The 2017 Volkswagen Jetta vs The 2017 Nissan Sentra

If you’re shopping for an economy sedan to zip you around El Paso, the good news is you have no shortage of options. Here at Hoy Volkswagen, we’re proud to offer the best economy sedan on the market in the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. 

While our Volkswagen team is confident the Jetta is far and away the best bang for the buck in the economy sedan category, they put their collective expertise and knowledge of the overall auto landscape to work to prove why its the best among all the available options.

In this article, we’ll put the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta head-to-head with the 2017 Nissan Sentra to prove why it is a class leader. 

PERFORMANCE 

Leading off with an economy car’s performance might seem like a misnomer but in the case of the Jetta, it is more than accurate to think of it as performance sedan that happens to excel when it comes to fuel economy.

The 2017 Volkswagen Jetta in both S and SE trims get their go-go magic from a 1.4L Turbo that churns out 150 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque that averages 28 miles per gallon in the city and 40mpg on the highway. Stepping up to the Jetta SEL trim nets a 20 horsepower boost in the form of a 1.8L Turbo. If maximum performance is really what you’re after, the top end Jetta GLI tucks a 210 horsepower 2.0L Turbo under the hood while still maintaining a very healthy 23 and 33 mpg on the city and highway.

Meanwhile, Nissan powers the entire Sentra range with a truly anemic 130 horsepower engine that peaks out at 128 lb-ft of torque. It’s thirstier at the gas pump compared to the Jetta as well. Fuel economy reaches 36 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg around town. That difference might not seem like much but over the course of a road trip from El Paso to Austin and back, that adds up to an extra tank of gas.

Looking at other major technical components: 

Suspension System 

• Volkswagen Jetta: Four wheel independent multi-link suspension with anti-roll bars front and rear. 
• Nissan Sentra: Independent front strut suspension with a torsion beam rear axle with rear stabilizer bar.   

Braking

•  Volkswagen Jetta: Power assisted dual circuit discs front and rear with anti-lock braking standard on all four wheels with four channel brake pressure distribution. 
•  Nissan Sentra: The base Sentra S and FE+ S models come outfitted with a combination of disc brakes in the front and and basic drum brakes in the rear. In order to get to disc brakes on all four wheels, you need to jump all the way up to the Sentra SR at over $20,000.  

SAFETY

When it comes to safety, the comparison between the Jetta and Sentra isn’t even close. For 2017, the Jetta boasts an unmatched 5-Star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Active safety features such as an Automatic Post-Collision Breaking System and Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System that automatically turns off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and activates the hazard lights in the event of collision helped lock up the NHTSA’s highest safety rating. Couple these amazing innovations with Volkswagen’s engineered safety cage, steel-reinforced body and an array of airbags and you have a car that will do everything it can to protect you and your passengers.

In the Sentra, you’ll find ample airbags and tried and true passive features such as crumple zones and body reinforcements but that’s really about it. There just isn’t the technological wizardry that’s found in the Jetta. Even in the top end Sentra SL, the active safety features stay rather vanilla with simple traction control and blind spot warning systems.  

DESIGN 

Pardon the humblebrag but the Jetta is easily the most well-designed economy sedan available today. It has a truly distinct style that is at once sleek and muscular. When you slide into the driver’s seat, your first thought will be to marvel at the spacious cabin. The Jetta is a leader when it comes to interior space and it holds the title of largest trunk among all economy sedans.

Your second thought when soaking up the Jetta won’t be so much of a thought as it will be an instinct. You’ll know it’s happening when you wrap your fingers around the leather trimmed steering wheel and discover all the vital controls are literally right at hand.

On the Sentra side, even a Words With Friends champion would have a struggle to come up with colorful adjectives to get your pulse racing. The exterior is so pedestrian that the Sentra would be difficult to pick out of a line up of unbadged cars. It’s neither here nor there and that is not a good quality if you’re looking to stand out in streets of El Paso.

The interior of the Sentra has a nice fit and finish while remaining functionally simple. It gets the job done and nothing more, unless you’re tall or plan to ferry a car load of passengers. Then you’ll wish you had a lot more as the Sentra somehow manages to come up very short (no pun intended) in the rear seat space department.  

VALUE  

Getting down to brass tacks, the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta range starts out with an MSRP of $17,895 for the Jetta S. Nissan’s Sentra S squeaks in a hair less at $16,780 but that marginal difference in price does not make up for the features and amenities you won’t be getting compared to the Jetta. Once you factor in the difference in fuel economy, the overall value diminishes even further. And that doesn’t even account for the biggest value of all- the Hoy Volkswagen advantage. As the Volkswagen leader for El Paso and beyond, our team always has special pricing and very attractive leasing offers available. Contact us today for your personalized deal. 

Search our entire 2017 Jetta inventory for sale in El Paso.