Yeah I'm so agree with your view. Pretty much the best comment so far from my point of view, since I'm an owner of Nissan Sentra 1.6 (AT). Plus, I'm working in Langkawi, but the car wasn't bought in Langkawi though;-).

Honestly, if anyone wanna own one (Sentra) or Vios, please stop comparing the FC of both, coz if he concerns too much about FC, so he better finds a Kancil or cars with smaller cc. Vios is a bit better in terms of FC, full stop. For me, so far it's been 2 years owning the car, there are things that bother me about the Sentra, but still it has nice things too. (the car was actually bought in 2005 by my brother, then I continue his monthly payments since May 2007 coz he bought another car)

First off, let me honestly explain those things that bother me, though not too much. Yeah I'm kind of annoyed with its dashboard, it looks good but in fact it's the same with previous version. The dials (speedometer) looks a bit simple too. As far as its engine is concerned, the 1.6 auto feels a bit under-power, especially when you have 4-5 adults in the car. For that reason, I'd rather have the 1.8, but if you normally drive alone or with 1 passenger only, 1.6 should not be a problem. And if anyone prefer better acceleration, Vios should win coz it's lighter and I've seen (in Youtube) a Vios doing 190kmh++ on PLUS highway, whereas my Nissan (auto) could only reach 165kmh & I don't know why (even some Proton cars can reach beyond 180kmh nowadays, come on..this is Nissan Sentra, arghh...:-(). I believe some are saying that Sentra has speed-cut behind its gearbox, but also don't know whether most workshops know how to remove the speed-cut. Another thing is, it's suspensions are just too soft & bouncy, and I've read many complaints on this issue in some forums..which I believe that this bothers most Sentra users. Last but not least, if anyone wants to own a Sentra (1.6 version), please choose the version that has brake-disc on all wheels, not drum brakes at the rear coz at times, I could feel that drum brakes aren't so effective during emergency..I think so coz that's what I experienced. For me, a car with that price should offer brake-discs on every wheel..even all Proton Waja come with that offer as basic equipment.

Now let's talk about nice things about it, that make me believe Sentra is a better choice than a Vios. Like I've mentioned before, my boss owns a Vios & I've driven it a few times. Vios engine is undoubtedly quite loud, but it never feels under-power. Nissan, on the other hand has a very quite engine..really. There are few times where I've almost start the car twice coz if you start the car & leave it for a while (for whatever reason), when you get back into the car you'll feel like the engine is not running at all. Sentra offers better interior & build-quality than the Vios. Sentra has better space too, & looks a bit luxurious at times if equipped with leather-seats. It feels better on long run with satisfactory comfort. People's perceptions also tell that Sentra is better than Vios, & I believe this mostly due to its price & cc (more expensive & offers two variants - 1.6 & 1.8 as opposed to only 1 variant of Vios, which is available in 1.5 only). There are other good things about Sentra & there are nice things about Vios, which I could not explain everything here. Thing is, do more research if you want better & a more accurate comparisons.

p/s: Please note that the above comparisons are only based on experience of a normal driver, not a professional.

I'm not sure how come the engine of Sentra is noisier than a Vios. Honestly at idle, a Vios is a bit louder than a Sentra (coz my boss' car & mine always park side to side, where I could easily notice the difference in their engine sound). The sound while driving is still the same too, Vios is a bit louder, & I mean a bit (noticeably) louder than Sentra 1.6. Still a 1.6 Sentra feels a bit underpower, & you don't feel this in Vios, despite having a quieter engine.

However in Sentra, when you slam your pedal in order to overtake (especially on hills), the engine will become quite loud as its rev goes beyond 5000rpm, where my brother in-law said that it sounds like a turbo (he knows little about cars), but to me it's kind of annoying.

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Added on November 16, 2009, 2:07 pmI should agree on that, I mean I was wrong to say that Kancil is the most suitable car if FC becomes quite a big issue. I understand that for potential buyers, information about FC is important, so to look whether the car in overall goes well with our monthly budget. But my advice as a Sentra owner (1.6), the FC is not much of a problem. Kind of reasonable from my point of view, especially if you normally avoid using aircond. I prefer using fresh air during normal cruising coz you can see that it does save fuel reasonably.


This post has been edited by Pitmie: Nov 16 2009, 02:07 PM

After several years using Sentra 1.6 (AT), I decided to trade-in the car & I'd rather go for Sentra 1.8. I still love using Sentra, but somehow I can't get enough satisfaction using 1.6 (AT) for some reasons..like mine doesn't have full disc-brakes (drums at the rear really annoying during emergency, it feels so bad with only front disc-brakes)..another thing is I've been watching Sentra 1.8 so many times already & I think that the interior is also better than my 1.6 (2005)..with dashboard matches its leather seat colour, few wood-like trims, auto-close side mirrors, plus some other nice features.

I've heard that even 1.8 Sentra has better FC than 1.6, I wanna hear your views on this. I even contacted some Sentra 1.8 owners who want to sell their Sentra for that reason.

I know it's a difficult decision to make since both are almost exactly the same car, the only differences between the two 200cc & 10bhp with some additional features in 1.8. I've never driven any 1.8 Sentra before, so I can't really tell how much difference it has in terms of power to the 1.6 version. I learned that 1.6 has about 118bhp while 1.8 has 128bhp. My 1.6 (AT) really feels under-power when a/c is on & when 4-5 adult passengers on board, unless if you drive alone or with 1-2 passengers..only then problem of under-power is not an issue.

As far as FC of both cars is concerned, I think I'm quite okay with my 1.6 & I'm sure 1.8's FC shouldn't be much of a problem to me, unless if it drinks petrol like a 2.5 V6 Naza RIA.

Hey guys..I need some expert advice here please. My Sentra 1.6 SG (AT) is having an unidentified problem..perhaps anyone of you knows something about this or someone has had experienced the same thing in his Sentra. It's about a weird sound coming from err...I guess its steering wheel. I noticed this problem soon after I sped my car over 140kmh 2 months ago with full passengers inside. It makes the sound like "eeettt...eeettt...eeeetttt..." noticeably from the steering wheel. Ever since then, everytime I speed my car over 130-140kmh, the sound will certainly appear which is so annoying indeed. Normal driving under 130-140kmh is nearly perfect, no sound whatsoever. I've asked a couple of mechanics on this, in which I let one of them to see & listen the sound himself, but to no avail bcoz eventually he just said that the problem I'm having is pretty much unheard of.. I'm so in need of advice so that I can overcome such an annoying problem...

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Added on November 30, 2009, 6:47 pmOh by the way, I guess the issue of Sentra 1.6 smoking a Civic i-Vtec 2.0 should have settled even before it begins.. I-Vtec system itself is superior than VTC of Sentra..with higher cc & bhp, & better power-to-weight ratio than Sentra, Civic 2.0 should smoke most Sentra in normal condition. My Sentra was once smoked by a Civic 1.8, expectedly. But from my experience, a 2.0 Civic i-Vtec still loses to a 2.0 C200 Kompressor..

Anyway Nissan has its answer to i-Vtec for sure..SR16 Neo VVL is known to have kicked some i-Vtec's a**...;-)

This post has been edited by Pitmie: Nov 30 2009, 06:47 PM