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:

    Getting the spare tire and tools
    1. Open the lift gate. 2. Remove the cargo cover (if so equipped). (See “Cargo cover” in the “2. Instruments and controls” section.) 3. Lift up the luggage floor board 1 (foldable or ...

    Fog light switch (if so equipped)
    Fog light switch (if so equipped) To turn the fog lights on, turn the headlight switch to the position, then turn the fog light switch to the position. To turn the fog lights off, turn the ...

    Tachometer
    The tachometer indicates engine speed in revolutions per minute (rpm). Do not rev engine into the red zone 1 . CAUTION When engine speed approaches the red zone, shift to a higher gear or reduc ...