2001
ICOTY Awards - Entry Level
Most
Spirited: The Nissan Sentra
 The
Sentra name has some of us conjuring up images of pizza
delivery cars or old beaters that college students run into
the ground. And although previous Sentras did well at most
such transportative tasks, we can’t help but wonder
why Nissan didn’t change the name for this one. Because
this is a whole different breed of car.
Rolled out in spring of 2000 as an ’00½ model, and
thus eligible for our ’01 awards, we sort of expected
that we might have another mini-Altima on our hands, which
is to say another innocuous—albeit newer—purveyor
of basic transportation, along the bloodlines of Sentras
past. But within five minutes of our first turning the key,
we knew we had a winner, even knowing that Honda was preparing
to roll out an all-new ’01 Civic and Hyundai an all
new ’01 Elantra later in the year. The new Sentra’s
styling is tasteful and substantial, not wild and cartoonish
as often is the case in the youth-oriented, compact car
class. Inside, the Sentra’s tone on tone, padded textures
and luxurious seat fabrics contribute to a Lexus-like ambience.
Excellent ergonomics are a feast for the eyes, and the standard
seven-speaker stereo is music to our ears.
And
fortunately, Nissan’s talented powertrain folks have
graced the Sentra with one of the most energetic and smooth
powertrains that ever has been put in a compact sedan. So
although the new Nissan Sentra is sized and priced like
its competitors, its quality, powertrain, features, and
appearance make it feel like a car that doesn’t really
belong in the entry-level car class. But it sure stands
out in the Class of 2001, as the one with the Most Vivacious
Personality.
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