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:

    Vehicle identification number (chassis number)
    The vehicle identification number is located as shown. ...

    Maintenance precautions
    When performing any inspection or maintenance work on your vehicle, always take care to prevent serious accidental injury to yourself or damage to the vehicle. The following are general precauti ...

    Tire chains
    Tire chains/cables should not be installed on P225/45R17 size tires. Installation of the tire chains/cables on P225/45R17 size tires will cause damage to the vehicle. If you plan to use ti ...