Nissan Sentra - 2008 Review

When I bought a new car this year I wanted something that got good gas mileage (gas was $3.99/Gallon at the time), but not a tin-can on wheels. I also wanted a car that had a better-than-average repair record and decent styling. After lots of shopping around I settled on the 2008 Nissan Sentra SL, and have been satisfied with my choice.

The 2008 Nissan Sentra looks like a scaled-down Nissan Altima, which is more appealing looking than most Sentras produced since the car debuted 25 years ago. The front-end has a rather large-looking sloping hood and the headlight/side-blinker combination wraps up on top somewhat. The windshield is quite wide and extends over the top of your view out the front.

The rear window is noticeably smaller and meets a short rear deck where the trunk provides a square back end framed with vertical tail lights. The radio's antenna is affixed just above the rear window on the roof, and the sides are rather flat with only a minimal of flare around the wheel wells. I think the Sentra's appearance compares favorably with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

What really sold me was the comfortable seating position. The front bucket seats in my SL model are black leather and provide good support. I also do not feel squished in the car as in many other small sedans. The width is enough to provide some room in the car and I have plenty of headroom - and I'm 6' 2'' tall.  The back seats are good for 2 people but pretty tight for 3 adults. One feature I like is the folding rear seats which allows for more trunk room.

The 2008 Nissan Sentra has a 2-Liter engine and what's called Variable Speed transmission. I find the engine has enough pep for accelerating onto highways and also is not bad for mountain driving (I've been as high as 10,000'). Handling is very good but the brakes are a bit touchy.  The SL model has a ton of standard features including trip information (miles per gallon calculations, two trip odometers) a glove box big enough for a laptop, XM radio-ready, dual airbags and side air bags, tire air pressure gauges, and power windows.

As much as I like the Sentra it does have a few quirks and shortfalls worth mentioning. For one the sun visor is so big it touches the rear view mirror when I flip it down. The front bumper was not aligned exactly flush and had to be fixed by the dealer, and a small storage box on the left side of the driver does not shut closed correctly (it's always slightly opened).