SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get at home.
Unlike most car reports, what you read in these pages will not be a faithful reproduction, albeit slightly reworded, of what appeared in the manufacturer's press release. We look for background material, user experience and whatever else we can find that's beyond the obvious. Our guiding rule is that you will be able to tell that the car was actually driven.
*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.
*Pre-owned: Our tests go back quite a few years, so if you are looking for something pre-owned, you might well find a report on it in here.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted are those ruling at the time the reports were written.
Posted: 17 September 2014
Mechanical:
Here in South Africa we call it a “C” segment car, based on value, so it’s one of those definitions that can change regularly. Americans call it a mid-sized sedan because it’s just big enough, at 110 cubic feet or 3.115 m3 (combined passenger and luggage volume), to fit their definition that covers sizes from 110 to 119 cu. ft. So now we know.
But unlike its US-market counterparts that offer a choice between Juke’s 1.6-litre, DIG-T turbo motor and the 97 kilowatt, 1800 cc MRA8DE, we still use the familiar 1598 cc HR16DE that also serves in various Renaults. It is one of a series of three- and four-cylinder inline engines co-developed by the Alliance partners and manufactured by Aichi Machine Industry in Japan.
This one features dual injection and a 16-valve cylinder head with variable timing control. Beehive-shaped valve springs enjoy reduced inertial weight and friction thanks to a new diamond-like carbon coating on the valve lifters. Attention to aerodynamics includes smoothed-out underbody panels and deflector flaps to optimise air flow. Its drag coefficient (Cd) is 0.29.
Active and passive safety equipment, to ensure its occupants and indeed other road users are kept as safe as possible at all times, includes ABS with EBD and BAS, a full set of three-point, low-friction seat belts (pre-tensioned up front), six airbags (dual stage inflation for those in front), an immobiliser and ISOFIX child seat mounting points. Pedestrian safety is taken care of by the high-strength zoned body with strategic crumple zones, as well as tactical headlight, front bumper and bonnet construction.
Front suspension is by independent McPherson struts with a stabiliser bar, while the rear features a torsion beam with stabiliser bar. Speed-sensitive electric power steering makes it easy to manoeuvre in parking lots yet stable at higher cruising speeds.
Equipment:
This includes alloy wheels, halogen headlights, LED accent elements front and rear, remote central locking, multi-function tilt and telescope steering wheel, multi-info trip computer, smart LED interior map lights, a radio/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3, USB/iPod and auxiliary integration and Bluetooth for hands-free cellphone use and audio streaming. Front and rear arm rests, folding rear seats, four cup holders and a bottle holder in each door, air conditioning, electric windows all-round with one-touch up and down for the driver, electric mirror adjustment and auto-locking doors round out the package. No optional extras are available.
The experience:
Like its CVT sister, performance is adequate rather than sizzling; indicating a golden opportunity to instal one of the other engine options. Gearbox ratios in this five-speed manual version were nicely spaced although the action felt somewhat notchy. I have already dealt with details like passenger space, headroom and luggage capacity in my report on the automatic version, so please feel free to visit there too.
Comment:
Nissan describes Sentra’s styling and interior as purposeful, simple and clean. You may agree. But to my eyes, it is bland. And that makes its performance, gearbox action and shortage of rear headroom hard to accept. Unfortunately, aside from the Juke, Nissan car styling seems to be going through a very conservative period. It needs a French kiss of magic; something the Alliance partner could surely provide.
Test car from Nissan SA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R230 900
Engine: 1598 cc, 16-valve, inline four-cylinder
Power: 85 kW at 5600 rpm
Torque: 154 Nm at 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11,2 seconds
Maximum speed: 180 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7,2 l/100 km
Tank: 52 litres
Boot: 510 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years/90 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
Comments?
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8