New Nissan Sentra NISMO Breaks Cover in LA; It Will Leave You Disappointed

When you think of NISMO, you think of added performance, but that’s not what performance enthusiasts get with the new 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO. The Sentra NISMO has been revealed at the LA Auto Show, but it’s going to disappoint you.

When the 2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo came out in September, fans were excited about the new performance upgrades. When we heard rumors of a new Sentra NISMO production model, the bar was raised and fans were expecting added performance. But Nissan just announced the Sentra NISMO will get the same power and performance upgrades as the 2017 SR Turbo model.

The same power as SR Turbo

Nissan just revealed the Sentra NISMO with the same 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline turbocharged engine with 188 horsepower and 177 lb. ft of torque as the SR Turbo. There’s no added performance upgrades for the NISMO model. That’s disappointing for sure. It comes mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or a tuned Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Xtronic transmission. Nissan says it gets specially tuned suspension and steering, but it’s also likely the same as the SR Turbo.

When Nissan brought the Sentra NISMO Concept car three years ago to LA, it came with a 240-plus horsepower turbocharged Juke-sourced 1.8-liter 4-cylinder powerplant with 240 lb. ft of torque. That’s more in line with what a NISMO Sentra should have. It looks like Nissan wants an entry-level NISMO to keep the price down.

Sentra NISMO upgrades

The Sentra NISMO does come with some exterior and interior upgrades you won’t find on the SR Turbo. It features 18-inch NISMO aluminum alloy wheels, NISMO front and rear fascia with a signature red stripe, and rear spoiler. It also gets a special NISMO front grille and side sills. Inside, it features a NISMO meter cluster, sport front seats with the red/white NISMO logo, leather gear shift, and Alcantara leather wrapped steering wheel.

Nissan says the new 2017 Sentra NISMO will be priced below $25,000 making it an affordable entry NISMO model. Performance enthusiasts were expecting more performance than the SR Turbo.

Watch the 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO video

Source: Nissan USA

Photo: Nissan