Styling

The Sentra's tall stance and short hood and trunklid make the car look a bit stubby in profile. It's not nearly as sleek as the Civic, which is still futuristic looking even though it's been around in its current form since the 2006 model year — an incredible feat. I like the Sentra's design more than the Corolla's, which is about as bland and nondescript a car as you'll find these days. For a side-by-side comparison of the Sentra, Civic and Corolla, click here.

Not everything's right with the Sentra's design. A couple of our editors, myself included, weren't fond of the car's clear-lens taillights. This design cue was a fad a few years ago, and it's time for Nissan to ditch the look.

The Sentra comes standard with steel wheels, but our 2.0 SL had 16-inch alloy wheels with an eight-spoke design. Alloy wheels always dress up a car's exterior, and 2.0 S and 2.0 SL models get chrome door and trunklid accents that serve the same purpose.

    See also:

    Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
    WARNING: - Do not depress the accelerator pedal while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), Ds (Drive Sport) or (M) Manual shift mode. Always depress the brake peda ...

    Daytime running light system (Canada only)
    The headlights automatically illuminate at a reduced intensity when the engine is started with the parking brake released. The daytime running lights operate with the headlight switch in the OFF p ...

    NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System keys
    NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System keys 1. Master key (2) 2. Key number plate (1) Your vehicle can only be driven with the master keys which are registered to the NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer S ...