Nissan Sentra — Revolutionary To Revolting

Late last year, Nissan posted its price tags for the 2016 Sentra lineup. It appears that they have modified these over the 2015 central lineup figures along with notable changes, according to industry observers.

The base price for the majority of these models has been increased by a minimum of $250, which doesn’t seem like a whole lot. The slight increase was for its entire Sentra lineup, from the simple, base model to the more expensive Sentra SL. But why the change?

The Reason for the Change

The price change was noted by Car and Driver Magazine and noted that the vehicle received an entire visual makeover to match the rest of the trend for the 2016 lineup. So far, the exterior, the interior and everything under the hood have been redone – and Nissan is leaning more toward a unified look with the rest of the vehicles that carry the Nissan logo.

The Price Is for the Units Themselves

What’s interesting is that these price changes were noted as being the price for the units themselves – other charges, such as shipping and handling, are not part of this price. The Nissan Sentra S, Nissan base model, received a $250 price increase. The standard package includes chrome trim, four-speaker system and six-speed manual transmission. For an additional $850, the iteration of the vehicle can include the Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) system.

Another publication, Torque News, it’s published the prices for the rest of Nissan’s coveted lineup. According to them, Nissan announced these prices on New Year’s Eve. The center starts at $16,780 – which is where we see the $250 increase over the 2015 Sentra model in the US. When you add the Xtronic CVT system, you’re looking at $17,630. The Sentra SV, which includes the Xtronic CVT standard (you can’t get it without the system), starts at $18,550. Another model which includes the Xtronic CVT system is the Sentra FE+ S model, which starts at $18,030. The top-of-the-line Nissan Sentra begins at $22,170.

From Revolutionary to Revolting

Under the hood specs aside, the biggest change the Nissan Sentra lineup underwent was visual. Instead of making the lineup unique, as it has been in years past, Nissan chose to make it mimic the rest of the brand. Unfortunately, Nissan has found a mixed reaction among its customer base, calling the move anything from “revolutionary” to “revolting.”

So, will people be lining up to pay more for “revolting”? One wonders ….