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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 27, 2000 B e s t W h e e l s O a k v i l l e Nissan Sentra gets bigger and better picked up my GXE tester from Nissan's head office in Mississauga. I've always been a little cramped in previous Nissan econoboxes but the Sentra's exterior size It's all a matter of perception, really. Jerry Hirshberg, president of Nissan's increase translates into greater interior North American Design International room. Total interior volume is up 62 L (NDI), summed it up best when he (2.2 cu ft). Headroom has been increased unveiled the all-new 2001 Nissan Sentra by 20 mm (0.8") in front and 13 mm at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. (0.5") in back. The driver's seat now has "This is our first crack at an `entry- 8-way adjustments and the hip point was level' product," said Hirshberg, "so the raised 20 mm (0.8") as well. Yes, it's still a bit of a squeeze for big first thing we did was to eliminate entrylevel thinking. Our aim was to design a guys like me when we climb into the rear car with its own character, a quality car seat but any space increase back there is that just happens to be in the right price welcome. A standard 60/40 folding rear seat can flop down to add capacity to the range for a lot of people." From the outset, the design team - led respectable 328 L (11.6 cu ft) of trunk by Diane Allen, the designer also respon space. Up front, there's plenty of room for sible for the new Frontier pickup - raised their aiming sights, determined to make the average driver. The seats are smallish the Sentra a car customers want to own but firmly foamed and comfortable. instead of a car customers have to settle Storage space inside the car has doubled. The glove box and console are comple for because of price. Exterior changes include new charac mented by a coin drawer at the driver's ter lines, one-piece integrated headlight left knee and the front door pockets units and a larger bumper with revised include a holder for a 20-ounce drink con tainer. The designers also seem to have grille and front fascia. New larger wheels do give the Sentra taken a page from the Subaru Forester a more aggressive look. And, from front book when they added a lidded storage to back, you'll notice styling cues remi box to the top of the dash, directly above niscent of the upscale Maxima - giving the centre stack. Nissan has also tried to jazz up a few the Sentra "that cut above" feeling. That larger car feel isn't all cosmetic of the model interiors - the same way Hyundai did with the new Tiburon - by either. The new Sentra is bigger for 2001 - using "metallic finish" knobs on the 6.5" (165mm) longer, 1" (25mm) wider HVAC and radio. These are really just sil and 1.1" (30mm) taller - officially bump ver-colored plastic knobs that wouldn't ing it up into the EPA "compact" class. look out of place on a department store This was immediately noticeable when I boom box - a slightly discordant note By Rob Beintema SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER with air conditioning, AM/FM 4-speaker CD system, arm rest for the centre con sole, vanity mirrors and color-keyed side moldings and door handles. The GXE package takes all of the above elements and adds power heated mirrors, an upgraded interior with chrome inside door handles, tacliometer, cruise control, power group, rear cupholders, variable wipers, a second 12V power out let in the rear and remote keyless entry with trunk release. The Nissan Sentra GXE lists for $17,698 - about $200 less than last year's offering, even with the addition of about $1500 more in equipment value. Most Sentra customers seem to opt for the middle-of-the-line GXE which, as in my test vehicle, seems to combine just the right levels commuter ability and extra creature comforts. At the top of the Sentra model ladder, Nissan offers a little more oomph. If you're willing to sacrifice a economy for edginess, you can opt for more styling, more substance and more snap when you stomp the go pedal in the 2001 Nissan Sentra SE. This sporty model - really just a 4door version of the defunct 2-door Sentra known as the 200SX - offers the 2.0L DOHC with 145 hp @ 6400 and 136 lb-ft of torque. The Sentra SE starts at $19, 698 and can be optioned up into the $23,000 range. Since going on sale this spring, Sentras have been selling at almost three times the rate of last year's models. I guess the customers agree. 2001 Nissan against the dark dash and few chrome highlights on door handles and hand brake. It's hard, however, to find any real complaints about the Sentra's interior. Although the Nissan Sentra was princi pally put on paper in California, with engineering contributions from Japan and northern US offices, the interior was inspired by Nissan Design Europe (NDE). The German touch adds an unmistakable element of quality to the cabin, evident in the construction, gap tol erances, material texture as well as fit and finish. The Nissan Sentra comes in three trim choices - XE, GXE and SE. Prices range between $15,000 and $23,000. The base XE starts at $15,298 and comes with a starter set of equipment and niceties - a 1.8L engine, 5-speed manual shifter, dual airbags, cloth interior, tilt steering, 2-speed wipers, etc. Sentra G X E But there's nothing basic about the standard engine. The 1.8 L DOHC 4cylinder engine replaces the 1.6 L motor used in earlier Sentras. It delivers 11 more horsepower and 21 more Ib-ft of torque for a total of 126 hp @ 6000 rpm and 129 lb-ft of torque. Along with the bore increase, the new engine features a new single timing chain, variable valve tim ing, a new direct ignition system (similar to Maxima), microfmished crankshaft and camshafts, a 32-bit engine control module and a special swirl control valve that increases air/fuel mixture during engine warm-up. This is also a wallet-friendly powerplant, meeting the stringent California requirements for an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) rating with mileage num bers of 8.8 L/6.2 L/100 km (city/hwy). Or about 32/46 miles per gallon (city/hwy). A $1,100 Value Option Package adds some civility to the not-so-bare-bones XE Tips for saving fuel (NC)-High prices at the gas pump are forcing Canadians to look for ways that make every litre of gas count. In addition to slowing down, there are a num ber of ways to conserve pre cious fuel. Properly inflated tires can make a big differ ence to a vehi cle's fuel effi ciency. Too often, though, it's tire neglect that leads to poor fuel econ omy and rapid treadwear. According to Bill Egan, Goodyear's chief engineer of advanced product design, tire life decreases about 10% for every 10% the tire is underinflated. However, improperly inflat ed tires are not the only factor contributing to poor gas mileage. Try these other gas conserving techniques: · Tune up the engine. A rough running engine uses more gas than a properly tuned engine. · Replace air filters. Dirty air filters can cause the engine to run at less than peak efficiency. · Use the cor rect viscosity oil since higher vis cosities increase resistance to the moving engine parts. · Use power accessories con servatively. They cause the alterna tor to work hard er to provide electrical current. That adds load to the engine, which increases fuel use. · Avoid jackrabbit starts. Smooth, steady acceleration uses less fuel. · Turn your engine off. Unnecessary idling of the engine will use excessive fuel. Oakville Nissan's Factory Authorized Sale ends Sept. 30th 6:00pm 5333*3500 off purchase price purchase A ltim a GXE A M axim a GXE j THE 2001 SENTRA XE Purchase Sentra XE with Value Option Package for oi Lease Sentra XE with Value Option Pkg for only down. THE 2001 ALTIM A GXE P a y m e n ts re d u c e d ! Lease Altima GXE for only for 48 months, omy $2,350 down. THE 2001 M A X IM A GXE Purchase Maxima GXE with Convenience Package for only A damM cM illan t Lwwv) for 48 months, only $4,650 down. To mB ra im a n Swiiiusn; THE 2001 PATHFINDER XE Purchase Pathfinder XE automatic for only Dave Bauerle Sales* Leas*! · 4> - J Z f O/mo. for 48 months, only $5,450 down. $25,000 CASH OAKVILLE tradem arks. ` Plus d estin atio n , d eb teiy. taxes 8 license. A sk yo u r sales re p fo r d eta ils. NISSAN M O N .-T H U R S . 9 -9 , F R l & S A T . 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE 8274177 Smart people afivays read the fine p n n t A nd they akvays w ear the n s a l b e ts landed lim e offers on 2001 Senna XE 5-speed manual w ith value O ption Package fSentra SE m odel show n) IC 4LG SI BK00). 2001 P ath find e r XE autom at* (P athfinder S£ m odel s h o rn ) C 5Q G 7IA 1 0 0 1 2001 M axim a GXE a u ro ra tx ra th C om m ence Package W48G7T CKOOk. 2001 M im a GXE autom atic (Altim a SE m odel show n) (T48G 7IA 100) ffm anem o exam ples S 20.000 a t 4 8% p e r annum equals [5 9 7 62 p e r m onth fo r 36 m o n th s COB a [1 .5 1 4 3 2 h r an o bfig m o n to ta l o f 121.514 32. [2 0 .0 0 0 a t 5.8% per annum equals J46787 per m ontti fo r 4S m onths COB is [2 ,4 5 7 76 h r an o b lig a tio n to ta l o f [2 2 ,4 5 7 76 [2 0 .0 0 0 a t 0 .9% p e r annum equals [5 6 3 .3 0 p e r m onth h r 36 m o n th s COB Is [2 7 8 .8 0 h r an o b lig a tio n to ta l o f [2 0 .2 7 8 .8 0 4 8 % finance ra te h r 36 m onths a vailable on near 2001 S entra and P athfinder. 5 8 % finance rate fo r 48 months availatile on new 7001 A ltm a . 0 .9 % fin an ce ra te fo r 36 m onths a vailab le o n n ew 200 0 A ltim a a nd M axim a. See O akville Nissan fo r d e ta ils financing plans fro m Nissan Canada fin a n ce Incorporated on approwfo cre d t during sales p e rio d o n ly O ile rs m ay change w rfhout notice, and ca nn ot tie com bined ra th any o th e r o ffe rs D ealership m ay set own offers on selected vehicles N o t a l vehicles a re a vailab le a t a ll D ealerships DUVCN a nd th e N issan lo g o a re Nissan