Nissan Sentra Overview

Nissan completely redesigned its Sentra. It's a bigger car than the previous generation: a lot longer, a little wider and a bit taller. Fortunately, the Sentra's smooth-running character has been preserved.

There's more power under the hood, particularly for the XE and GXE models, which come with a new 1.8-liter engine. A performance package turns the 2.0-liter SE model into a small sports sedan in looks and in performance. Indeed, the all-new Nissan Sentra is now a less-expensive competitor for Volkswagen's hot-selling Jetta. And that's quite a compliment.

Introduced late last year as a 2000 model, the Sentra adds an inside emergency trunk release for 2001.