , i think it was the best year ,interior and rockford brand. i still have it with 80 thousand miles. 😁 i lovr my car thr same as i did the day i bought it. but this nissan has not made me excited

nice looking bodykit, and interior looks acceptable somehow. but if you look at the competition/market today, IMO, its specs is not worthy of the nismo badge. the SR badge would suit that package better

Wish they disclosed curb weight on these semi performance cars.

very nice. I'm a maxima sport guy but if I was young.

i wonder how much a tune, a performance exhaust and intake would raise this car's power output

well its better than what mazda did with their "sport concepts". All it was is a bunch of cosmetic upgrades but no touch up to engine or suspension

What is up with that one exhaust pipe??? They could've gave it dual pipes with that price!

Love listening to the Nissan rep describe the car. Sounds like he was told terms to use, but has no clue what he is talking about. Very funny!

This thing is a joke. I was expecting at least 200hp especially being a nismo