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A NEW Nissan Sentra
sedan makes its debut this
year, the first redesign of
this economical subcompact
since 1990.

The conservative three-box
styling of the previous Sentra has
been replaced by a contemporary
low-nose/high-tail design — a
popular theme with other small
“economy cars. However, the
Sentra’s rendition lacks the char-
acter and individuality of some of
its competitors, Styling is not one
of the new Sentra’s strong points,
in my opinion. The new Sentra
comes only as a four-door sedan.
The base two-door Sentra, the
least expensive model, retains the

_ 66 The basic
‘warranty covers the
whole car for

three years or |
80,000 kilometres. 99

previous year’s styling and
mechanicals. I expect that this
model will be phased out eventual-

“ly, as the Sentra Classic was a few
years ago. ....

Meanwhile, the new. two-door
Sentra is now called the 200SX, a
revival of a previous Nissan name-
plate. The sporty 200SX and :
200SX SE-R are both priced high-
er than the new Sentra sedan. (I
will be reviewing these cars at a
later date.)

The 1995 Sentra sedan is about
che same size as the previous
sedan, yet it’s roomier, more pow-
erful, and more fuel-efficient than
before. Clever engineering by
Nissan's designers is responsible
for these apparent contradictions.
Though the overall length of the
new Sentra sedan is slightly short-
er than the previous model, the
wheelbase (the distance between

_ the front and rear axles} has been
stretched by 104 mm (4.1 in.) to
2.535 mm (99.8 in), This creates |
ture interior room and improves
the ride without making the car ~
bigger and less maneuverable.

In addition, the Sentra’s height

and width have increased slightly.

resulting in a surprisingly big inte-

rior for such a smail.car. Another
reason there’s more room in the
rear seat area is Nissans new,
more compact rear suspension.
Nissan's so-called multi-link beam
suspension design, first used on

OEE

the new Maxima, is smaller and
lighter than the previous strut-type
rear suspension, However, | dis-
covered that the new Sentra’s
trunk is smaller than before,
though not by much. Split, folding
rear seats help to increase cargo
area.

Another example of Nissan's
clever engincering is in the power-
train. Refinements to the Sentra's
small 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine
have reduced fuel consumption by
5% while increasing horsepower
by five percent (from 110 to 115).
The peppy [6-valve, dual overhead
cam four-cylinder engine with
variable valve timing now uses
just 5.4 liters of gasoline per 100
kilometres (52 m.p.g.) on the high-
way. and 7.9 litres per 100 kilome-
tres (36 m.p.g.) around town when
equipped with the standard five-
speed manual transmission. Even
with the optional four-speed auto-
matic transmission, fuel consump-
tion drops by only about &%.

However, because of its small
displacement, the Sentra’s engine
lacks instant acceleration response
in higher gears. Downshifts are
needed to accelerate quickly. say
up a freeway on-ramp.

The 1995 Sentra sedans come
in four trim levels. base. XE,
GXE. and a new top-of-the-line
GLE. The base price of the base
sedan is $12,790, slightly higher ~
than fast year. Standard equipment
on base models includes five-
speed manual transmission, dual

airbags (no longer a delete option).

tilt steering wheel. 60/40 split
folding rear seat, dual outside mir-
rors, rear defroster, centre console,
three-point seatbelts for all out-
board passengers, height-
adjustable seatbelts, and skinny
P155/80 13-in. radials. However,
power steering. automatic trans- ,
mission, and AM/FM cassette are
not available on the base model.
That will force most people to
move up to the XE, GXE or GLE,
which start at $13,890, $15,890.

“and $18,190 respectively. You can

expect to pay between $15,000
and $18,000 for a well-equipped
Sentra. Top-of-the-line GLE mod-
els go for over $20,000, a hefty

price to pay for a subcompact, but

on par with other Japanese makes.
All Sentras come with a class-
leading warranty. The basic war-
ranty covers the whole car for
three years or 80,000 kilometres
and a major components warranty
covers the engine, transmission,
drivetrain, and electrics for six

. years or 100.000 kilometres.

Three years of roadside assis-
tance and a toll-free information
line are also included.

The Sentra is what I calla
quality small car. For some people,
that extra quality and fuel etficien-
cy is worth paying more for.

CLARIFICATION

ENVIROCOOL. DISTRIBU-
TORS Ine.. a company profiled
in last Friday's Car Care supple-
ment. imports, markets und dis-
tributes Evans Cooling Systems.
_ Jack Evans, president . of
Connecticut -based Evans
Cooling Systems Inc. developed
and patented reverse flow cool-
ing and anhydrous propylene
glycol engine coolant (Evans
“All-Seasons Coolanw).

WHC TO CALL:
Auto Editor
Andrew McCredie

$85-2131 (147)

LEASE Lee

aerate Supnetrete aa UNE Os ae “5 yt A ope
RR aeshs OLY AOE Sea eM WLS TED shite SE TEM ERE CREE ONS

NEWS photo Cindy Goadman ‘
THE 1995 Nissan Sentra offers new styling, more passenger room, improved fue! efficiency, more

horsepower, and standard dual airbags. Inquire about the Sentra at Regency Chrysler, in the 700-
block of Marine Drive in North Vancouver.

Recurring false alarms aré“more than annoying. They make car alarms easy
to ignore and your car easier prey for thieves. That's why Clifford Electronics
engineered its exclusive FACT (False Alarm Control] and Test) feature into
every vehicle security system it makes. FACT absolutely, positively eliminates
recurring false alarms, So if you hear your Clifford system at three inthe

morning, you’! know it’s not the neighbor’s cat.

* Door lock, unlock outputs
* Channel 2 output for remote control
accessories such as garage door openers.
i.

PERFORMANCE
Sag ICAR STEREO]

150 PEMBERTON AVE, NORTH VANCOUVER
_ (KITTY-CORNER TO THE PEMBERTON STATION)

986-1171

| CLIFFORD.

WORLD: “CLASS AUTO SECURITY”

Including installation’

“satne vehicles require additional wiring, telays and/or pin saitches