Standard safety features on all Sentras includes dual front airbags, five three-point seatbelts, adjustable front head restraints, and two fixed rear head restraints. A new standard 126 horsepower 1.8 litre DOHC 16 valve four cylinder engine replaces the previous 115 horsepower 1.6 litre four cylinder engine in base XE and GXE models. Sporty Sentra SE models have a revised 145 horsepower 2.0 litre DOHC 16 valve four cylinder engine - it's up from 140 horsepower last year. I'll cover the SE model in a future test-drive. That's not class-leading fuel economy, but it's still thrifty.
Fuel economy is slightly better with the standard five-speed manual transmission.
Driving impressions Overall, the Sentra's performance is better than average for a small car. More horsepower, a tighter body, an improved suspension, improved manual and automatic transmissions, and better brakes are all reasons that the Sentra's driving experience has improved. The 1.8 litre engine idles smoothly and is barely audible from the cabin. The Sentra is quick off the line, and reaches its 6500 rpm redline with some minor noise and vibrations coming from the engine - not disconcerting and not unusual, but it's there. The optional 4-speed automatic transmission slides seamlessly from gear to gear with none of the jerkiness found in some small cars.