Who says everyone has to drive an SUV? If you need room for five and cargo capacity, but in a fuel-sipping sedan rather than a gas-hungry truck, the Nissan Sentra is an obvious choice.

At RTM, it's important that we experience the full range of automotive products, because we know many of you turn to us to help with vehicle choices for the kids going off to college, or how a vehicle measures up in the safety department. Sure, we care about horsepower, torque, handling and speed, but in the real world, we know that features like roominess, a good sound system, and looks matter just a bit more. 

That's why we've decided to add the Nissan Sentra sedan to our family of long-term vehicles. By the way, we think quite highly of the Sentra, having awarded it two Class of 2001 awards in the Environmental and Entry Level categories. 

The Sentra has been labeled a "Destination" vehicle, not entry level, by the good folks at Nissan. Destination means it's a car that meets all consumer needs, not just in price. We have to agree with that assessment, and give Nissan credit for understanding what is really important in this segment. 

First, the statistics: There are four trim levels of Sentra (XE, GXE, SE, and CA) and two engine choices: a 1.8-liter DOHC inline four cylinder good for 126 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque, and a 2.0-liter four with 145 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. Both engines provide plenty of grunt to move these light sedans around town and on the highway, and can be had with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. (If youšre looking for even more fun, there's a new SE-R version on the way, but wonšt be out until the fall.)

Our long-term SE is stealthy in black, has a complementary gray fabric interior and features the automatic transmission option. In the few months we've had it, we've logged a couple thousand miles already, and are seeing fuel economy numbers above 20 mpg, which is great for break-in mileage. Those figures should go up the more we drive it. We'll keep you posted on that front.

The Sentra was designed at Nissan's Design International (NDI) studio in Southern California, which also has produced the likes of the new Xterra and Maxima. The goal for the Sentra was to give it a design that focused more on a sedan that projected a "self-confident" image rather than just a utilitarian, economical, beginner's vehicle. 

This design theme was carried over to the Sentra's interior, where you get more of a feeling of luxury than economy. There's plenty of room for drivers and passengers of all sizes, and the list of standard features is impressive. We really like the front door pockets that can hold 20-ounce water bottles, the power door locks, and the amazing amount of storage for all the odds and ends editors carry around with them.

Because this Sentra is on a new platform, the overall feeling of the vehicle is tighter than ever before. Ride and handling characteristics make it seem as if this vehicle thinks it's a Maxima, with good cornering characteristics, little body roll, good grip, and a sportiness that comes with just about any Nissan product.

The brakes on our SE are four-wheel discs, and are tight and responsive. So responsive, in fact, that some feel it's almost too touchy. It takes some finessing to apply a light touch at first. But this is definitely preferable to brakes that are soft and spongy. We also appreciate, as does anyone with a family, all the safety features found on the Sentra. These include: dual front airbags, 3-point belts in all seating positions, optional side airbags, and an emergency inside trunk release handle.

While you may be adding up the total for all these great features in your head, we bet you've guess the Sentra SE is about $19,000. If you take off about four grand, youšd be closer to the truth. The Sentra SE bases at $15,799 with the automatic transmission, a bargain by anyone's standards.

And for those who like the looks and feature-packed vehicle, but don't need the sport upgrade, the Sentra XE starts at an unbelievable $11,749. Now you know why it did so well in our Top 10 awards. 

We have driven our Sentra in agreeable weather, but soon fall then winter will be upon us. Stay tuned to see how it handles the changing climates. Judging by what we've experienced so far, donšt expect anything less than wonderful.

No Complaints!
Our Nissan Sentra Long-Term Relationship Continues....
by Steve Siler

Now fully 8 months into our long-term loan with a jet black '01 Sentra, we're still having a hard time finding things to complain about. Not that we are complainers by nature, it's just our job to find everything that's right -and wrong- with the cars we drive. And we gotta say, this Sentra's been a gem so far, revealing itself to be a spunky and willing companion for 'round-town driving.

Since we took delivery last year, we've watched more than 11,000 miles scroll by on the odometer. During that time, we've had plenty of opportunities to appreciate everything that Nissan did right when it revamped the Sentra line for '01.

First, the Sentra's styling has drawn praise from most of us on staff here at RTM. A beefy, blunt front end with flush-mounted headlights and round fog lights give the Sentra an expressive, assertive gaze that avoids the cheekiness that characterize many of the economy cars that vie for the dollars of younger buyers. Its rear end also eschews the butt-up-in-the-air ducktail styling of other entry level cars, so that the overall look is of hunkered-down stability-a mark of much more expensive cars.

The interior recalls much more expensive cars too, with details like chrome door pulls, metal-look plastic trim and high quality materials everywhere you can touch. The boomin' 7-speaker stereo has made fans of all that listen to it. With a distinct paucity of cheap black plastic on the dashboard, and a good helping of soft fabric upholstery on the seats, this is an interior that impresses as much by what it lacks (on-a-budget materials) as what it has (surprisingly good ergonomics and fit and finish).

Despite the downsloping rear end, there is an impressive amount of flat-floored trunk space. Nissan claims 11.6 cubic feet -- on par with the economy car class -- but judging by what meets our eyes, as well as the amount of our junk that the trunk can swallow, it seems like more. Split folding rear seats, a low bumper liftover and wide trunk aperture make it easily accessible as well.

Then there's the engine. With 145 horsepower, the last thing we need is more power (well, need and want are two different things -- for those of us who want more power, there is the new 175-HP Sentra SE-R Spec V). Certainly, the revvy and smooth powerplant makes darting in and out of traffic effortless, and often entertaining. Best of all, we've been averaging gas mileage in the mid-20s.

"We've been fighting over it lately," said RTM publisher Courtney Caldwell, about the custody battle she's been engaged in with her daughter, Shannon, over this faithful new member of the family. She cites its overall comfort and ease of driving as what she likes most about it. Both before and since the scheduled 7,500 mile service, she said, the Sentra has performed flawlessly. "No complaints."

That said, there are a couple of areas where there is room for improvement. The first is a malfunctioning CD player that was replaced under warranty, and the second is the touchy brake feel that we discussed in our last report on this car. Some of us like hyper-responsive brakes (well, maybe just me), and they certainly are in keeping with the Sentra SE's sporty demeanor…after all, with as well as this car goes, it should come to a stop just as easily, right? Still, sometimes superb stopping power comes at the expense of graceful driving, at least at first. "You do get used to it," said Caldwell.

Well, we've been getting used to all kinds of things about our friendly black Sentra. Which is going to make it that much harder to give it away come May. Maybe, if we ask nicely, they'll let us keep it longer….

by Martha Hindes

Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

This was the initial test I gave the Sentra upon taking over long-term
driving chores as the last in a list of reviewers. And I did it for good reason. We were wrapping up a full year of roadworthiness in Nissan's spunky compact sedan and there was this nagging little trait that evaded explanation.

Seems that almost everyone on staff who tested it found the sensitive four-wheel disc brakes almost hazardous to their health. It wasn't an inability to stop that bothered people, including RTM's
editor-in-chief Courtney Caldwell who had vied for driving rights with her daughter, Shannon. It was, rather, the vehicle's tendency to virtually stop on a dime.

"Be careful. The brakes are touchy," Caldwell had warned. "If you stop too suddenly, it could send you reeling."

Her comment was based on a recent experience in a downtown Detroit traffic jam when a quick stop to avoid an accident had left her somewhat winded from the sudden vice-like grip of the Sentra's shoulder harness. It had, however, prevented her from spending the evening in a hospital emergency room.

"No problem," was the word from Nissan mechanics who periodically checked the brakes during scheduled maintenance. "They're operating the way they're supposed to."

Those were the cautions that came with the car. Now it was my turn to try.

The brakes indeed seemed sensitive when I first applied them. But as I drove, I noticed a funny thing. I have long legs compared with my height, and when I lifted my foot to apply the brakes my knee touched the bottom of the instrument panel.

It seemed the brake pedal was set somewhat higher above the accelerator than normal, so I decided to check it out. A comparison with other vehicles proved the Sentra's brake pedal had an inch more clearance between the pedal heights. Ah, now it made sense. Adjusting for that exaggerated pedal arrangement would have to make braking feel more sensitive.

I'm not sure Nissan can be faulted for this configuration which gives
the Sentra a sportier feel but demands more attention. They provided RTM with a pre-production version to give the year-long test a jump start. Auto makers use pre-production vehicles as a sort of dress rehearsal to work out all the problematic little kinks. I'll assume a litany of complaints from our testers and perhaps others sent engineers off to lower the pedal a bit.

But braking raised a question about sudden stops. Would it launch items into a heap under the dash -- a condition called "dive" -- or would it stay at its level best? With passenger seat loaded with handbag and packages, I found a lonely road and landed a full bore stop from speed that should have sent anything loose into next week.

But, nothing. Everything stayed put. After three futile attempts to
dislodge those items, I set a plastic bag on the rim of the cloth seat
that I reasoned could have acted as an anchor even during a quick lane change maneuver.

Again, there was nothing. And that kind of control doesn't happen by accident. It took some doing on the part of Nissan's California-based design team to build a suspension that keeps a vehicle so level. In fact, it almost seemed during one rain-soaked drive that maybe the Sentra could have used a little more front end weightiness, since it seemed a bit too light. I would caution one driving this vehicle to become familiar with its feel on wet roads and snow before becoming aggressive with handling under such conditions.

Now it was time to check out the rest of this small, sporty sedan with some distance driving, after tucking hefty luggage and a miscellaneous collection of junk into its 11.6 cubic feet of storage that left plenty of room for more. A jaunt across state -- nearly 250 miles before heading back towards Detroit -- didn't come close to draining the fuel tank that still was getting mileage solidly in the mid-20s. I gauged it had a good 30 to 50 miles left in the tank when I added 10 gallons during the return trip.

My first impression about seating was disappointment. Seat depths in smaller vehicles often seem short and Sentra was no exception, although I quickly became accustomed to it. But the upturned bolsters on either side of the buckets made them sporty and solid. I could envision a young driver behind the wheel, dreaming of kicking up dust on a winding rally-type road.

There was definite road sense in the seat and steering wheel, as
expected in a smaller car not burdened with a bouncy boulevard ride infamous on some oversized American "limousines." It's preferable to err on the side of too much input anyway since it signals what's going on with the road. A fair amount of wind and tire noise, common on smaller vehicles, shouldn't bother one of the Sentra's targeted markets. What self-respecting gen-Xer, despite constant warnings of hearing loss, doesn't keep the sound system at a decibel level that could drown out a trumpeting elephant.

Overall, I found the Sentra to be fun and agile and quite good looking in its svelte, glossy black coat. I agree with other testers about the beefy good looks. A blunt front end flows seamlessly into an underexaggerated rear deck, devoid of the often obligatory ducktail found on many budget cars. Acceleration was pleasingly responsive, and on mostly dry pavement the handling was quite nimble and exciting.

There were neat touches in the subtle, soft gray interior one might
expect in a pricier sedan, lending credence to Nissan's claim the 2001 redesign on a new platform was meant to instill a sense of
self-confidence and purpose while avoiding the utilitarian "econobox" trap. A little covered bin atop the handsome dash held a melange of odds and ends, including a couple of Lake Michigan seashells rescued from the surf. Little wells at the bottom of the front seat door rims defied explanation but caught the pennies, pens and occasional candy wrappers that constantly fall from my pocket -- a neat touch as it spared an underseat search at ride's end. What seemed odd was the dual set of CD players, one for single disks and a second that accommodated six.

A second power point on the center console was handiest for cell phone charging since the center dash one was stuck behind cupholder wells. And woe be unto the driver with a Big Slurpy who unwittingly jams the console-mounted shift lever into park. (I'm sure Nissan designers have a 7-11 equivilant in their neighborhood so the potential for an unexpected soft drink shower should have been considered.)

Despite the seat's short bottom, it can slide back quite far making it
suitable for someone tall. But long arms would be a necessity; the
adjustable steering column didn't telescope.

Our Sentra as tested wasn't a wallet hungry vehicle; it only munched around the edges. Tagged with a base price of $15,799 when our SE model test drive began, it included automatic trans, three-point safety belts for all seats, dual front airbags plus the option of side impact ones.

Most controls beyond electronic door locks were manual. But a height challenged driver might opt for electronic seating controls to add a measure of lift to avoid the need to peer through steering wheel spokes, a necessity pointed out by Caldwell.

After a year on the road, closing in on 15,000 miles, the Sentra held
up well and was fun and still a pleasure to drive. Overall, it proved a worthy winner of RTM's Entry Level vehicle for 2001 along with the Environmental category winner, and a good candidate car for a daughter or son, all agreed.

But scratch the "entry" classification by Nissan standards. The company prefers "destination vehicle," one that meets all consumer needs in addition to being economical. Our test car was third in the XE, GXE, SE and CA initial Sentra lineup, with 1.8 liter and 2.0 liter four cylinder engines. A sportier SE-R 175-HP (Spec V) version was added later.

As the last to take a turn, I can't help but agree with earlier
assessments. The Sentra is handsome enough to catch attention without being overdone. And it certainly would be a welcome addition to any family with more than one driver, especially those who may be needing to commute to school.

And while this is one vehicle that probably wouldn't satisfy the
lead-foot tendencies of a Porsche owner wannabe, it still has enough pep and zip so it shouldn't embarass a new driver wanting to impress some friends.

[Read Our Sentra Update]  [Read Our Sentra Wrap-Up] [Learn more about the Sentra.....]

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