The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

Nissan, nee Datsun, is one of the most aggressive among the very aggressive Japanese auto manufacturers. Just to give you an idea of just how aggressive this company is, it recently released its 1987 Sentra, Stanza and Maxima lines.

Now sometimes a manufacturer – either domestic or import – will release a mid-year model or even a next year model in spring. But this is the first time I know of any manufacturer introducing three models so early. And these three models just happen to make up 60 percent of the company’s car sales in the United States. So this really is a big commitment. But it is a competitive market and Nissan apparently feels it has to get the jump on its competition.

This week’s test car – the Sentra – is the most important car in the Nissan lineup. It alone accounted for more than a third of the company’s car sales in 1985. And things don’t stop right here. Nissan is counting on a combination of imports and production of the Sentra line at Smyrna, Tennessee, to allow it to reach its goal of220,000 Sentras a year, or 12 percent of the small sedan segment of the U.S. car market. Heavy stuff.

Does all of this make the Sentra a better car than the other subcompact, economy cars? Not really. But apparently Nissan is doing something right because it, obviously, is selling a lot of them. Or, at least, this type of car is hitting one of the largest group of buyers – young singles and young couples.

The test car was a five-door wagon, which like other wagons, did offer versatility for those persons who have the need for more room for hauling at certain times. You really have to look at it a couple of times to realize it is a wagon. The rear end has a sloping and somewhat aerodynamic appearance that could be mistaken for what is known as a a five-door hatchback. But the space behind the rear seats is open and the rear seats, themselves, fold flat for station wagon type of storage space. There was something about the rear treatment that looked familiar to me and after awhile I figured out what it was. It looks very similar to the Audi 5000 wagon. But, if you are going to copy, might as well copy from something expensive.

The new styling of the Sentra is similar to the company’s Maxima, the top- of-the-line sedan. This does give it somewhat of an upscale appearance. But, according to Nissan, even though the ’87 Sentra is new in appearance, many of the changes are not visible at first glance. The company said that particular car was paid to making the construction of the vehicle firmer, increasing the rigidity of the body for a mode solid, durable feel. In addition, the length of the wagon (and sedan) was increased more than three inches. So, it is somewhat of an upscale vehicle at that.

The test car did have a solid feeling about it, but, then, so do so many other economy cars these days. (One of the reasons today’s cars are more expensi ve is that everybody is upscaling, and in all segments of the market.) And with its optional three-speed automatic transmission, the test car was also very easy to drive. Probably a skill level just above a trained chimpanzee, but not much more. Just drop it in gear, aim it in the general direction you want to go and stomp on that accelerator pedal. No cares, no scares, no airs.

The front-wheel drive Sentra features four-wheel independent suspension – MacPherson struts all around – and is a decent handling car. It is not meant to be a sports sedan but for an economy car it isn’t bad. Because of its relatively small size – length of 172.2 inches, wheelbase of 95.7 inches, width of 64.6 inches, height of 54.3 inches and curb weight of 2,304 pounds – and excellent visibility because of its large glass surface, maneuverability and parking are a snap. It is easy to see why a young person would enjoy driving this car.

The two front seats are somewhat on thes all side (in fairness, it is a subcompact) but not uncomfortable. Leg room and head room are decent and even tall drivers shouldn’t have any problem fitting in. The rear seat can hold adults but children would be more comfortable. Cargo volume is not available as yet but I would guess it is about 25 cubic feet with the rear seat in place and about 40-45 with the seat folded. The rear seat features a split back, which of course means that one side can be folded and a rear seat passenger can still be carried.

The Sentra is powered by a 98-cubic-inch/1.6-liter single-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine with two-barrel carburetor. This engine is rated at 70 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 92 foot pounds of torque at 2,800 rpm. This is not a lot of power these days, even in an economy car. So, not surprisingly, the test car’s performance was far from startling. At best, performance is adequate. Although it does cruise right along on the highways, acceleration and passing power are a bit light. But, again, it is an economy car.

The test car’s three-speed automatic transmission (a five-speed manual is standard) shifted smoothly and on cue and is certainly well worth looking into for anyone who doesn’t want to bother with a manual. Like other automatics on small displacement engines, it did take its toll on fuel mileage. All you had to do was look at the tachometer to figure this one out. The test car’s engine ran at 3,000 rpm at 55 mph. In fifth gear, with a five-speed manual, this figure would be considerable lower.

But when all was said and done, the test car’s fuel mileage really wasn’t that bad. It averaged 23 miles per gallon for city driving and 29 mph for highway cruising. The five-speed, of course, will provide higher figures.

Base price for the Sentra GXE Wagon with automatic is $9,859. This is quite a base for an economy car, even these days. But this a top-of-the-line model and features a nice level of trim and appointments and a goodly number of standard equipment items. The only option on the test car was air conditioning at $670. Add to this a delivery charge of $210 and the total price came to $10,739. The Sentra lines starts at $5,999 for the standard sedan and goes to $10,159 for the automatic SE Coupe, a real cute looking sporty model. So, as you can see, the Sentra line has a good spread of models and prices.