I needed a quick rental car to get from Manhattan New York to Allentown Lehigh Valley Airport for a flight to Mexico, and ended up with a Nissan Sentra from National Car Rental. What started as a simple intercity airport run turned into quite an adventure through the snow in the middle of the night.
Here’s how it all went down.
Booking My Vehicle
Sometimes checking travel options last minute is the way to go. Somehow, I’ve found this to be especially true prior to Christmas! I found an excellent last-minute deal to get to my holiday trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, via Mexico City.
However, it required leaving from Allentown, PA – Lehigh Valley International Airport is only 87 miles from my home in New York City. Additionally, the flight was at 6am, so I’d be driving overnight approximately 1.5-2 hours.
I checked National Car Rental all afternoon, and amazingly around 4:30pm, I found a one way rental option available for 5:30pm onwards. I used a Free Day redemption and booked a one-way car rental for $0!
Getting the Car
I arrived to pick up the car at 5:15pm.
At the Manhattan rental location, they gave me two choices: a pickup truck or a small sedan. Anyone who’s tried parking in New York knows that smaller is better, so I went with the Nissan Sentra.
While National usually has tons of cars to pick from in summer in Manhattan, their winter selection is pretty slim. Still, I used a free day redemption, so I can’t complain!
Space and Storage
The first nice surprise was the trunk – it’s way bigger than you’d expect in a small car.
I was worried because I had several bags for my international trip, but everything fit perfectly.
The front seats have plenty of room to stretch out, and while the back seat isn’t huge, it’s roomy enough for what you’d expect in a compact car.
Car Interior and Comfort
The interior strikes a good balance between simplicity and functionality.
The passenger area offers generous space for a vehicle in this class, with decent foot wells and comfortable front seating.
While the rear accommodations are typical for a compact car, they’re perfectly adequate for shorter journeys.
The dashboard caught my eye right away – it has this bright orange and white display that’s super easy to read without being distracting.
Audio System
The car also came with a pretty good sound system – a pleasant surprise, though with some caveats.
True to Nissan’s tendency toward bass-heavy audio, the system showed some imbalance between the front and rear speakers. However, the overall sound quality was quite satisfying for a vehicle in this category.
Driving Experience
I was due to leave NYC between 2-3am, to make my 6am flight in Allentown. The drive time would be 1h50m in no traffic, and I was targeting an arrival by 4:50am.
Here’s where things got interesting – the weather turned nasty overnight with heavy snow. I was forced to drive thru it!
I saw lots of cars spun out or stuck on the sides of the road between New York and Allentown. But this little Sentra? It handled like a champ!
Even when I had to take a detour because of a closed tunnel in New Jersey, the car stayed steady and sure-footed on the slippery roads.
Fuel Efficiency
The car wasn’t completely full of gas when I picked it up (maybe a gallon or two short), but filling it up at the end of my ~90 mile trip trip cost less than $13.
That’s pretty impressive for a drive through tough conditions.
Returning The Vehicle
I arrived at Lehigh Valley Airport at 4:50am, right on time, despite my delay.
The car made it soundly, with plenty of ice decorating the front of the vehicle after my snowy journey.
There was no attendant to check the car, so I dropped off keys inside the terminal.
Verdict
For what I needed – a reliable car to get me from the city to an airport two hours away through bad weather – the Nissan Sentra was perfect.
It excelled in its role as a reliable transport to get from A to B in winter conditions. The combination of fuel efficiency, practical storage space, and surprisingly good handling in snow makes it a solid option for similar journeys.
Would I want to drive it across the country? Probably not – the seats would get pretty uncomfortable after a few hours. But for shorter trips, especially in bad weather, it’s surprisingly good.
Pros
- Excellent winter weather handling
- Surprisingly spacious trunk
- Excellent fuel efficiency
- Clear, readable dashboard display – I enjoyed the orange and white color combination.
- Decent sound system
- Adequate passenger space
Cons
- Seat comfort could be better for longer journeys
- Unbalanced audio between front and rear speakers
- Basic amenities compared to luxury options
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